TOKYO - The Japanese take their Christmas cakes seriously.

So when some “Strawberry Frill Shortcakes” ordered online from Takashimaya started showing up at customers’ doorsteps in crumbled heaps, the incident was destined to become headline news, complete with deep-bowed apologies broadcast on national television.

The confectioneries in question were delivered in the days leading up to Christmas, selling for ¥5,400 (S$50) apiece – not a small sum in Japan, where decades of deflation mean that lunch in Tokyo can still be had for less than US$7 (S$9.30). 

The cakes were meant to be frozen and shipped, to prevent disasters like the one that befell about a third of those who ordered the pastry.

“We deeply apologise for disappointing many of our customers due to the frozen cakes that we sold,” Mr Kazuhisa Yokoyama, senior managing executive officer at the department store group, said at a news conference on Dec 27 before bowing deeply for about five seconds.

Despite the holiday season, it has not exactly been a slow news period, with a political probe and a carmaker safety testing scandal competing for headlines. 

Strawberry shortcakes are popular in Japan, and especially so at Christmastime (along with fried chicken, which has become a social-media meme, in addition to the crumbled cakes this week).

Takashimaya’s pastries were developed by Les Sens, a French restaurant in a suburb of Tokyo.

As to the reason why the cakes collapsed, that remains a mystery. Investigations by the bakery that made them and by the parcel company revealed no lapses, according to Mr Yokoyama.

“It’s extremely regretful, but we found it impossible to determine the cause,” he told reporters. “We will strengthen our relationships with counter-parties and work together to prevent this from ever happening again.” BLOOMBERG