Yakitate!! Japan

焼きたて!! ジャぱん

Kazuma Azuma leaves his hometown for Tokyo to invent Ja-pan, a bread meant to represent Japan the way rice defines its cuisine. He sits the employment exam at Pantasia, a nationwide bakery chain, where fellow hopeful Kyousuke Kawachi spots his Solar Hands: a rare, naturally warm grip that speeds yeast fermentation. The two land jobs at the chain's South Tokyo branch under manager Ken Matsushiro, and the loaves Azuma bakes there open an escalating run of public baking contests.