[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 30 (Thursday, March 4, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E303]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    A TRIBUTE TO MIKAWAYA ON THE OCCASION OF THE BAKERY'S 100 YEAR 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 4, 2010

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mikawaya 
on the occasion of its 100 year anniversary. This historic Los Angeles-
based family-owned bakery has been a fixture in Little Tokyo in the 
heart of my congressional district since its founding in 1910.
  Under the current dedicated leadership of Frances Hashimoto--the 
grand niece of the bakery's original founder--this successful 
enterprise continues to satisfy the sweet-tooths of Angelenos and 
dessert lovers throughout the country with its wide assortment of 
delicious and original bakery items.
  Mikawaya manufactures and sells traditional Japanese pastry and 
confectionary (wagashi), mochi ice cream, and gelato. In addition to 
its traditional ``mochi-gashi'' and ``manju'' that have been the 
foundation of the family business, Mikawaya has obtained nationwide 
popularity and success as the creator of Mochi Ice Cream along with its 
gelato offerings.
  Madam Speaker, as Mikawaya celebrates its 100-year anniversary at the 
Kyoto Grand Hotel on March 8, I ask my colleagues to please join me in 
congratulating the entire Hashimoto family and their dedicated 
employees for bringing smiles to the faces of generations of customers 
who have enjoyed the unique and delicious Japanese-inspired ice cream 
and pastries that this one-of-a-kind bakery has to offer.
  I extend to them my best wishes for many more innovative, productive 
and profitable years ahead.
  To fully capture the remarkable story of the Hashimoto family and the 
100 year history of their bakery, I would also like to submit the 
following historical overview:
  ``Just after the turn of the 20th century, two Japanese entrepreneurs 
decided to open a manju bakery. One of them was from Mikawa, an old 
Japan province in the area that today forms the eastern half of Aichi 
Prefecture. The ``ya,'' or store in Japanese, was added to the end of 
the name to create the name ``Mikawaya.''
  In 1910 Ryuzaburo Hashimoto purchased the company, which was located 
at 365 East First Street in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo district. His 
nephew, Koroku Hashimoto and his wife Haru, took over the operations 15 
years later and reopened at the newly built Olympic Hotel on North San 
Pedro Street, also in Little Tokyo. Five years later, they moved the 
company back to First Street where they remained until 1942, when the 
U.S. entered World War II.
  From 1942 to December 1945, Mikawaya closed its doors as Executive 
Order 9066 forced more than 110,000 Japanese Americans, including the 
Hashimoto family, into U.S. internment camps for the duration of the 
war. On December 23, 1945, the Hashimoto family proudly reopened 
Mikawaya at 244 East First Street, next door to their pre-war location.
  In 1970 Frances Hashimoto, their youngest daughter, took over the 
family business. Having the foresight that the surrounding First Street 
area would become prime redevelopment property, she planned and built a 
new bakery on 4th Street, which was completed in 1974.
  With the new location on 4th Street, Mikawaya was able to expand its 
operations and product offerings. Hashimoto's husband and Mikawaya's 
Chief Financial Officer, Joel Friedman, happened on an idea when he 
visited Japan in 1984. In 1994, after spending 10 years of research and 
testing, his brainchild--mochi ice cream--became a reality.
  Mochi ice cream, which is a serving of ice cream surrounded by a thin 
layer of mochi (pounded sweet rice), has become a recognized addition 
to American pop culture like sushi and sake. Today, it is Mikawaya's 
signature product with mass appeal that has reached beyond Asian 
American tastes. Currently there are seven flavors of mochi ice cream, 
including: chocolate, coffee, green tea, mango, red bean (azuki), 
strawberry, and vanilla.
  Mikawaya's traditional Japanese confections and pastries are still 
available and made daily at its Los Angeles factory and are still a 
favorite in the Asian American community.
  Always innovators, Mikawaya now manufactures and sells gelato--
Italian-style ice cream made from milk, sugar, real fruit and other 
ingredients.
  Along with Mikawaya's centennial anniversary, the company opened a 
new 100,000-square-foot facility in Vernon, California. This facility 
is designed to meet the increasing demand for Mikawaya's products and 
will be the headquarters for new product research and development of 
frozen desserts. All of Mikawaya's desserts are manufactured in 
Southern California and are still held to Mikawaya's standards of high 
quality and taste.
  The bakery presently operates retail stores in Japanese Village 
Plaza, Little Tokyo Square, Pacific Square Shopping Center in Torrance, 
Mitsuwa Marketplace in Gardena and Shirokiya Department Store in 
Honolulu, Hawaii.''

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