Just a heads up, this weekend Mitsuwa is having there storewide 20% off sale. I'm sure it'll be a madhouse so I'm making it a point not to go.

gaijinmark wrote:

Just a heads up, this weekend Mitsuwa is having there storewide 20% off sale. I'm sure it'll be a madhouse so I'm making it a point not to go.

20% off everything?

gaijinmark wrote:

Just a heads up, this weekend Mitsuwa is having there storewide 20% off sale. I'm sure it'll be a madhouse so I'm making it a point not to go.

I go early... When they just open.

Smash and grab shopping.

is this all the mitsuwas?

nevermind, i checked the website.

This really sucks

I was over at the Little Tokyo Mitsuwa and one of the cashiers told me they're closing it on Jan. 15th and it's going to reopen as a Korean Supermarket

I asked her what she's going to do, and she said she's trying to get on at either the Santa Monica or Torrance stores but everything's still up in the air.

This really sucks

gaijinmark wrote:

This really sucks I was over at the Little Tokyo Mitsuwa and one of the cashiers told me they're closing it on Jan. 15th and it's going to reopen as a Korean Supermarket I asked her what she's going to do, and she said she's trying to get on at either the Santa Monica or Torrance stores but everything's still up in the air. This really sucks

Remember I reported that was going to happen because a Korean concern bought the whole building..and they are going to make a Korean market the anchor of the new development.

EDIT: Just wanted to say, yeah it does SUCK. I shopped there frequently. I have fond memories of that place. Well ever since the Japanese bubble economy burst over a decade ago...that Yaohan Plaza was pretty much going down hill.

Tu_triky wrote:

Remember I reported that was going to happen because a Korean concern bought the whole building..and they are going to make a Korean market the anchor of the new development. EDIT: Just wanted to say, yeah it does SUCK. I shopped there frequently. I have fond memories of that place. Well ever since the Japanese bubble economy burst over a decade ago...that Yaohan Plaza was pretty much going down hill.

Yeah, I remember you telling us about the new owners so it was totally unexpected, but still, when it happens . And true, the Mitsuwas at Torrance and Costa Mesa are much better, I just feel bad for the people that are going to be out of work.

gaijinmark wrote:

Yeah, I remember you telling us about the new owners so it was totally unexpected, but still, when it happens . And true, the Mitsuwas at Torrance and Costa Mesa are much better, I just feel bad for the people that are going to be out of work.

I share your sentiments, sincerely. I was really bummed when I found out that the building was sold given the plans to change its character. I really enjoy shopping at that Mitsuwa. I'll miss it.

Well I wonder if that new Japanese center they are building, the Nikkei Center, will have a market...that'd be great if it did...like if they put a new Mitsuwa there.

Celebration Held for Nikkei Center

By GWEN MURANAKA
RAFUENGLISH EDITOR IN CHIEF
Saturday, Nov. 22, 2008

A community celebration was held Tuesday for Nik­kei Center, the multimillion dollar development planned for First and Alameda streets in Little Tokyo, as the team looked ahead to the daunting task of building the center in the midst of the worst economic crisis in a half century.

“There is fear in the global economy and yet looking at Little Tokyo, we’ve seen it weather so many calamities,” said Jonathan Kaji of Kaji and Associates. “This is a community made up of savers who are interested in making a good deal, especially in real estate.”­

Kaji estimated the cost of Nikkei Center at $300 mil­lion. Nikkei Center is to be built on a 4.5-acre site known as Mangrove Estates, currently a city parking lot and one of the last open parcels in Little Tokyo. It consists of 390 units of mixed-income rental housing (40 for seniors, 70 for low income households), 180,000 square feet of office space, 80,000 square feet of retail space and 1,286 parking spaces. The parcel is the future site of a Gold Line light rail station. Metro is also looking at that intersection as the site of a proposed regional connector, which would link the Gold, Blue and Expo lines.

Bill Watanabe, executive director of Little Tokyo Ser vice Center, said that he and his team would remain open and involved, seeking input from the Japanese American community.

“We know this area, we know this city,” said Watanabe. “This project will combine the historic Little Tokyo with the new Little we want to create.”

More than 100 attended, including Councilmember Jan Perry, Consul General Junichi Ihara and Assemblymember John Perez (46th district), as well as community members from Little Tokyo and the Arts District.

Ihara offered his encouragement to the Nikkei Center team. He noted that he had just given a briefing on Little Tokyo to Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone, who stopped in Los Angeles on his way to the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru.

“He was not at all updated, so tried to explain what is happening in Little Tokyo, the gymnasium, Nikkei Center, as well as the Go For Broke center and the Gold Line Station,” said Ihara. “There are so many important and interesting things.”

“I sincerely hope the Nikkei Center will be successful and will show a new way of urban life in Los Angeles which is less dependent on automobiles so the city is greener ... My dream is to see the Japanese Consul Gen­eral offices coming back to Little Tokyo as well as all the Japanese government related offices,” Ihara said, to the applause of the gathering.

Just got back from Little Tokyo Mitsuwa, it's official, the signs are up, January 25th they're closing.

gaijinmark wrote:

Just got back from Little Tokyo Mitsuwa, it's official, the signs are up, January 25th they're closing.

Drag.

Stopped off at the Little Tokyo Mitsuwa and found out my favorite cashier, the one I practice my fractured Japanese on, won't be unemployed when the store closes, she'll be moving to the Torrance store.

YOKATTA!!!

Best news I've heard all year

gaijinmark wrote:

Stopped off at the Little Tokyo Mitsuwa and found out my favorite cashier, the one I practice my fractured Japanese on, won't be unemployed when the store closes, she'll be moving to the Torrance store. YOKATTA!!! Best news I've heard all year

What's her name?

I was in Little Tokyo as well with my brother and sis-in-law, but Daikokuya was packed for lunch, so we went elsewhere.

bmwracer wrote:

What's her name?

Her name tag says "Matsue" and she pronounces it Mat-su-eh, but I don't know if that means 松井 (Matsui) or 松江 (Matsue) Or it could something completely different. Sucks being a gaijin.

gaijinmark wrote:

Her name tag says "Matsue" and she pronounces it Mat-su-eh, but I don't know if that means 松井 (Matsui) or 松江 (Matsue) Or it could something completely different. Sucks being a gaijin.

I'll look for her in the future... There was a really nice checker at the Torrance Mitsuwa named Junko, but she left a while back... A college student, I'm sure...

If anybody's interested the Japanese-American National Museum will be having a free day on June 20th. As part of the event, Taiko Project will there starting at around 3:30.

gaijinmark wrote:

If anybody's interested the Japanese-American National Museum will be having a free day on June 20th. As part of the event, Taiko Project will there starting at around 3:30.

And also Obon festival July 11/12 with Zendeko my all time most favorite taiko group. This will make up for my disappointment when they did not play at last year's Nissei Fest.

http://www.zenshuji.org/ZenCarnPoster2009_8.5x11.pdf

If you want a sample of Zendeko, here's my video recording from their last Nissei Week appearance in 2007:

http://www.veoh.com/collection/Nisei2007/watch/v1049290MwKTsabH#

Kyushu/Okinawa Fair @ Mitsuwa next weekend: http://www.mitsuwa.com/event/eevent.php?e=37

The festival runs from August 15-23 this year: http://niseiweek.org/

Time to make plans...