Aiko “June” Kawaratani passed away in the comfort of her home in Monterey Park, California on December 2, 2023. She was 95 years old. Aiko and Kiyoshi “Skip” Kawaratani owned Rafu Bussan, Inc. for 65 years. Her husband pre-deceased her in 2014, at the age of 88, as did her younger brother Keitaro Tokuda of Osaka, in 2017. She is survived by three nieces from her brother Keitaro and their respective families, as well as Skip’s remaining siblings: Tom Kawaratani (99), Fumiko Ozaki (95), Yukio Kawaratani (92) and Toshiko Masumoto (90), and their respective families. Carol Tanita, their employee of 50 years, was by her side when she passed, along with her wonderful caregiver from PACE CARE. Rigoberto Martinez, another long-time employee of 30 years, helped to also care for Aiko, while she gradually became weaker over the last year.
Aiko and Skip had no children of their own, but considered their business, Rafu Bussan, their “baby” that they nurtured and helped prosper for over six decades. They had hundreds of employees over the last 65 years, and considered all of them like their own children. They considered their many customers like family, and treated them as such.
She was the oldest of two children, and was born and raised in Osaka, Japan. Her mother passed away while she was very young, and she was raised by her grandmother and aunt. She attended schools in Osaka, and after graduating high school, worked at the U.S. Army PX in Yokohama, where she made many lifetime friends who also came over from the United States. It was during this time in 1951, she met her future husband, Kiyoshi “Skip” Kawaratani, who worked for an American importing company. After a brief period of dating, they married in 1953, and came to the United States in 1956, and settled in Los Angeles, California. They first lived in Boyle Heights, then moved to the Crenshaw area of Los Angeles. Later, in 1969, they purchased their final home in Monterey Park, California, where Aiko resided until her passing in December.
Aiko and Kiyoshi leaves behind a legacy of giving back to their community. They considered Little Tokyo their second home, and spent many long hours working at the store, then shopping and eating at nearby restaurants and stores. They believed in supporting the community that gave them their opportunity to prosper, and although running the business took many long hours of hard work which prevented them from volunteering their time, they supported Little Tokyo organizations that supported their beloved community.
Funeral services will be held on Sunday, January 21, 2024, 11:00 a.m. at Zenshuji Soto Mission, located at 123 South Hewitt Street, Los Angeles. Parking in the temple lot is reserved for the family and funeral participants, but overflow parking is made available at Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple (North Lot), 815 East First Street (enter from Vignes Street).
Aiko will later be placed alongside of her husband at the Nokotsudo located inside of Zenshuji as her final resting place.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers and koden, please consider making a donation to Zenshuji Soto Mission in memory of Aiko Kawaratani.