enjoy complimentary ramen. The festival included activity
and game booths for the young and young at heart.
Kouraku, the oldest operating ramen shop in the U.S., celebrates a half-century of serving the community and visitors from around the world.
By MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS
RAFU STAFF WRITER
It had been a long day – actually several long days leading up to the event – but Mamoru Tokuda took a moment to pause amid the happy chaos and take it all in.
“I think the most important thing is knowing the people who are cooking your food,” said Tokuda, 48, as the kitchen staff busily prepared fried rice and gyoza dumplings around him. “Some of our staff have been here for 30 years-plus, so they really know what they’re doing.”
Tokuda is the third owner of Kouraku, the legacy eatery on Second Street that has been recognized as America’s oldest Japanese ramen noodle restaurant still in operation.
On Nov. 8, Kouraku (the name could be interpreted as “easy enjoyment”) shared its pride with the wider community by hosting a celebration on a closed Second Street in the heart of Little Tokyo. The free event featured presentations by local officials and dignitaries, complimentary ramen, festival-style games, and a variety of performances.
Event coordinator Mariko Lochridge said the idea of holding a “Kouraku Matsuri” was inspired by a new and festive addition to Nisei Week last summer.
“They were so inspired by the JX Matsuri during Nisei Week, and all the carnival games, and having made a donation to that event, that they asked to borrow the games for their own event,” Lochridge explained.
Kouraku first opened its doors in 1976, bringing recipies that originated mainly out of the post-war Osaka area, according to Tokuda. A decade later, the restaurant was entrusted to Hiroshi Yamauchi, who expanded both the menu and the operating hours, making the small eatery a go-to refuge for late-night diners.
Yamauchi guided the restaurant through times lean and robust, from the Japanese economic boom and subsequent bubble-burst in the early 1990s, through post 9/11 uncertainty, and a sudden surge of interest in all things Japanese, driven largely by the growing popularity of anime and manga.
He even found a way to keep Kouraku operating and solvent during the darkest days of the pandemic, preparing meals – many free of charge – for delivery while everyone was holed up at home.
Tokuda, who had worked at other restaurants in and around Little Tokyo, lent a hand during the pandemic and was hand-picked by Yamauchi to eventually take over. That handoff came sooner than expected when Yamauchi passed away suddenly in 2020.
“The biggest reason I wanted to hold this event was for him,” Tokuda explained, gesturing to a photo and small display as a tribute to Yamauchi.
Hundreds stopped by for the festival, lured in no small part by the free bowls of Kouraku’s legendary shoyu ramen. An unexpected treat was receiving a sample of the just-created at-home ramen kit, the first product of its kind in the restaurant’s history. Not yet available in stores, the set was developed in partnership with Sun Noodles, the longtime local supplier to many local restaurants.
“Mamoru has been involved with [research and development] for a while, trying to figure out how to capture that flavor in a ‘to-go’ form for those who maybe are traveling and can’t get to the restaurant in person,” Lochridge said.
Tokuda himself said he was a regular late-night customer for many years, and is certain the comforting taste of the ramen and other dishes is what keeps generations coming back.
“Everyone here is working hard, and we make sure to never change the recipes. That’s an important concept.”