By ELLEN ENDO, Rafu Shimpo
In 1903, the Wright brothers made the first controlled flight at Kitty Hawk, the Ford Company shipped its first car, Crayola made and sold its first box of crayons, and the first modern World Series was played between Boston and Pittsburgh.
In Los Angeles, three University of Southern California students, Rippo Iijima, Masaharu Yamaguchi, and Seijiro Shibuya, launched a one-page mimeographed Japanese-language newspaper to keep the city’s approximately 1,000 Japanese immigrants informed. Henry Toyosaku “H.T.” Komai became publisher in 1922.
Also in 1903, Seiichi Kito, an immigrant from Gifu, opened Fugetsu-Do on Weller Street in Little Tokyo, establishing America’s first Japanese sweet shop. It wasn’t unusual for visitors to buy dessert at Kito’s shop and simultaneously pick up a copy of The Rafu, which was free at the time.
Like many Japanese-owned businesses, both Rafu Shimpoand Fugetsu-Do were shuttered in 1942 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the forced removal of all persons of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast.
After the war, the responsibility of re-establishing the family businesses fell to the Nisei —Seiichi’s son, Roy, and H.T.’s son, Akira. Today, grandsons Brian Kito and Michael Komai lead the respective companies.
Each pastry created and sold by Fugetsu-Do and each edition of The Rafu Shimpothat arrives at your home or business, or in your inbox, is evidence that our customers, advertisers, and social media followers are evolving and changing in ways that the Issei founders could not have imagined 120 years ago.
With this issue of TheRafu, we acknowledge a milestone, Issue No. 34,000, remembering the one thing that has never changed: Our commitment to report the stories, large and small, that help define and celebrate our community.
Jake Tapper, Stephen Miller spar on CNN, supporters spar on TwitterIncredible: This satisfied cockatiel has found its ideal sex toyPete Souza had the perfect reaction to Trump's 'like, really smart' tweetsGrandma makes a great case for snail mail as social mediaClever sister made a Tinder account and PowerPoint of potential suiters as a lovely Christmas giftJ.K. Rowling tweets response to Donald Trump cancelling his UK visitPrince William jokes that Prince Harry hasn't asked him as best manHeartbreaking video of little boy singing in memory of his sister goes viralWolff, Bannon, 'Fire and Fury' publisher get cease and desist lettersGrandma makes a great case for snail mail as social media 'The Book of Boba Fett' review: Disney's Star Wars fan service is suffocating 'Magic: The Gathering' dev talks mixing Japanese mythology and cyberpunk sci Peloton CEO steps down amid mass employee layoffs Cruise driverless taxi service launches in SF Android 13 to bring themed icons, per SpaceX's Starlink to provide internet access to Tonga 'Marry Me' English bulldog steals scenes and hearts Musicians are furious at website HitPiece, which listed their music as NFTs without permission Facebook lost daily users for the first time ever. Should Zuckerberg care? Massive DeFi exploit sees hundreds of millions worth of cryptocurrency stolen
0.1409s , 9761.4140625 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【?? ??? ??? ???】The Rafu Shimpo Reaches 34,000th Issue,Global Hot Topic Analysis