Crystal Lee: This is rainbow dango,
bite-sized orbs of colorful, tender mochi.
In a process similar to taffy,
it's made every day by hand
along with a selection of other wagashi,
or Japanese treats.
Mm! I've never had mochi this good in my life.
Brian Kito: Thank you, thank you.
There.
That's mochi.
Customer: Oh, this has been here forever, right?
And it's the best. [laughs]
Crystal: LA's Little Tokyo is the heart of the largest
Japanese American population in North America.
One gift that Japanese immigrants brought over with them
is this cute little snack, mochi.
Now, we're visiting the oldest Japanese business
in the country, from the owner,
who actually still makes mochi
the way grandpa did it.
Let's go.
After all these years, Fugetsu-Do has earned
many fans who adore their mochi's texture and taste.
Hi! Brian: Hi, Crystal.
Crystal: Tell me a little bit about Fugetsu-Do
and how long you've been around.
Brian: Well, Fugetsu-Do is the oldest store
here in Little Tokyo.
We started in 1903.
I am the third generation.
Today, we're making sakuramochi.
It's our season, February and March
we make sakuramochi for Girls' Day.
Crystal: What do you use to make it?
What are the ingredients? Brian: Well, we use sweet rice
and red bean, adzuki beans.
And we also are making a number of other items.
Some are more decorative traditional mochi.
Each one has a certain taste or certain texture.
So, if you'd like to see,
we're busy working right now,
so come on back.
Crystal: In the Fugetsu-Do kitchen,
Brian Kito is more than a baker.
He is a shokunin, or a master craftsman,
a title earned after at least 10 years of training.
He's known for his traditional Japanese desserts,
including yokan, a sweet bean jelly
served over white-bean-filled mochi
decorated and covered with gelatin.
There's also ogura, an inverted mochi
with the beans on the outside,
topped off with a flower,
also sealed with gelatin to keep it soft and shiny.
First of all, I am just impressed by how much
manual work there is.
Every single stage there is someone pouring,
cutting, manipulating, mixing, stirring,
moving something from one table to another.
I mean, it's all done by human hands and human labor.
Fugetsu-Do is known for their rainbow dango.
It starts with a base dough
that's steamed and mixed with sugar.
The mochi is edible at this stage,
but it's not rainbow dango yet.
Food coloring is folded in by hand
and shaped into long pieces that wrap the white mochi.
Now it's ready to be rolled out, section by section.
Each tube is finally laid in a wooden mold.
But before that, getting them to be just right
takes some effort.
It's a workout. [pants]
OK, my arm is tired, my shoulder is tired.
I have truly never eaten mochi until today.
Like, real mochi.
Yeah. So good!
This is just...
it's a joy to eat because the texture
is just something that you don't find in nature.
You gotta make it.
Brian: I've been in the business for 44 years, full-time.
Crystal: Now, given that you've been doing this
for a long time and it's a family business,
have you had any tools or
special equipment that's been passed down?
Brian: Yeah, we do. We have some molds
that have been passed down
even from my grandfather's days.
But because of the internment during World War II,
a lot of the stuff from my grandfather
doesn't exist anymore that they've lost.
Crystal: After internment, Brian's mom and dad
struggled to rebuild from nothing,
but they soon got back to producing their legendary mochi,
with a little bit of help.
Brian: Korey, my son,
he's showing interest in taking it over.
And so we're preparing for him to be fourth generation.
He's been here for now a year and a half
apprenticing while he's in college.
Korey: You have five. You have three more.
Customer: Three more? Korey: Three more.
Customer: It doesn't matter.
Customer: It doesn't matter?
Crystal: Is he the young man that looks like you
walking around?
Brian: He's the one that almost looks
as good-looking as dad.
[both laugh]
No, I'm just kidding.
Customer: And it's so fragrant!
Oh, it smells so good,
even not to eat it is a treat.
[laughs]
Customer: You just can't find this anywhere else.
And it's fresh; it's not, like, dry.
The mochi itself has a taste,
which complements whatever is inside of it.
Crystal: I'm in my third bite.
This texture is unbeatable.
Mm!
Passerby: Oh, it's the mochi place!
Crystal: It is the mochi place, and it's really good!
Passerby: Yay!
[Crystal laughs]
Crystal: You have a little bit of mochi in your hair. Can I?
Brian: Yes, please. [laughs]
Don't eat it. Crystal: Just kidding!
[everyone laughing]