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This is the special, uncut companion episode to our main June 2026 feature on Kouraku, officially certified by the City of Los Angeles as America's oldest operating ramen shop. While our main episode features English translations, we wanted to share our entire raw, heartwarming conversation exactly as it happened on Second Street in Little Tokyo. 
Listen in as host Michelle Malizaki sits down with Kouraku's owner, Mamoru Tokuda-san, speaking entirely in Japanese. Mamoru-san shares his personal journey from volunteering during the uncertainty of the 2020 pandemic to stepping up to preserve a 50-year-old culinary legacy after the tragic passing of the previous owner, Hiroshi Yamauchi. He also discusses the unique philosophy of Showa-era machi-chuka (Japanese-Chinese comfort food), the warmth of seeing four generations of customers return to the same tables, and how a high-tech cat delivery robot named Luna-chan found a permanent home alongside an irreplaceable piece of Little Tokyo history. 
エピソード解説 (Japanese): ロサンゼルス市より「現存するアメリカ最古のラーメン店」として正式にストリートサインを授与された、リトルトーキョーの老舗「後楽（Kouraku）」。今回の配信は、新オーナーの徳田守（ Mamoru Tokuda）さんをお迎えしたインタビューの模様を、編集なしのオリジナル日本語音声でお届けする特別編です。 
2020年、パンデミックの混乱の中でボランティアとしてお店を手伝い始めたところから、先代の山内弘さんの急逝、そして2023年1月に伝統の暖簾を引き継ぐに至った経緯を徳田さんご自身の言葉で語っていただきました。さらに、専門店とは異なる「町中華（machi-chuka）」ならではの優しいスープの秘密や、35年以上の歴史を持つレトロな看板へのこだわり、そして今やお店のエンターテインメントとして大人気となっている猫型配膳ロボット「ルナちゃん（Luna-chan）」誕生の裏話まで、リトルトーキョーで紡がれる温かい歴史が詰まったインタビューをお楽しみください。 
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Welcome back to Japanese America! In this episode, hosts Koji Steven Sakai and Michelle Malizaki take the podcast on location to Second Street in the heart of Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, to record inside a true culinary and cultural landmark: Kouraku. 
Originally opened in 1976, Kouraku was recently honored by the City of Los Angeles with an official street sign certifying it as America's oldest operating ramen shop. To celebrate this incredible 50-year milestone, Koji and Michelle sit down with the restaurant's new owner, Mamoru Tokuda-san, who stepped in to take over the reins in January 2023. 
Mamoru-san shares the deeply moving story of how he transitioned from a restaurant career to volunteering at Kouraku during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, eventually stepping up to preserve the space after the tragic passing of the previous owner, Hiroshi Yamauchi. We also look at the historical roots of Showa-era machi-chuka (Japanese-Chinese comfort food) and why its gentle, balanced flavors have sustained families across four generations. 
Note: For this episode, Koji reads the English translations of the interview so everyone can follow along with the history. However, we will also be releasing a separate, uncut companion episode featuring Mamoru-san's interview entirely in his own words in Japanese. 
In this episode, we discuss:
The Magic of Showa-Era Nostalgia: Michelle explains why old-school Showa-era aesthetic is suddenly "cool" again and how Kouraku’s vintage vibe instantly transports her back to her childhood in Japan. 
Preserving a 50-Year Legacy: How Mamoru-san balanced the pressure of taking over a historic business with the inspiration he drew from Kouraku's long-term staff—many of whom have dedicated 20 to 30 years to the kitchen. 
The Science of Machi-Chuka Flavors: The culinary reason Kouraku’s stock is kept balanced and gentle, utilizing a chashu-infused soy sauce base rather than the overwhelming flavors of modern specialty shops. 
High-Tech Meets History: The introduction of Luna-chan, Kouraku's famous cat-themed delivery robot, and how it coexists with an irreplaceable, historic 1980s neon signboard that modern makers can no longer replicate. 
Food as a Cultural Time Machine: Koji and Michelle share their ultimate childhood comfort foods. Michelle reflects on making homemade gyoza with her mother, while Koji opens up about his lifelong obsession with curry rice, sharing a poignant memory of how his father's experiences in the WWII incarceration camps shaped his relationship with the dish. 
Links & Resources Mentioned:
Visit the Restaurant: Kouraku, Little Tokyo (Los Angeles, CA) 
Learn more about Japanese American history: janm.org
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In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, hosts Koji Steven Sakai and Michelle Malizaki take the podcast on the road to the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) in Little Tokyo. In this special archival episode, they dive into a landmark 2024 conversation with the legendary George Takei, recorded by Sharon Yamato during the Tule Lake Pilgrimage. 
George reflects on his family's cross-country odyssey through the American concentration camp system, from the swamps of Rohwer, Arkansas, to the high-security Segregation Center at Tule Lake. He provides a visceral description of Tule Lake as the most militarized of all ten camps—complete with three layers of barbed wire, machine gun towers, and tanks patrolling the perimeter. 
The heart of the episode explores the "logic of dissent" and the "no-win" nature of Question 28 in the government's Loyalty Questionnaire. George also shares the profound lessons he learned from his father about "participatory democracy" and the responsibility of citizens to ensure that a "government of the people" does not slide into autocracy. 
Highlights include:
The origins of his bestselling graphic novel, They Called Us Enemy, and his children's book, My Lost Freedom. 
The reality of life inside the Tule Lake stockade and the "incompetence of racism" found in the government's literacy traps. 
A powerful warning for 2026: Why democracy is a choice that requires active participation every single day. 
Tune in for a deep look at the fragility of American ideals and the enduring strength of the Japanese American spirit.
CREDITS
The music was created by Jalen Blank
Written by Koji Steven Sakai
Hosts: Michelle Malazaki and Koji Steven Sakai
Edited by Koji Steven Sakai
Produced by Koji Steven Sakai in conjunction with the Japanese American National Museum
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 Koji here. I’m stepping away from our usual schedule for a moment to share a new project I’ve been building in my garage in South Pas.
As a screenwriter and producer, I’ve realized that some of the biggest "plot holes" aren't in Hollywood—they’re in our history books. That’s why I’ve launched Un-History. Using a piece of analog hardware that picks up a ghostly frequency I call the "Dead Air," I’m pulling history’s biggest icons onto the hot seat for a final audit of their lives.
In this premiere episode, I’m cross-examining Thomas Jefferson. We’re digging into the massive contradictions of the man who wrote the vocabulary for freedom while running a 600-person forced labor camp and drowning in a $2,000 wine habit.
If you like the way we deconstruct stories here at Japanese America, I think you’re going to love this.
Listen to Episode 01 now and subscribe to the new "Un-History" feed wherever you get your podcasts.
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It is peak Sakura season in the Pacific Northwest. In this episode of Japanese America, Michelle and Koji beam up to the Rose City to sit down with Hanako Wakatsuki-Chong, the Executive Director of the Japanese American Museum of Oregon (JAMO).
Hanako shares her personal journey from growing up in Idaho—where her own family’s incarceration history was largely absent from her education—to becoming a self-described "steward of memory" and "translator" of the past. We dive into the "quietly defiant" identity of JAMO in its new home in the Flanders Building and the fascinating, diplomatic history behind the 100 Akebono cherry trees that line the Portland Waterfront.
Join us for a deep dive into resilience, undeniable belonging, and the "vibe" of planting something beautiful in the soil of a place that once tried to push you out.
Learn more about JAMO at jamo.org.
CREDITS
The music was created by Jalen Blank
Written by Koji Steven Sakai
Hosts: Michelle Malazaki and Koji Steven Sakai
Edited by Koji Steven Sakai
Produced by Koji Steven Sakai in conjunction with the Japanese American National Museum
Support the show