Japantown's oldest sweet shop has announced it will be closing for good after 115 years in business, reports SFGATE. Benkyodo Company at 1747 Buchanan St. is known for traditional handmade Japanese mochi, manju, and other treats.
The shop announced the upcoming closure with the following message on the homepage of their website:
"After 115 years of business, Benkyodo will be closing our doors on March 31, 2022. As we head into retirement, we thank you all for your years of support and patronage.”
The current owners Ricky and Bobby Okamura are the grandsons of Suyeichi Okamura, who was the original business owner and passed down the tradition of handmade candies.
If you're trying to visit the legendary shop before it closes next Thursday, SFGATE says you may want to prepare for hours-long wait times or get there extra early. Benkyodo Company has a nearly 5-star rating on Yelp and its page is littered with glowing reviews. Everyone in the reviews from this month has mentioned that they waited anywhere from 2 to 3 hours to get a delicious piece of San Francisco Japanese history.