Umeya Rice Cake Co

For nearly a century, the name **Umeya Rice Cake Co.** was synonymous with authentic, high-quality Japanese rice crackers—Arare and Senbei—throughout California and beyond. Established in Los Angeles in 1918 by Yasuo Hamano, an immigrant from Japan, this three-generation, family-owned **Bakery** became a cornerstone of the Japanese American community and a true Los Angeles institution. While the company closed its factory operations in late 2017, the location at 414 Crocker St. remains a site of profound historical and cultural significance, and the legacy of Umeya continues to be honored through a major community revitalization project.

Umeya's products—tasty, bite-sized crackers made from top-quality California rice—were cherished staples at family gatherings, church events, and local grocery stores, long before Japanese snacks gained mainstream popularity. The company's resilience, surviving challenges like the forced removal and incarceration of the Hamano family and other Japanese Americans during World War II, cemented its status as a symbol of the community's enduring spirit.

Today, for those seeking the history and the spirit of this legendary producer of **Arare** and **Senbei**, the address is transforming. The Hamano family’s decision to sell the former factory property to the Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) ensures the site remains connected to its community-focused roots. The location is now home to an exciting new affordable and permanent supportive housing development, aptly named "The Umeya," which will preserve the business's history while serving the current needs of the Los Angeles community. This transition exemplifies a powerful legacy: from a century of providing beloved Japanese confections to providing crucial affordable homes, ensuring the Umeya name continues to support the people of Little Tokyo and the surrounding areas for generations to come.

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The historical and current address associated with the **Umeya Rice Cake Co.** is **414 Crocker St, Los Angeles, CA 90013, USA**. This location sits at the intersection of Downtown Los Angeles's Little Tokyo and Skid Row neighborhoods, an area historically important to Japanese businesses and the immigrant working community.

While the traditional retail operations of the bakery concluded in 2017, the site itself is currently undergoing an incredible transformation. The former factory has been redeveloped into "The Umeya," a mixed-use affordable housing project by the Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC). For community members and visitors interested in the site's ongoing legacy, access may be relevant for the new community-serving commercial spaces and the planned exhibit honoring Umeya's history.

Customer reviews from the period when the bulk retail operation was active highlight the unique purchasing experience:

• The facility was known to have a **loading dock area** where customers could park to quickly retrieve their orders, a setup indicative of a factory-direct distribution point rather than a typical retail storefront.
• Service was described as friendly, with staff sometimes bringing large boxes of products out and even assisting customers with loading them into their cars.
• Customers would often need to **ring the doorbell by the service window** if personnel were not immediately visible, suggesting a streamlined, high-volume process focused on bulk purchases.

As the site transitions into its new role as affordable housing with community space, it continues to honor the accessibility and community focus that the Hamano family embodied when operating the bakery.

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The primary service offered by the **Umeya Rice Cake Co.**, during its nearly 100 years of operation, was the large-scale manufacturing and distribution of traditional Japanese rice cakes and cookies. While the company is now closed, its historical service model was centered on providing bulk quantities of specialized snacks to the community and to retailers across the country.

• Manufacturing of Japanese Confections: The company was a major producer of **Senbei** (large, round rice crackers) and **Arare** (small, bite-sized rice crackers, often referred to as 'Mochi Crunch').
• Bulk and Wholesale Distribution: Umeya sold its products in large volumes, both to the public from its factory-direct location and to grocery stores, fishing villages, restaurants, and mainstream supermarkets nationwide. Reviews praise the factory's low prices for **Arare** and other goodies in bulk.
• Iconic Snack Production: Umeya was responsible for manufacturing popular items that became mainstays in the Japanese American community, including **Sakura-shaped senbei** and **Fortune Cookies** (notably featured in a 1986 McDonald's campaign).
• Community Support and Outreach: Beyond commerce, Umeya served the community by being a generous donor, providing senbei to countless local basketball, baseball, golf tournaments, and church events, embodying a spirit of giving back.
• Direct-to-Customer Sales: The factory floor provided a unique direct purchasing service, where customers could buy large boxes of their favorite rice crackers, often with specific selections that were difficult to find elsewhere, such as selections requested by family members in Hawai'i.

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The legacy of **Umeya Rice Cake Co.** is rich with features that made it a cherished part of the California landscape, particularly for the Japanese American community.

• Nearly a Century of History: Founded in 1918 and incorporated in the 1920s, Umeya was a three-generation, family-owned business that operated for nearly 100 years, a remarkable feat for a business in the ever-changing downtown Los Angeles area. This long history is a testament to the quality and loyalty the brand inspired.
• A Symbol of Resilience: The Hamano family and the company endured the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, a defining historical challenge. They returned to Little Tokyo after the war, rebuilt, and resumed operations, making the company a powerful symbol of endurance and community return.
• The "Arare" and "Senbei" Bulk Destination: For decades, the Crocker Street factory was the go-to location for purchasing authentic Japanese rice crackers in bulk at excellent prices, a feature deeply valued by local customers and those sending packages to family elsewhere.
• Legacy of Community Employment: The Hamano family was known for its commitment to the local area, often hiring immigrants and those in need of a start, ensuring the company's mission was always closely tied to supporting its neighborhood and workers.
• The Umeya Affordable Housing Project: The site’s transformation into “The Umeya,” a 100% affordable and permanent supportive housing development by LTSC, ensures the business’s legacy of community service continues. The new development will feature an exhibit honoring Umeya, preserving its history for future residents and visitors.

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While the business closed in 2017, the contact information associated with the former Umeya Rice Cake Co. factory location and community interaction remains a part of its historical record. For general information regarding the historical legacy or the new development at this site, it is best to consult the Little Tokyo Service Center.

Historical Address: 414 Crocker St, Los Angeles, CA 90013, USA

Historical Phone: (213) 626-8341

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For those interested in the Umeya Rice Cake Co. today, what is worth choosing is a reflection of its enduring impact, blending historical appreciation with the company's continuing legacy of community service.

Firstly, it is worth **seeking out the story**. The journey of the Umeya family—from their founding in 1918, through their wartime incarceration, to the eventual sale of the factory property to an organization dedicated to affordable housing—is a crucial piece of Los Angeles and Japanese American history. Visiting the **414 Crocker St.** site to witness the physical space where the new affordable housing development, "The Umeya," stands is an act of acknowledging that history and cultural preservation.

Secondly, try to **find the products** that made Umeya famous. While production has ceased, Umeya’s snacks—particularly the **Arare**, **Senbei**, and **Fortune Cookies**—were distributed widely. Many local Japanese markets and specialty stores across California carry similar items, sometimes labeled generically as "Mochi Crunch." Seeking out rice crackers that match the traditional quality and flavor of Umeya’s classic **Sakura Arare** or **Mixed Arare** is the best way to connect with the culinary experience the company provided for generations.

Finally, support the **community mission** that the Hamano family entrusted to the Little Tokyo Service Center. By creating 175 deeply affordable apartments at the site of the former factory, "The Umeya" development is actively addressing the housing crisis in the Little Tokyo area. Supporting LTSC’s mission through awareness or engagement contributes to the cultural and social preservation of this historic neighborhood, a continuity of community care that the Umeya family initiated nearly a century ago.

The Umeya Rice Cake Co. may no longer be baking, but its history of resilience, quality, and deep community commitment makes its legacy one of the most important to remember and support in California today.

Umeya Rice Cake Co

414 Crocker St, Los Angeles, CA 90013, USA