Benkyodo Co

"When the owners of Benkyodo, the mochi and manju store that stood for 115 years in the heart of San Francisco’s Japantown, announced in May 2021 that they intended to close the shop and retire, newspapers and community members decried the upcoming closure as a cornerstone of the Japanese American community lost." - Amber Murakami-Fester

"Benkyodo, which serves handmade mochi and manjus, is closing for good this month. March 31 is the shop’s last day, as third-generation co-owners and brothers Bobby Okamura and Ricky Okamura retire. Losing Benkyodo feels like 'yet another piece of this important Japanese American story vanishing from the quickly transforming, gentrifying landscape of San Francisco,' Carter says. 'Benkyodo is more than a confectionary store.'" - ByMomo Chang

"The century-old mochi institution is still saying a sad farewell as the owners announced plans to retire last year. They still hadn’t found any buyers as of the new year, and will not be closing until the end of March, allowing a couple more months for patrons to enjoy mochi, manju, and other sweet confections." - Becky Duffett

"A Japantown fixture is shuttering after more than 100 years of mochi, manju, and other sweet treats. Benkyodo Company is a confectionery that first opened after the 1906 earthquake, but it’s now closing, CBS SF reported first. Now in the third generation of the Okamura family, the shop came back after the family was forcibly relocated by the U.S. government to prison camps during WWII. But with mochi sales down this new year, the grandsons and current owners made the decision to close." - Becky Duffett

"Mochi is the specialty here, and the store sells different handmade types each day in flavors like blueberry, mango, red bean, age (fried mochi with sugar and red bean), and even a pancake-covered variety. Get here earlier in the day for the first-choice flavors before they sell out. Closed on Sundays." - Maya Wong, Janelle Bitker, Ellen Fort