Jimin W.
Yelp
These days Little Tokyo feels like the town Ohtani built. Murals and advertisements of Ohtani are everywhere, and it's almost a game when I visit: spotting his endorsements all over the neighborhood. My personal favorite ad is thoughtful Ohtani sipping a bottle of Ito En green tea.
Ohtani might be an ace pitcher and power slugger, but can he make a salt-and-butter roll as good as Okayama Kobo? That's not a fair question or maybe I'm just salty because I see so many cute Asian girls wearing his jersey at Dodger games. Can't really blame Ohtani-san, though, because the rolls and curry pan from Okayama Kobo are some of the best I've tasted in LA: pillowy soft inside, crispy outside. The flavor is subtle and delicate, yet it leaves a warm feeling after every bite, like a gentle spring breeze.
Still, I don't want to just parrot the usual praise. Instead, I followed a small clue: The Loaf Bakery in Newhall, which I heard has ties to Okayama Kobo. That breadcrumb trail made me curious about the company's background.
Through my deep dive, I learned that the founder, Tsunetaka Kawakami, is a respected businessman in Japan, respected enough to have his own manga biography. But what surprised me most is that Okayama Kobo's biggest business isn't retail, it's consulting. Through his Liaison Project, people with no bakery or business background can open their own bakery after just five days of training. It's not a franchise, just a proven system built on making bread with additive-free, 100% Japanese wheat. Today, more than 300 bakeries worldwide are graduates of his system.
In the end, Ohtani-san could probably bake a roll as good as Okayama Kobo's... so long as he enrolled in the five day training. That thought makes me laugh, though a little jealous too.