To mark 100 years of bringing the flavors of Japan to America, Mutual Trading looks back on its storied history—from its early days supplying pantry staples to immigrant communities, to its role in pioneering sushi as the first true gateway to Japanese cuisine in the United States.
boundaries, izakaya that changed the flow, and jizake that tied it all together.
In this third installment, the story shifts once again—this time to a period of diversification. By the 1990s, sushi was no longer a novelty. It had taken hold across the country, evolving from a niche offering in Little Tokyo to a recognizable fixture in American dining. As popularity expanded, so too did prospects for the business world to enter the Washoku industry as Japanese cuisine expanded beyond a single defining category.
What followed was not a singular breakthrough, but a steady unfolding. New formats emerged. Beverage programs evolved. Operators began exploring how Japanese cuisine could move beyond occasion dining to become engrained into consumers’ routine dining lifestyle.
This period—spanning the 1990s through the early 2010s—marked a transition from introduction to expansion, as Japanese cuisine in America grew into something broader, more adaptable, and more deeply rooted in the restaurant landscape.
The Shift Toward Casual Dining
The forces that shaped this transformation were not limited to the kitchen. They were economic, cultural, and structural.
Following the Plaza Accord and the fluctuations of the yen through the late 1980s and into the 1990s, Japanese corporate presence overseas began to contract. The expatriate communities that had once supported high-end Japanese restaurants grew smaller, and many establishments that relied on that customer base struggled to sustain themselves.
In their place, a new model began to emerge—one less dependent on corporate clientele and more aligned with everyday diners. Accessibility, value, and repeatability became increasingly important.
At the same time, dining culture in Japan was undergoing a parallel shift. Izakaya-style establishments, built around small plates and social dining, were gaining popularity. Menus expanded beyond formal structures, incorporating approachable dishes such as curry rice and yakisoba—foods that could be served quickly, shared easily, and enjoyed without ceremony.
In the United States, these changes opened new pathways. Japanese cuisine could now exist outside the confines of special occasions. It could adapt to different price points, different service models, and to much wider audiences.
For Mutual Trading, the implications were clear. Supporting the next phase of growth meant moving beyond to help operators manage diverse staffing with less familiarity in Japanese food preparation, along with rolling out new menu concepts beyond sushi.
Ramen: From Early Roots to a Scalable Category
Opened in 1979, Kouraku continues to this day as the much-adored Machi Chuka or the neighborhood Chinese Ramen shop, offering a lineup including Chinese comfort dishes. This late-night spot attracted post-game Dodgers fans of pitcher Hideo Nomo who himself dined here in the mid 90’s, and nowadays thirty years later, still draws in fans of Shohei Otani. Pictured here is their popular Tanmen vegetable ramen.
Among the categories that would define this era, ramen occupies a unique place—both as an early arrival and as a late bloomer.
Ramen’s presence in the United States dates back further than many assume. One of the earliest known ramen specialty shops, Sapporo Ya, opened in Little Tokyo in 1970, introducing the dish to a small but dedicated audience. Later, Kouraku, established in 1979, would become one of the longest continuously operating ramen restaurants in the country, quietly sustaining the category across generations.
Despite this early foothold, ramen remained limited in scope for decades, largely confined to Japanese communities and overshadowed by the rapid rise of sushi. What changed in the 1990s and beyond was not the dish itself, but the conditions surrounding it.
Mutual Trading recognized that ramen’s potential lay in its ability to scale—to offer depth of flavor while remaining accessible, cost-effective, and adaptable to different formats. To support that potential, the company focused on one of the most critical elements: consistency.
Early efforts included the domestic production of nama ramen (fresh noodles), a process that required both technical precision and operational discipline. Production began in the early hours of the morning, with teams working to achieve the texture, elasticity, and reliability needed for professional kitchens.
At the same time, Mutual Trading expanded access to the broader ecosystem of ramen ingredients—broths, tare, oils, and toppings—helping operators construct menus that balanced authenticity with efficiency.
Ramen’s rise was gradual, built on repetition rather than spectacle. But over time, it proved uniquely suited to the changing market. It could be positioned as both casual and specialized, affordable yet deeply satisfying. It invited customization while maintaining a clear identity.
What began as a niche offering evolved into a foundational category—one that would eventually anchor new generation of Japanese dining concepts across the United States.
Izakaya: A New Way of Dining
More variety, more flow, more togetherness for the guests.
If ramen expanded what could be served, izakaya redefined how it could be experienced.
Traditional Japanese dining in the United States had long been structured around individual dishes and formal service. Izakaya introduced a different rhythm—one centered on movement, variety, and shared experience.
Small plates allowed for flexibility. Menus could shift with seasons, trends, or inventory. Diners were encouraged to order incrementally, creating a more dynamic and interactive experience. Beverage programs, rather than sitting alongside the menu, became integral to it.
For operators, this format offered practical advantages. It supported higher table turnover, diversified revenue streams, and reduced the risk associated with large-format dishes. It also aligned with broader shifts in American dining, where consumers were increasingly drawn to communal and exploratory experiences.
Mutual Trading’s role in this transition was to support not just ingredients, but the structure behind the format. This meant expanding into a wider range of products—sauces, marinades, prepared items, and beverages—while maintaining the consistency and quality that operators depended on.
In doing so, the company developed new products to help enable a format that could adapt across markets, bridging traditional Japanese dining with contemporary expectations.
Jizake: A Turning Point in Sake
If the evolution of ramen and izakaya reflected changes in food, the emergence of jizake marked a turning point for beverages.
The shift did not begin with a strategy, but with a moment.
In the late 1980s, while attending a golf tournament in Hawaii, then president Noritoshi Kanai found himself seated in a restaurant when he noticed something unusual. From across the room, a fragrance drifted through the air—delicate, aromatic, and unlike the sake typically encountered in the United States.
He asked what was being served.
It was a Junmai Ginjo from Midorikawa Brewery in Niigata.
At the time, the U.S. sake market was defined by domestic production and familiar patterns of service—warm, accessible, and modest in price. Mutual Trading’s own top-selling sake reflected that reality: reliable, consistent, and widely accepted.
But this experience suggested something else entirely. A category existed that had not yet been fully introduced—one defined by nuance, craftsmanship, and regional identity.
For Kanai, it was not simply a matter of importing new products. It was an opportunity to redefine how sake could be understood.
Working closely with Tokyo Mutual Trading, the company began traveling across Japan, building relationships with breweries and sourcing premium sake that reflected the diversity of the category. Early introductions included brands such as Hakkaisan, Hakutaka, Kamotsuru, Kiku-Masamune, Kikusui, Kubota, Shimeharitsuru, Suigei, Sumiyoshi, Tamano Hikari, and Takenotsuyu, each offering a distinct expression of style and origin.
Yet the challenge was not supply—it was perception.
How could a chilled glass of pemium Junmai Ginjo, priced significantly higher than what customers were accustomed to, find its place on American menus?
The answer lay in education.
Gradually, the narrative shifted. Sake was no longer a single, uniform product, but a category with depth—one that could be paired, explored, and uplift guests’ dining experience.
Mutual Trading’s sales members initiated a benkyo-kai, an after-hours study session with reps learning the fundamentals of sake: how it’s brewed, how it tastes, and how different grades of sake should it should be served. These sessions were practical and direct, focused on educating restaurant servers with the knowledge to communicate value to guests.
Over time, these grassroots efforts would evolve into the Sake School of America, formally established in 2010. Today, thousands of professionals have been certified through its sake programs - now expanded beyond to include shochu, wine, and spirits – to deliver the company’s commitment in industry support.
Education reshapes the story: premium sake becomes something to understand, explore, and confidently serve to heighten guest services.
Through this process, Mutual Trading did more than expand its portfolio. It’s helped lay the foundation on new understanding and enjoyment of sake for American consumers, at the same time, heralded in much needed economic benefits for business operators.
A Broader Landscape Emerges
By the early 2000s, the cumulative effect of these developments began to take shape.
Japanese cuisine in America was no longer defined by a single-entry point. Sushi remained central, but it now existed alongside ramen shops, izakaya-style dining, and increasingly sophisticated beverage programs.
Japanese specialty markets—Marukai, Nijiya, Yaohan (current day Mitsuwa)—expanded their presence, making ingredients more accessible and familiar to a broader audience.
At the same time, government-led initiatives began promoting Japanese food culture internationally, supporting events and educational efforts that further strengthened Japanese growers and suppliers’ presence abroad.
Together, these forces created a more resilient ecosystem—one capable of evolving with changes in both supply and demand.
From Expansion to Integration
What defines this era is not a single moment, but a shift in position.
Japanese cuisine was no longer something to be introduced. It had become something to be integrated.
Operators could adapt it across formats and price points. Diners could engage with it in different ways—quickly or deliberately, casually or with intention. Categories that once stood apart began to connect, forming a broader, more cohesive landscape.
For Mutual Trading, this period represented a continuation of a long-standing role: not just introducing products but supporting the systems that allow those products to succeed. Ramen, Izakaya, and Jizake were not isolated developments—they were the result of sustained effort, built on relationships, knowledge, and a deep understanding of both producers and operators.
As the industry moves into the next century, new influences—from global travel to evolving consumer preferences—would once again reshape the landscape.
