The Jim Rome Show LISTEN LIVE The shop closed for good. Photo credit Getty Images With nothing more than a paper sign on the door saying effective June 29th Mikawaya would be closed permanently, the longtime Little Tokyo Japanese confection store has shuttered for good. Mikawaya closed. Home of the first and most iconic mochi ice cream in the US. The shop initially opened in Little Tokyo in 1910 and sold Japanese pastries for years before becoming best known for their mochi ice cream. In 2015, CEO Frances Hashimoto passed away and her husband sold the business to an investment firm who have apparently sold out to new, yet to be announced owners.