You'll notice some comments on my post on Hogetsu Bakery from back in 2005. Apparently, "FOY" Junichi found out that the folks from Hogetsu were set to retire! Oh my…..Jenne then chimed in with what she knew (it's so great to hear from you!). Based on this, I decided to head on down to Chula Vista…..man, I hadn't been in the area since 2019 and to Hogetsu since January of that year! Yikes!
I parked an walked on in. Things seemed like business as usual with Mrs Takeda at the front counter.
She looked at me and said "it's been a very long time, huh?" Yes, after all these years the Takeda's still don't know my name…..but they know me as the "kimishigure" guy, since that's the Missus's favorite and also, because of this thing I wrote back in 2011.
After placing my order; I broached the question……both Takeda's seemed surprised that I would even know about the possibility of their retirement. I told them that Hogetsu is much beloved (which earned a waved and "uugh" from Mrs Takeda) and that word spread fast. So, upon hearing this I drove on down to see them.
They explained to me that it was time; but that they are training two people. Also, that the target date for the retirement is January of 2022. By this time, customers were coming in and I didn't want to interrupt the flow of business. So, I'll return in a few weeks and let folks know if their is an update.
I have mixed feelings about the possibility of retirement for the Takeda's. As far as I'm concerned, they are a San Diego institution. But I also know that it would great for them to finally get a break and enjoy life. They've been mentioning retirement to me over the last couple of visits and also the physical limitations of getting on in years. I'm hoping they get a well deserved time to enjoy life.
And it looks like we've got some time to have our wonderful wagashi and let the Takeda's know how much we appreciate them.
There was one burning question that I did ask before I left…..you see, as of say 2018 the Takeda's still didn't own a home computer or laptop. So I asked if they have one now or plan to get one upon retiring. Mrs Takeda laughed and waved me off; "no, of course not……we haven't had one all these years and have been fine. And, I'm too old to learn those kind of things."
Ah yes…….some things will never change!
Hogetsu Bakery
1210 3rd Ave.
Chula Vista, CA 91911
Current Hours:
Wed – Sat 10am – 5pm