“We believe in our old tradition that customers gather where there are excellent employees.”
<p style=”text-align: right;”><strong>—Itsuro Hosoda, Himawari Saipan Inc. chairman</strong>
WITHOUT a doubt, Himawari, the Garapan-based Japanese restaurant, bakery, and convenience store, is an institution.
The story of Himawari Saipan Inc. is 20 years in the making, built on dedication, an openness to customer feedback, persistent expansion, a family work environment, and consistently delicious, conveniently ready Japanese food.
Indeed, their pillowy soft, delectable blueberry cream cheese pan is famous both locally and regionally.
Its successes and consistent effort to build strong bonds with this community have been key to setting them up as a local institution.
As it has since 2006, Himawari serves up convenient, delicious Japanese bento, onigiri, and more in Garapan.
Yet even as hundreds of customers file in and out of Himawari’s doors today to grab donburi, bento (pre-packaged food), onigiri, bread and more, this is a far cry from when Himawari first opened its doors in early 2006.
“Twenty years ago this building was abandoned,” said Itsuro Hosoda, Himawari chairman, at a recent celebration for the company. “It was like a jungle.”
Hosoda and Himawari co-founder, vice president Tastuhito Suzuki, created Himawari Saipan Inc. at the beginning of 2006 after working at another Japanese bakery and convenience store on Saipan.
They then recruited Mary Rose Guevarra, who told Marianas Variety in a separate interview, that it took some time for Garapan residents to know that a Japanese bakery and konbini (convenience store) had sprouted at the formerly abandoned building.
“We started with little sales,” she said. “When we advertised, we had fliers, and my boss and some of the staff would put them on the windshields of cars just to let them know we have this store. Some of the customers would pass by and wouldn’t even know we have a store here.”
In 2006, they started with three construction employees, three cooks, and Guevarra.
At that time, Guevarra was something of a utility player. One minute she could be making reservations for the hotel’s 11 bedrooms, and then making change at the cash register the next.
Despite the limited means to promote the company (MySpace was still the dominant social media platform at that time), Himawari began to grow little by little, largely through word-of-mouth.
The year 2008 marked the first time Himawari baked its now famous blueberry cream cheese pan—a day that forever changed the bakery and this island.
By around 2009, Himawari began offering soba and ramen that were made to order in their restaurant, according to Suzuki.
A year later in 2010, they transitioned to operating a sushi restaurant, all while offering ready-made bento and donburi in the konbini.
The store and what it could offer customers expanded in 2010, and the layout of the restaurant, bakery, and hotel continued to shift—all this time with customer comfort in mind.
Suzuki says they always made it a point to keep local customers front and center in their operation and that the company knows it must always have local customers in mind.
“One thing is we target local people,” he said. “What local people demand, we serve. What local people ask us to carry from Japan, we do. Then the pricing—we try to give a reasonable price to local people.”
Feedback from local residents is also critical to how they operate.
The humble blueberry cream cheese pan has helped Himawari become an iconic establishment in the CNMI.
As an example, Suzuki cited one of Himawari’s iconic baked product, the an pan. When they started out, the an pan were smaller at only 60 grams. Many local residents were not satisfied, saying 60 grams was “only a bite.”
“We changed it to 90 grams, and that size is now okay,” Suzuki said.
And of course, on Saipan, where spicy flavors are popular, when customers asked for certain foods to come pika (hot), Himawari adjusted, according to Suzuki.
Himawari’s focus on local customers has its roots in the company’s early days of operation, Suzuki said. He told Marians Variety that when Japan Airlines halted flights to Saipan in 2005, the company knew it had to be as appreciative of its customers as possible in order to retain them.
This focus is just as important today. Hosoda emphasized in a recent message to Himawari employees that satisfying customers will enable them to navigate the current economy.
“Saipan is currently in a difficult economic situation,” he said. “We believe in our old tradition that customers gather where there are excellent employees. Let’s continue to work to survive.”
But even as they work hard to make money, Himawari also cares about the island it serves. Suzuki is proud that Himawari came through for Saipan when super typhoons Soudelor and Yutu hit the island in 2015 and 2018, respectively.
At that time, Himawari offered a 10% discount on all bento because the company’s principals knew customers were finding it hard to cook as they rebuilt their homes and properties.
With the added incentive of a discount, the store found itself becoming “very busy,” says Suzuki.
He said the konbini would use 24 loads of rice in its commercial rice cooker, which is “more than double” what they make on normal days, Suzuki said.
Since they have their own generator, Himawari was able to allow its customers to charge their electronic devices, Suzuki added.
“All Saipan people really appreciated us,” he said. “Nobody [else] was open at that time, but we were because we had [generator] power,” he said. “It was very busy but we [gave] discount for the people because we appreciate the Saipan people. Some stores raised prices to take advantage, but Himawari gave a discount. Customers told us, ‘Thank you’ and we said, ‘Thank you too.’”
Today, Himawari is a 1,500 square-meter supermarket, 55-room hotel, and a restaurant that seats 165.
“It’s now three times the original size,” Hosoda said, crediting the good work his employees do to bring honor to the company.
His daughter, Atsumi Kitagawa, who now serves as Himawari Saipan Inc. president, agrees and credits their hardworking employees for their continued growth.
“Everybody here is always happy and it’s like a family. We want to keep that going,” she said.
Moving into the next decade, Suzuki says Himawari is just waiting for the economy to pick up so it can continue to expand.
In 2016 it was able to use the space at the back of its lot to create a warehouse and install a hotel elevator. Sometime in 2017, Himawari was granted permission to expand its hotel space by 55 rooms. However, when construction was just about to begin in 2020, the pandemic occurred and that project had to be put on hold.
Although the Northern Marianas economy is still looking to rebound, Suzuki is optimistic and says that that is the next area of growth for Himawari.
Not that growth is now at a standstill. Small tweaks are still being made to improve customer service. In 2025, the company created an awning outside its establishment to protect customers from the rain and sun, Suzuki said.
Congratulations Himawari on your 20th anniversary!
