Latest news with #Moriguchi
South China Morning Post
19 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Trump's trade war latest challenge for 97-year-old Asian market in Seattle
Uwajimaya, the Seattle-based Asian grocer, has navigated hardship before. Not long after the family business opened its doors in 1928, it temporarily closed when founders Fujimatsu and Sadako Moriguchi and several of their children were incarcerated at a Japanese detention camp during World War II. More recently, the Covid-19 pandemic strained the grocery industry's supply chain, forcing Uwajimaya, among others, to raise prices. Now, President Donald Trump's rapidly shifting approach to tariffs and trade deals is causing a wave of economic uncertainty for the store chain that is likely to leave its customers feeling the pinch. The levies are just one more factor affecting grocery prices. With distributor and grocery margins where they are, it cannot all be absorbed by the distributors and the retailers,' said Uwajimaya's president and CEO Denise Moriguchi. 'For sure, it will be felt by everyone.' Last month, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics tracked an uptick in inflation in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area of Washington state, with regional costs jumping 2.7 per cent year over year. The upswing was partially attributed to tariffs. However, news of potential price increases at Uwajimaya isn't scaring off some of its loyal customers. Seattle resident Sara Louie, 29, said prices were skyrocketing across industries. 'Everything is expensive anyways,' Louie said.
Yomiuri Shimbun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
‘Secrets of the Kimono' Showcased in Kyoto; Museum Exhibit Features Early Modern Pieces, Related Items
KYOTO — An exhibition featuring about 260 kimono and related materials recently opened at the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, in the city's Sakyo Ward. Titled 'Secrets of the Kimono: The Advent of Yuzen Dyeing,' the exhibition focuses on the beauty of the traditional Japanese garb. Kimono masterpieces from the early modern period onward will be showcased through Sept. 15, featuring pieces from the collection of Chiso Holdings Co., a renowned kimono firm known for its Kyo-yuzen, a Kyoto-style dyeing technique. Chiso is providing special support to the exhibition, which is organized in part by The Yomiuri Shimbun. Visitors can observe masterpieces such as elegant kosode short-sleeved kimono patterned all over the cloth and 'Yuzen Kimono, 'Glorious Blossoms'' (1985) by Kako Moriguchi, housed in the museum. Moriguchi is a Yuzen-dyeing artist designated as a living national treasure. Also on display are kimono pattern books, believed to have set past kimono trends, dyeing and weaving designs as well as various scraps of Yuzen-dyed fabric, highlighting the creativity of the artisans. The exhibited items are periodically replaced. 'I was amazed at how much time and energy went into making a single kimono. It's truly art,' said a 77-year-old woman from Kawasaki. Admission is ¥2,000 for adults, ¥1,300 for university students and ¥600 for high school students.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Asian sourced grocery store in crosshairs of tariffs
One Western Washington grocery store finds itself more susceptible to the broad-based tariffs announced this week by President Donald Trump. Closing in on 100 years in business, the grocery store Uwajimaya has imported culinary goods from Japan and other Asian nations for generations of Washingtonians. CEO & President of the grocer, Denise Moriguchi, says she had been planning for tariffs but was surprised by how high and how broad the actual proposal from the Trump Administration has been. 'We're sharpening our pencils and trying to figure out what this means for the partners that we work with and for our customers,' Moriguchi said. Moriguchi, who now runs the company started by her father in Tacoma in 1928, says their company began by bringing Japanese staples into the U.S, namely for the Japanese people who lived in the area at the time. The grocer has grown to five stores across the Pacific Northwest, bringing in shoppers of all backgrounds. 'Food is not just something you eat, right? It brings people together.' Moriguchi said, 'We connect people to maybe their home country or their roots. We also bring that discovery of new cultures.' Countries like Japan, Vietnam, and Thailand were some of the nations she didn't expect to see subjected to tariffs. Now, she's crunching the numbers to see what increases she can absorb. 'It doesn't leave a lot of tools when it's on everything. If it's select items, you can lower some margins, and then maybe you could absorb some of it. But, when it is on everything, it's just really hard to figure out how to not pass on a lot of it to the customer, which is not something we want to do at all.' Moriguchi said, 'Prices have already been increasing a lot over these past few years. We know that it's going to be tough for everybody.' White House Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent posted on social media, pointing to the reasoning behind the President's tariff decision. 'The trade status quo has allowed countries to leverage tariffs and unfair trade practices to get ahead at the expense of hardworking Americans. The President's historic actions will level the playing field for American workers and usher in a new age of economic strength.' Bessent posted. White House officials have also pointed to restarting the production of more goods in the United States as a reason for the tariffs. 'A lot of our items, we don't have an easy alternative that we could just source domestically. So, it will be a challenge for us as we look at our assortment and bring in products.'
