Sacramento entrepreneur · Japanese American
Taro Arai
Founder and owner, Mikuni Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar
Built Mikuni from one Fair Oaks restaurant in 1987 into a 10-location sushi brand with more than 1,000 employees.
Taro Arai is the founder and owner of Mikuni Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar, a sushi brand that started with one restaurant in Fair Oaks in 1987 and now operates 10 locations from Davis to El Dorado Hills and Concord. For Sacramento-region diners, Mikuni is one of the best-known homegrown restaurant names, and it is a family business at its core.
By the numbers
The data
Mikuni restaurants by county
Source: Mikuni location list, Nov. 2026. The original restaurant still operates on Hazel Avenue in Fair Oaks.
The story of Taro Arai
The Arai family emigrated from Japan to the United States in 1985. Arai’s father, the Reverend Koki Arai, became pastor of First Japanese Baptist Church in Sacramento. Two years later the family opened the first Mikuni on Hazel Avenue in Fair Oaks, a location that still serves customers today.
Arai grew Mikuni by giving customers more reasons to come back. The company put a sushi bar on wheels, the Mikuni Sushi Bus, on the road in 2001, began Sushiology classes in 2002 and launched the Koki Club loyalty program, named for his father, in 2004. Koki Club now counts more than 80,000 active members.
In February 2025, Pan Pacific International Holdings, the Japanese company that operates the Don Quijote stores, agreed to acquire Mikuni through its subsidiary Vanshow California. The companies said no changes in leadership, management, operations or local employment were expected, and that the goal was to help Mikuni expand nationwide. A 10th location opened at El Dorado Hills Town Center in 2025.
Mikuni reports more than $4 million raised and donated and 133 organizations supported through its charitable work.
Awards and recognition
Milestones
- 1985The Arai family emigrates from Japan; Rev. Koki Arai leads First Japanese Baptist Church in Sacramento.
- 1987The first Mikuni opens on Hazel Avenue in Fair Oaks.
- 1998Mikuni wins the first of many local Best Japanese and Best Sushi awards.
- 2001The Mikuni Sushi Bus takes a sushi bar on the road.
- 2002Sushiology classes begin.
- 2004The Koki Club loyalty program launches; it now has 80,000+ members.
- 2022Mikuni marks its 35th anniversary.
- 2025Pan Pacific International Holdings agrees to acquire Mikuni; a 10th location opens in El Dorado Hills.
Companies and ventures
Lessons for business builders
- Make the first location work before adding the second; Mikuni’s original Fair Oaks restaurant is still open 39 years later.
- Give regulars a reason to return: a loyalty club with 80,000+ members is a marketing channel the business owns.
- Plan for the next stage. A strategic buyer can fund growth a family business cannot finance alone.
Sources
- Mikuni: Locations
- Mikuni: Our journey (home page timeline)
- Mikuni: About
- Inside Retail: Don Quijote operator buys American sushi chain Mikuni (Feb. 17, 2025)
- Davis Enterprise: Mikuni sees bright future after acquisition (Feb. 21, 2025)
Photo: Mikuni Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar (mikunisushi.com). Figures marked firm-reported come from the company; all others from the sources above, checked November 2026.
