This Mochi shop is the oldest business in Little Tokyo

LITTLE TOKYO (KABC) -- Brian Kito, owner of Fugetsu-do Confectionery, works around the clock making Mochi during the holiday season.

"If everything goes well, I'd hope to sleep for a couple hours a day. Like, two to three hours," said Kito.

Kito's grandfather opened the store in 1903 and ownership of the shop has stayed in the family and been passed down through generations.

Kito took over the shop from his father in 1986.

Kito's son Korey, who is still in college, plans to take over the shop one day too.

"Talk about a little pressure," said Kito.

Between Christmas and New Years, Fugetsu-Do Confectionery is the biggest producer of Japanese Mochi.

It's estimated that they'll make 30,000 pounds of Mochi just in the last few weeks of December.

"It's a nonstop rush trying to fill the orders. A lot of sleep deprivation. " said Korey Kito.

"A lot of people that come in here, they come in here as children. And normally they're going to come in with their grandparents. So it isn't just a candy store, but it also creates those memories of having something sweet and having something with grandma and grandpa. And it's been going on for 116 years, it just keeps building on itself," said Kito.

Today, Mochi is still a big part of Japanese culture and very popular during the holiday season.

"Who would think that you would have a small little mom and pop candy store that would survive the Great Depression, World War II and all these things and still stay alive and still pumping, doing business after over 100 years," said Kito.