What Brought Me Here Was an Accumulation of “Someone’s Kind Words”
2026.10.05
In short: In July 2025, Bar Little Happiness in Hiroshima marked 19 years. Owner Mika Tanimoto, who opened the bar at 22 with nothing, looks back on hard early years, the guests whose kind words kept her going, and her resolve to keep going sincerely.
In July 2025, my bar in Hiroshima turned 19.
To those opening this page for the first time, and to everyone who has visited us over the years:
today I am writing about my gratitude, and my thoughts at this milestone.
When I opened the bar at 22,
I had no money, no experience, no connections, no special talent. Nothing at all.
Even so,
with only the wish “to create, with my own hands, a space I could love,”
I stood behind a small counter.
The first few years were all about simply keeping going.
There were nights I went to pick up staff from the hospital or the police in the middle of the night,
and times when the till money and precious bottles were stolen.
The interior contractor I had hired cut off contact halfway through,
and both the construction and the money came to a halt.
Standing alone at the empty site,
I thought again and again, “Maybe this is the end,” and “How will I ever pay back what I’ve spent?”
And yet, strangely, what held those days together was, once again, people.
“I love Little Happiness.”
“I came to Hiroshima for this bar.”
Words from our guests.
And guests who, without saying anything,
quietly spent their time across the counter:
their presence made me think, “Let’s keep going a little longer.”
For me, it is a chain of unforgettable moments.
My Thoughts on Our 19th Anniversary
I truly believe that we have come this far
thanks to someone’s kind words, and to people noticing a quiet resonance.
Thanks to small things like that, adding up.
▍19 Years of Bar Little Happiness
- 2006 | Age 22: Opened the first bar after graduating from university
- 2008 | Age 24: Moved to the current location; “Little Happiness” was born
- 2009–2015: Expansion, and struggles with the industry
- 2016–2019: Searching, struggling between ideals and reality
- 2020–: The pandemic brought to light “what I truly want to protect”
- 2023–present: A time to re-examine “business and life”
- 2025: 19th anniversary. Taking a new step, as if founding the bar a second time
- Read more here
▍So That We Can Keep Being Someone’s “Pride”
Over these 19 years, unkind words were sometimes aimed at me.
There were times when people who had never actually visited, or barely knew us, spoke on nothing but speculation.
And to be honest,
even among those who did visit,
some left without the feeling behind this space really reaching them.
But including all of those times,
I now truly feel, “I’m glad I kept going.”
Because,
without my having to explain anything,
guests who “truly understood” were always right there in front of me.
“Aren’t you glad you supported Little Happiness?”
…It’s embarrassing to say that myself (lol),
but I know very well that many of you feel that way.
So as not to let those feelings down, I will keep going, sincerely and carefully.
If you ever think of us, I would be happy if you dropped by.
Every encounter is meant to be.
Welcome to the world of Rum & Whisky.
* For the latest opening information, please check our Instagram Stories.
[About the author]
Mika Tanimoto
CEO, Little.m Inc. / Owner-bartender
Since 2006, I have run Bar Little Happiness, a whisky and rum bar in Nagarekawa, Hiroshima. I visit distilleries in Japan and around the world and write about the people who make the spirits. Recipient of the Hiroshima City Excellent Skilled Worker Award.
“Whisky and rum taste even better when you know the hearts of the people who make them.”
[Visit the bar] 📍 Bar Little Happiness
Rolling Nagarekawa 1F, 5-14 Nagarekawa-cho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima
Mon–Sat 7:00 pm – 12:30 am / Sun 7:00 pm – 12:00 am (closed when I travel to visit distilleries)
No cover charge, no reservation needed
