Hiroshima City “Excellent Skilled Worker” Award: 19 Years of Sincere Work
2026.10.05
In short: In 2025, Mika Tanimoto, owner of Bar Little Happiness, received Hiroshima City’s “Excellent Skilled Worker” award after 19 years behind the bar. She shares her commitment to nurturing the next generation, her philosophy of whisky and rum, and what makes the bar’s counter special.
Mika Tanimoto, owner of Bar Little Happiness, has had the honour of receiving the “Excellent Skilled Worker” award from the City of Hiroshima.
I am sincerely grateful to have been recognised as “an outstanding skilled worker who has long been engaged in the same profession, refining their skills and nurturing the next generation.”
I would also like to extend my deepest thanks to all the customers who have supported us over so many years.
I take this award as public recognition that, for these 19 years, I have continued to pursue my skills as a bartender and a sincere commitment to the industry.
To you, who are “looking for a bar you can trust right now.”
Let me tell you why the counter at Little Happiness can offer you a special time.
🏆 19 Years of Serious Commitment: My Thoughts on “Nurturing the Next Generation”
Over my 19 years at Little Happiness, the area I can say I have poured the most into, and staked my life on, is this “nurturing of the next generation.”
- I have strongly wished to raise the standing of the bartending profession, and have aimed for an industry where people with ambition can be happy.
- Staff who have spent time with us at Little Happiness have gone on to open their own bars, or to move into other fields with the skills they built at the bar.
- My wish is simply that the time they spent at Little Happiness has become something meaningful and good in each of their lives. That is all.
I feel this “Excellent Skilled Worker” award recognised not only the refinement of skills, but also this “serious commitment to developing people and improving the industry.”
A glass enjoyed here holds 19 years of sincere feeling and integrity.
🌍 My Philosophy of Whisky and Rum
For me, whisky and rum are a “journey” that carries my thoughts to faraway Scotland and the Caribbean, and a “philosophy” that tells of long years of maturation.
They are the “emotion” of “inheriting” the feelings and passion of the people involved, and sharing them.
Each glass served at our counter is one that a professional who keeps refining her knowledge and skills handles with care for that philosophy, and hands to you.
In this space, you can feel deep stories and history through all five senses.
🔹 Our Commitment to the Space: Calm and Clarity
We have always valued an environment where guests can relax and take time for themselves.
- A quiet space: With calm lighting and interiors, we offer a time to forget everyday life and reflect on yourself.
- Clear peace of mind: So that every guest, from beginners to enthusiasts, can choose with confidence, every bottle of our more than 1,000 whiskies and rums is clearly labelled with a description and price. This is an expression of our sincerity towards our guests.
🌟 A Resolve to Keep Refining My Skills, With Public Trust in My Heart
Receiving this “Hiroshima City Excellent Skilled Worker” award has made me feel a renewed public responsibility for the long refinement of my own skills.
As a professional who sincerely conveys the world of whisky and rum in Hiroshima, I will keep serving you the finest glasses.
And I will do my utmost to root this wonderful culture even more deeply in this city and help it grow.
Please come and visit this place, filled with 19 years of serious work and history.
I look forward to welcoming you.
Every encounter is meant to be. Welcome to the world of Rum&Whisky.
⭐️ More about our commitment to the space
⭐️ More about the history of the bar
⭐️ Reservations and enquiries (LINE; you can also send us a DM on Instagram)
https://s.lmes.jp/landing-qr/2005398203-mxJ5bV5M?uLand=5pyJIT
[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
