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Wong fell in love with the frozen treat while studying abroad in Japan. Now, he runs his own kakigori business in Long Beach, and just opened \u201cLA\u2019s original kakigori trailer.\u201d Instead of the traditional food truck model, Wong opted for a smaller, cuter trailer that he built from the ground up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe dream was to start that trailer from the beginning,\u201d Wong said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s been a long journey to get to this point. Wong opened Yamanaka Kakigori in 2024 as a small pop-up in his family\u2019s restaurant, LV Seafood, off of Carson Street and Lakewood Boulevard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He had always dreamed of running his own food business, but in college, he set his dreams aside to pursue a corporate job that felt more stable. After being laid off from three jobs in the span of five years, Wong returned to his love for the food industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe layoffs, although painful, were kind of a blessing in disguise, because it gave me this opportunity that honestly, I never would have gotten or even thought about pursuing if I didn’t have that section of my life that was a little bumpy,\u201d Wong said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He learned the ropes helping his family at their restaurant, and when he was ready, he took the leap to start his own thing. He had always loved shaved ice \u2014 some of his fondest memories growing up involved eating it in Hawaii during family vacations \u2014 so it just made sense for him to pursue that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On top of the imported ice, Wong makes all of the toppings himself, using fresh ingredients and seasonal flavors to bring his creations to life. That dedication makes running the business a full-time job even though he\u2019s only open on weekends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don’t think this could be really a side business. Like, I put literally my heart and soul into every aspect of it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Flavors rotate month to month and are announced on Yamanaka Kakigori\u2019s Instagram<\/a>. The strawberry yuzu \u2014 which is made with strawberry milk, strawberry jam, fresh strawberries, yuzu jelly, masago arare, chichi dango mochi and yuzu cream foam \u2014 is one of the top-sellers and is available most of the year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Wong\u2019s favorite part is seeing people experience kakigori for the first time. He has so many happy memories of going out for a treat with his family, and he hopes his business can play a role in making those types of memories for his customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBuilding those core memories is so important to me,\u201d Wong said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kakigori is a \u201ctimeless experience,\u201d Wong said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recently, a 92-year-old woman who grew up in Japan visited Yamanaka Kakigori with her daughter. Wong said the woman was so happy because that was the first time she\u2019d had kakigori in a long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Creating such joy in his customers has been the most rewarding thing for Wong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLast year was one of the most fulfilling years of my entire life,\u201d he said in an Instagram post<\/a> announcing the trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/06\/01131812\/2026-06-01-at-114359-am-106859-sreep4bs-173593-C27GvmYk-1024x778.jpg\")
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