Little Tokyo: A landmark of Los Angeles

          Alongside the cultural giants of Alvera Street and Chinatown, Little Tokyo is its own amazing local landmark to the city of Los Angeles. Within these few square blocks of Los Angeles is a bastion of local Japanese culture that has a long history of both struggle and success. Founded in the early 1900s as a community center for Japanese immigrants and their businesses Little Tokyo has seen many ups and downs. From early racial tensions to eventually World War Two where many within the Japanese community lost not only their property, but their rights and community not just Little Tokyo, but the entire Japanese community in the United States has faced so many struggles (and in many ways still face them today). Yet now Little Tokyo has become a symbol of something beyond that. It’s become an area of revival and renewal for the Japanese community as local businesses and community efforts now have a home to foster them.

Locations

      There are many notable locations in the roughly four acres that make up Little Tokyo. Ranging from museums, temples, gardens, and local small businesses. A central location for Little Tokyo is the Japanese American National Museum. Located less than a block away from a Los Angeles Metro stop, this museum archives the history and struggle of the Japanese American community. The JANM is a powerful experience as well as a location for many local events such as summer festivals and revolving exhibits.

          Across the way from the museum is the Japanese Village Plaza which holds many local restaurants, snack stands, local indie clothing flagship stores, and local souvenir shops. One such local small business is Popkiller. This local fashion brand embodies the more modern side of Little Tokyo by combining retro Japanese culture with LA fashion. Stores like this embody the fact that although Little Tokyo is meant to be a cultural center for the Japanese community, it also is a vital piece of LA’s cultural fabric. The Japanese Village Plaza acts as a central hub that leads out to the many different sections of the Little Tokyo Area. From there it’s an easy walk to areas such as the Weller Court Shopping Center (home of Kinokuniya bookstore as well as more delicious food option) and the Little Tokyo Galleria (a small local mall that houses Daiso, a specialty Japanese stationery store).

Food

          Another gem of Little Tokyo is its local food scene. For Japanese cuisine lovers, Little Tokyo is a hub of both traditional restaurants such as Mitsuru Cafe (which has amazing mitarashi dango as well as other traditional snacks by the way) to unique restaurants such as Kula Revolving Sushi Bar. In addition, with the wide variety of snack stands and Japanese markets, Little Tokyo is a great source of snacks before going out to explore the city.

     If you are going to Little Tokyo another must-do is to visit Fugetsu- Do. This over one-hundred-year-old institution is a staple in the community by creating what some locals claim is the best mochi in all of Los Angeles! With a wide variety of mochi and traditional Japanese sweets ranging from the traditional red bean-filled mochi to more modern flavors like strawberry and peanut butter, Fugestu-Do embodies the spirit of Little Tokyo by combing the legacy of the traditional with the innovation of the new.

Events

          Little Tokyo is at its heart a center for the Japanese community in Los Angeles. And with any ethnic community and its legacies festivals play a key role in celebrating the community and culture. As such Little Tokyo has many local festivals such as the summer Nisei week and Oban festivals. Little Tokyo has also been known to host the LA Art Book Fair at the Geffen Contemporary space. With the large LA art scene, the LA Art Book Fair is an amazing opportunity to get a hold of artbooks, zines, and other art media from local artists, all at a free event!

          With so much to do in such a small area it’s almost impossible to fully touch on everything that makes Little Tokyo such a staple of Los Angeles. With that in mind if you have the chance to visit absolutely take the opportunity to explore all the niches and nooks that make Little Tokyo Little Tokyo.

Sources:

Bricker, T. (2017, July 13). Japanese American National Museum Review & Tips. Travel Caffeine. https://www.travelcaffeine.com/japanese-american-national-museum-review-tips/.

Champlin, C. (2016, January 23). 21 Fun Things To Do In Little Tokyo If You Happen to Be in The Neighborhood. RSS. https://www.welikela.com/things-to-do-little-tokyo/.

Fugetsu-Do is a family-owned mochi and manju sweet shop in the Little Tokyo area of Los Angeles, California since 1903. Welcome to the Fugetsu-Do Confectionery. (n.d.). https://www.fugetsu-do.com/.

Little Tokyo. Historical Background, Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. (n.d.). http://www.publicartinla.com/Downtown/Little_Tokyo/little_tokyo.html.

Little Tokyo: Los Angeles, CA 90012. Little Tokyo | Los Angeles, CA 90012. (n.d.). http://www.visitlittletokyo.com/.

Los Angeles Conservancy. Fugetsu-Do | Los Angeles Conservancy. (n.d.). https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/fugetsu-do.A Walking Tour of Little Tokyo. Discover Los Angeles. (n.d.). https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/things-to-do/a-walking-tour-of-little-tokyo.