Little Tokyo is nestled within 5 city blocks in Downtown Los Angeles. It was founded in 1884 and has endured a long and sometimes difficult legacy of Japanese American residency and culture in L.A.
Watch my quick walking tour of the Japanese Village
The Little Tokyo community experienced great hardship during WWII when many Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps. Today, it is a thriving and fascinating area of Los Angeles to visit with exceptional cuisine, alluring art, and rich culture.
Take a stroll through The Japanese Village Plaza, which is a central gathering place for tourists and has a wide variety of restaurants, Japanese-inspired clothing stores, anime shops, and Asian groceries.
Japanese American National Museum
Directly across the street from Japanese Village Plaza is the Japanese American National Museum. Learn more about the Japanese American experience in Los Angeles and the United States as you walk through its permanent and temporary collections.
I saw an exhibit there called Miné Okubo’s Masterpiece: The Art of Citizen 13660. She was a Japanese American artist who was interned in 1942. Her family and others were forced to leave their homes and businesses and were housed in a dingy San Bruno horse stall. They were later transferred to the Topaz Internment Camp in Utah.
Many Japanese Americans were held in horse stalls and other unsuitable locations, including actor George Takei, who was held with his family at the Santa Anita Racetrack in Arcadia.
Okubo’s illustrations depict her experiences during the internment. Some of it is humorous, but it brought me to tears.
I recommend that you visit the Japanese American National Museum as a priority when you are in Little Tokyo. It is enlightening.
Next door to the Japanese American National Museum is the Geffen Contemporary Museum at MOCA. It was once a former police car warehouse, but was renovated by architect Frank Gehry, who designed the Disney Concert Hall. The building has 40,000 square feet of exhibit space and houses modern art and sculpture.
A fusion of flavors in Little Tokyo
Culinary options in Little Tokyo are diverse and will tickle your taste buds. You will find ramen, sushi, teahouses, mochi, udon, gyozas, and even Hawaiian fare. A local favorite restaurant is Daikokuya for excellent ramen, and there are often long lines. You can go to Sushi Gen for delectable sushi, Murugame Monzo for udon, and Kagaya for Shabu Shabu.
If you have a sweet tooth, try Japanese pastries at Café Dulce for coffee and pastries, Yamazaki Bakery, or Tous Les Jours, which is Korean.
I love Far Bar, which is close to the museum. It is a gastropub located in a historic building that has an old Chop Suey sign above it. The menu is fusion-style, and they also make creative cocktails. I ordered a Little Tokyo Old Fashioned with a plate of Rainbow Sushi Rolls.
It also has a very cool outdoor patio that you can get to through an alley at the side of the restaurant.
Things to do when you visit Little Tokyo
Nisei Week Festival takes place in Little Tokyo in August. You will experience Japanese culture at its finest with parades, events, and exhibits.
Go for Broke is a monument that commemorates the Japanese Americans who served in WWII. It is located at the far end of the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA.
Marukai Market is a shopping center with an assortment of shops and Japanese food items. It is located off Astronaut Way and has a sculpture in the square dedicated to the Space Shuttle with an excellent view of the Los Angeles City Hall.
Doubletree Kyoto Garden is located on the rooftop of the Hilton Doubletree Hotel. It has a half-acre of trees, flowers, and shrubs with a pond and waterfall, and is free to visit.
James Irvine Japanese Garden at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center (JACCC) is a serene Zen garden with a waterfall, cedar bridges, and stone lanterns.
The Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple was originally located across from where the Japanese American National Museum is now. It was built in 1925 and is a historical landmark. The temple moved to a new location at 815 1st Street in Little Tokyo.
The old building was also the Japanese American National Museum’s first work and exhibit space. During WWII, it housed the belongings of Japanese Americans who were ordered into internment camps.
If you are staying in the downtown area of LA, you may want to book a room at either the Hilton Doubletree or the Miyako Hotel, as both have Asian-inspired décor and offer a serene Japanese cultural experience.
You may also enjoy visiting Japan House LA in Hollywood and Sawtelle Japantown.
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Where to stay
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