On weekends, 1st and 2nd streets between Alameda and Los Angeles swell with crowds of families, anime fans, sneakerheads and tourists and locals alike in search of ramen or sushi, manga and magazines, matcha, toys, Japanese crafts, groceries, traditional sweets, records, Shohei paraphernalia and vintage fashion.
This is Little Tokyo, one of the most walkable, vibrant neighborhoods in Los Angeles — a historic small town within a big city that has thrived, even if sometimes precariously, through waves of urban development.
Get to know Los Angeles through the places that bring it to life. From restaurants to shops to outdoor spaces, here’s what to discover now.
The 300 block of 1st Street is known as the Little Tokyo Historic District, a nationally registered designation that’s the heart of the neighborhood. Here more than a dozen buildings preserve the pre-World War II streetscape and represent the social and cultural history of Japanese Americans in L.A.
The block is also an emblematic crossroads, where sweeping changes and cultural preservation converge.
“People want places like Little Tokyo,” says Kristin Fukushima, executive director of Little Tokyo Community Council, a nonprofit focusing on sustainable development for more than 5,000 residents and 400 businesses. “People identify with the culture and character of the neighborhood.”
In 1884 a cook named Hamanosuke “Charles Hama” Shigeta opened L.A.’s first Japanese-owned business, Kame, a 1st Street restaurant that stood where gift shop Bunkado is today. It was the seed of what’s now the largest Japanese American neighborhood in the U.S.
In the spring of 1942, Little Tokyo was emptied almost overnight, its residents forced from their homes and sent to incarceration camps. The businesses and institutions that survived and rose after the war remain part of its foundation, including confectionery shop Fugetsu-Do, Anzen Hardware and Far East Cafe, along with Buddhist temples such as Koyasan and Higashi Honganji.
Echoes of displacement resounded last summer when masked federal agents arrived in Little Tokyo and armored vehicles flanked the Japanese American National Museum — a memorial of historic trauma turned into a backdrop for immigration enforcement sweeps.
Recent years have seen continued evictions, closures and relocations among businesses that were once staples of the Little Tokyo community.
Meanwhile, generations of activists have helped save the neighborhood from being erased by eminent domain and real estate development. Every major monument and community space exists because of negotiation between activists, city government and corporate interests. “Asian American civil rights are a critical piece of the history here,” Fukushima says, referring to a movement that fought urban displacement, created services and allied with Black, Latino and anti-war groups for social justice.
The latest chapter of endurance is taking shape at the 1st Street North Residences, a mixed-use development with 100% affordable housing that used to be a city-owned parking lot. But before the 1950s the same land was a neighborhood of Japanese American businesses and homes for a growing Black community. Those buildings were demolished following evictions via eminent domain to make way for police headquarters. Now the project represents a reclamation.
Iconic Little Tokyo restaurant Suehiro is expected to move into ground-floor retail spaces surrounding a cherry tree courtyard and the Go For Broke Monument, a black granite memorial honoring the more than 16,000 Japanese American men and women who served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
Philip Hirose is a third-generation owner of Anzen Hardware, an institution that disappeared from Little Tokyo in 2023 but returned to its original location on 1st Street earlier this year. He also operates Azay, a restaurant his mother and late father founded. “Being in Little Tokyo where families have known each other for generations, there’s a lot of interconnectedness,” Hirose says. “You get a kind of gem.”
When asked what it’s like to be part of this neighborhood, one that’s rooted in a century of resilience and renewal, he says, “It feels like everything.”
What's included in this guide
Anyone who’s lived in a major metropolis can tell you that neighborhoods are a tricky thing. They’re eternally malleable and evoke sociological questions around how we place our homes, our neighbors and our communities within a wider tapestry. In the name of neighborly generosity, we may include gems that linger outside of technical parameters. Instead of leaning into stark definitions, we hope to celebrate all of the places that make us love where we live.
Our journalists independently visited every spot recommended in this guide. We do not accept free meals or experiences. What L.A. neighborhood should we check out next? Send ideas to guides@latimes.com.
Start with Japanese breakfast at Azay
Pro tip: Park all day in the Aiso Parking Garage across the street at 101 N. Judge John Aiso St., named after the first Japanese American to hold a judicial position in the continental U.S.
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Try fresh mochi at 122-year-old Fugetsu-Do
See the 150-foot Shohei Ohtani mural on Miyako Hotel
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Head to the new Kinokuniya for Japanese manga and magazine heaven
Although books and magazines fill much of the store, a large area is dedicated to stickers, stationery and toys, part of the selection that made Kinokuniya’s former sprawling space on the second floor of Weller Court a nexus for pop culture fans. During its relocation, Kinokuniya opened a pop-up shop at the Bloc shopping center on 7th, which is now a permanent location too.
Shop for souvenirs at Bunkado, where Little Tokyo began
See a piece of history at the soon-to-reopen Japanese American National Museum
Get in line for L.A.'s best sashimi special at Sushi Gen
Also in Little Tokyo, Sushi Kaneyoshi, an extremely difficult reservation, offers peerless omakase prepared by Yoshiyuki Inoue.
Find retro Americana at Gator's Vintage
Go for Gundam, Godzilla and gachapon at Little Tokyo Mall
Take a break for coffee and brick toast at Cafe Dulce
Snack on hot-off-the-griddle imagawayaki at Mitsuru Cafe
“I watched my mother make imagawayaki my whole childhood,” says Rumi. “She even carried me on her back while making them back in the ‘70s. She told me the first lesson was observing and asking questions (which I did … a lot). When I turned 16 she said to me, if you can drive a car, you are ready to touch the pan.”
Join a class, club or listening party at JACCC, Little Tokyo's arts epicenter
Dive into a bowl of noodles at Hinodeya Ramen & Bar
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Grab a paddle at Little Tokyo Table Tennis at Terasaki Budokan
Drink a Japanese whisky, or a highball, at Wolf & Crane
