Konichiwa Los Angeles

“The whole of Japan is a pure invention. There is no such country, there are no such people. The Japanese people are simply a mode of style, an exquisite fancy of art.” – Oscar Wilde

I think we can all attest that Japan is a real country. Little Tokyo in Los Angeles is the largest Japantown in the United States with Los Angeles having the second largest Japanese American population second only to Honolulu.

Continuing with my no passport required series I set out to wander through Little Tokyo in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. The first footprint was created in 1884 with the opening of a Japanese restaurant. Culinary offerings still form a large part of this area along with other shopping and cultural activities. This area began to thrive and grow with second generation immigrants making their mark.

The attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 put a damper on this thriving area and approximately 120000 Japanese Americans were rounded up on the West Coast and moved to concentration camps. It wasn’t until after the war ended and people returned and resettled that the Little Tokyo Business Assocation created a plan to rebuild and revitalize the area and protect people of Japanese ancestry.

Today this area is a thriving metropolis centered around the Japanese Village Plaza that abounds with restaurants, shops and groceries. Paper lanterns decorate the area which has shady benches, rock formations and fountains to add to the aesthetics.

I walked across from the Village Plaza towards the Japanese Community Center. The wide courtyard offers this artistic sculpture in the center against a backdrop of downtown LA.

While I did not get to see anything inside the community center which seemed deserted, I did manage to get a glimpse of the James Irvine Japanese Garden which is a part of the community center.

Unfortunately, it was closed due to a wedding so I could only see it from the outside of the plaza that overlooks the garden.

Street vendors were doing a thriving business.

It’s like entering a whole new world where the cross walks have Japanese fans painted on them and street signs feature a hello kitty type look.

The restaurants were full of people enjoying the culinary delights on offer. Almost every restaurant had a long line of people or a sign for people to sign up and leave their name as they wandered around browsing and shopping while waiting for a table.

Right outside the Nijiya Japanese Supermarket is a sitting area complete with beautiful artistic fountain and benches.

Inside Nijiya, definitely not my neighborhood Ralphs. The shelves were filled with sushi and sashimi grab and go, the wine shelves featured Sake and other interesting foods and drinks dominated the aisles.

This young man was trying to drum up a business writing your name in Kanji script and giving you an explanation of what your name means. I chatted with him but did not take the plunge.

I had contacted the Japanese Community center hoping to participate in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, but they are currently not offering this to the public. Instead, I found myself at the @Chado tearoom next to the Japanese American Museum where I indulged in a delightful pot of flowering Lychee tea and an afternoon tea service in their outside patio surrounded by beautiful fountains.

Not only did it look inviting, but it also tasted delicious so much so that I actually bought some to bring home for later.

I walked over to the Japanese American Museum as well as the Geffen Contemporary art museum which had a long line of people waiting to go in, so I passed.

Fun and whimsical. I really got into the atmosphere and behaved like a tourist on tour.

Not in Little Tokyo but in my quest to participate in a Japanese Tea Ceremony I found this Japanese Tea house in Glendale. Alas, they too are no longer doing a Japanese tea ceremony so while the small garden was a haven of tranquility the tea house was closed.