Little Tokyo

Area bordered by Los Angeles St. on the West,
Alameda St. on the East,
1st St. on the North,
and 3rd St. on the South.
AAA Map: Central and Western Area, Metropolitan LA
Map Reference: G 26
Freeway Exit: Los Angeles St., Hollywood (aka Santa Ana) Freeway.

Japanese Village Mall

Little Tokyo is like a little oasis in the middle of grimy Downtown LA. It survived the internment of the entire Los Angeles Japanese-American community. It's beautiful, and expresses the strength and pride of culture that the Nisei (second-generation Japanese-American), Sansei (third-generation), and Yonsei (fourth-generation) share with visitors from Japan.

Manga for sale!

But why is it on this tour? Because it's an Otaku's paradise, that's why. There are several bookstores in the area which carry imported Manga and Anime fan magazines from Japan, and there are gift shops which have the occasional Sailor Moon or Dragonball-Z toys in stock. It's too bad that this one toy store in Japanese Village Mall is no longer there, because they had the best Mecha toys and Anime tie-in stuff.

Anime T-Shirts

However, just south of Japanese Village Mall, on 2nd St., is Firefly, a T-shirt store loaded with Anime related T-shirts. You want an Akira, Astro-boy or a Jungle Taisei (Kimba The White Lion) T-shirt? You can get it here.

Outside Kouraku

A few doors down from Firefly is the coolest noodle shop in Little Tokyo, Kouraku. Like most restaurants in the area, they display plastic food that looks really close to the Real Thing. Kouraku's display is one of the biggest.

Karaoke bar sign

After having a huge bowl of ramen at Kouraku, (once you eat ramen in a real Japanese noodle shop, you will never call the dehydrated cellophane-covered bricks you get in the supermarket ramen...you will call it crap, which is the only word it deserves) you can get your ya-ya's out the Japanese way...go Karaoke! Banzai, dude!

Other points of interest in the area: "Temporary Contemporary" annex of MOCA, Japanese-American National Museum.

Admission: Free.

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