A Visit to Little Tokyo (Pandemic Edition - 2022)
A Lot of Love for Little Tokyo!
One sunny February morning, we participated in something called the “Nun Run”— a 5K race to support the Sisters of Notre Dame in Thousand Oaks. As it turns out, Benny, my 9-year-old son is a solid little runner. He ended up placing second in his age group. Check out my little cutie upon crossing the finish line:
I share the race story because before the 5k, I told the boys that if they put forth their best effort during the race, I’d take them on a Little Tokyo outing. Needless to say, with Benny’s proud achievement, the trip to Downtown L.A. was pretty much a done deal. Soon after receiving his commemorative Nun Run towel and posing for a photo with his medal, we made our way to Little Tokyo.
It was my first time back in Little Tokyo since the Pandemic hit. I hadn’t been to the historic five-block district located east of Alameda street in DTLA, for over two years.
FYI— DTLA’s Little Tokyo is actually one of the largest official Japan towns in the U.S and Benny knows it. He has become a major fan of Japanese Anime and therefore always asks to visit Little Tokyo (mainly so he can beg me for Anime toys, video games and clothing all of which is available there).
Here’s my little Stud Muffin, looking almost like a teenager!
The hub of Little Tokyo is a small plaza called the Japanese Village which is surrounded by shops, restaurants, bakeries and even a Japanese grocery store called Nijiya Market, located down the way from a tiny two story outdoor mall. On this February weekend Little Tokyo was particularly busy. However, I’m not sure how much of that actually had to do with the crowds of people lining outside of the shops (Most stores in Little Tokyo were only allowing 8-10 guests in at one time).
Recommended for lunch are plenty of Ramen and sushi restaurant options. We opted for Sushi and Teriyaki Chicken Bento boxes from a small corner restaurant called Sushi & Teri (116 Japanese Village Plz Mall). Again, we practically had the restaurant all to ourselves due to the social distance measures in place but the lines outside were crazy long.
Where there is good food, there better be good dessert. That’s my personal belief! And of course, Little Tokyo doesn’t disappoint sweet tooth wanderers like me and my boys. A visit to Yamazaki Bakery (which is located directly across from the Sushi & Teri lunch spot where we dined) led us to a couple of ice cream cones and this especially cute doggy-shaped fruit tart, which some may argue is a recreation of Japan’s very own Shiba Inu pups:
This was almost too cute to eat but two bites and it was gone!
After our short-lived but fun dessert eating moment, the boys were taken over by a serious sugar rush. Before I knew it, Benny had climbed on top of a rock that’s located in the center of the Japanese Plaza and Toby was there egging him on. I gasped for air and angrily clenched my teeth demanding that he come down immediately, except, he couldn’t. I had to perform an actual rescue and carry this 9 year old from a big rock, so he wouldn’t fall down, in front of people.
The stressful experience made me deserving of some retail therapy. The boys had already picked a few goodies to bring home and it was time for me to find something for me. We walked over to the Sanrio shop but the line was insane. Then we discovered the Mokuyobi Flagship store, located right next to the Little Tokyo Japanese Village Tower. I must say the mix of colors, patterns, styles and designs were so fun, so bright and so bold that I simply couldn’t resist. I bought a fun T-shirt with a happy face named Noodles.
Meanwhile, the boys were getting tired and whiny and they were beginning to argue and get on each other’s nerves. The day was hot and the drive back home was going to be long. We made a final stop at a Cosplay shop and Benny picked a Naruto headband. Naruto is a popular Japanese Anime character. Toby asked for a Mighty Morphin Power Ranger weapon.
In the end, it turned out to be a Funish day with my two little boys. How I missed making spontaneous trips to different places around Los Angeles!
There are so many other great places to see, shop and dine in Little Tokyo. The Japanese American Museum for example is generally very well curated with incredible exhibitions. My friend owns a shop called Leola Lace with the cutest, trendiest women’s fashion and there’s also Japangeles, a shop with awesome Japan-inspired clothing made in Los Angeles.
A trip worth your time is one to Little Tokyo in Downtown L.A.
Thanks for reading friends!
Xo,
Anabel M.