Your TL;DR Travel Guide to LA’s Little Tokyo
TL;DR: As one of the largest Japantowns in the United States, Los Angeles’s Little Tokyo is a vibrant community rich with cultural experiences, amazing food, and unique shopping (just to name a few things). With legacy businesses dating back to the early 1900s, Little Tokyo is a renowned destination where you can find all kinds of wonderful gems. From mochi to local clothing brands to museums and beyond, Little Tokyo has so much to offer. Plan to spend some money (bring a little bit of cash with you for some of the older businesses), do a bit of walking, and take some time for parking.
- Before You Go:
- Go Shopping in Japanese Village Plaza
- Check Out the Japanese American National Museum
- Visit Fugetsu-Do Sweet Shop
- Explore more in Los Angeles
Before You Go:
Like a lot of Los Angeles, the roads can be a bit congested and parking will take some time. To ease any potential headaches, I plan to add in some extra time as a buffer to allow for parking or the need to circle the block a bit. There are, however, several parking structures as well as a transit stop nearby if you prefer public transportation.
The parking structures tend to be on the more narrow side and they are all paid lots. I personally prefer parking in the Japanese Village Plaza Parking structure (E 1st Street and South Central Ave) because it has a pedestrian entrance directly from Japanese Village Plaza, which serves as my centralized location whenever I wander around the district.
Another important thing – bathrooms. The public bathroom situation isn’t the greatest (as in, good luck finding some). However, the sit-down restaurants or a local Starbucks should be able to help you out (of course, you will be expected to purchase something :)).
And now, onto a few things to do in Little Tokyo…
Go Shopping in Japanese Village Plaza
Japanese Village Plaza is beautiful. With Paper Lanterns decorating the walkways and beautiful architecture, this plaza is often the photo spot for people grabbing a few pics in the district. Beyond its potential for social media snaps, Japanese Village Plaza is where I like to start off any day in Little Tokyo.
With several shops, cafes, and eateries, you can spend a great deal of time roaming around the different stores and checking out what’s available. While there are some chain popular stores (like Sanrio) there are also brands that are only available at this physical location, such as clothing retailer Japangeles. Some stores do limit the number of shoppers allowed in at any one time, so if you are going on a busy day you may have to wait in a few lines. Don’t worry, though, in my experience the lines tend to move fairly quickly. One other note – a few of the shops don’t open until 11:00am or 12:00pm.
Check Out the Japanese American National Museum
As you walk around Little Tokyo, you’ll notice little signs of the district’s historic roots. To really jump into the area’s importance as well as the cultural heritage of the Japanese-American community, stop on by the Japanese American National Museum. The actual gallery I went to is actually just across from the building pictured above, however, you’ll find that there are a couple of art galleries and exhibitions in this area.
The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) is definitely a different pace from the shopping and vibrancy of Japanese Village Plaza (even though it is just across the street), but in the best way. With rich storytelling and photographs from World War II, the commentary and information the museum provides colors everything happening outside of the museum with deep hues. Weaving together the narrative of what so many of experienced in the US, the museum is a powerful and vital testament to the Japanese-American community’s resilience. I personally loved my time in the museum and would highly recommend checking it out. As a bonus, the museum does have restrooms (for those who pay for admission).
Visit Fugetsu-Do Sweet Shop
With so many businesses, you have plenty of options on where to eat and shop. One of them, Fugetsu-Do Sweet Shop, has an amazing legacy of being a family-run business that opened in 1903. Stop on in for some of the best mochi in the area (I love the strawberry mochi) and grab a few extra snacks for your trip home. While the shop does accept credit cards, I recommend bringing some cash as the dollar amount needed to run a card here is on the higher end.
There is honestly so much to do and explore in Little Tokyo, but these are three of my favorites. Let me know if you’ve tried any of these!
TL;DR Travels 
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