Los Angeles's Little Tokyo

Images of America: California

by Little Tokyo Historical Society

In 1884, a Japanese sailor named Hamanosuke Shigeta made his way to the eastern section of downtown Los Angeles and opened Little Tokyo's first business, an American-style café. By the early 20th century, this neighborhood on the banks of the Los Angeles River had developed into a vibrant community serving the burgeoning Japanese American population of Southern California. When Japanese Americans were forcibly removed to internment camps in 1942 following the attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States' entrance into World War II, Little Tokyo was rechristened "Bronzeville" as a newly established African American enclave popular for its jazz clubs and churches. Despite the War Relocation Authority's opposition to re-establishing Little Tokyo following the war, Japanese Americans gradually restored the strong ties evident today in 21st-century Little Tokyo--a multicultural, multigenerational community that is the largest Nihonmachi (Japantown) in the United States.

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wish I could have gone through this book with my grandparents. My grandfather was the president of the Fukushima Kenjinkai for years, and I didn't even really know what that meant until now. :(

[Pattie Babbitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

First reading complete for my Little Tokyo LA experience in July! Loved looking at all the photos in this book. Can't wait to be there in person.