【Special Interview 2023】”Key People” in Little Tokyo

Let’s Walk in Little Tokyo

Little Tokyo, located in downtown Los Angeles, is the largest Japanese American population district in North America. It is larger than San Francisco’s Japantown.

Little Tokyo, with an area of approximately five blocks, is bounded by Los Angeles Street to the west, Alameda Street to the east, 3rd Street to the south, and 1st Street to the north.

It has been an important cultural and civic center for Japanese Americans living in Southern California since the 1880s Little Tokyo, also known as the Historic District, was designated to be a National Historic Landmark in 1995. Some might know this town as a place where you can find Japanese stationeries, anime goods, or Japanese cuisine, or where the annual Nisei Week Festival happens, but it is actually more than that. It has been a spiritual hometown for Japanese Americans.

Like many cities around the world, Little Tokyo. too, has faced difficulties during the pandemic and has been gradually getting back to normal life. In this issue, we focus on Little Tokyo’s past, present, and future, and have conducted special interviews with some of the “key people” behind this community!

Here is an in-depth look at Little Tokyo!

”Key People” in Little Tokyo