EVERGREEN By Naomi Hirahara (New York: Soho Press, 2023, 312 pp., $27.95, hardcover) Continuing to fill in the gaps of the postwar resettlement, Naomi Hirahara provides an intriguing and provocative mystery in “Evergreen,” next in the Japantown series. Finding menial jobs, sharing living quarters and trying to make ends meet are just the basic stressors […]
Long-time Little Tokyo cafe receives eviction notice
July 6, 2023 by Leave a Comment
LOS ANGELES — Suehiro Café, one of the oldest restaurants in Little Tokyo, with a half-century of service to the Japanese American community, was notified in April that it was being evicted. The landlord reportedly wants to open a marijuana shop at the location. Known for its extensive menu and late hours, Suehiro Cafe opened […]
Two suspects still at large following pursuit that ended in LA’s Little Tokyo
July 6, 2023 by Leave a Comment
LOS ANGELES — The search was continuing July 2 for two armed suspects who sprinted through a busy Little Tokyo marketplace at the end of a pursuit with Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies that resulted in two car crashes. Two other suspects were detained at the scene, authorities said. The sheriff’s department became involved in […]
Little Tokyo homeless situation has improved, says community business owner
January 1, 2023 by Leave a Comment
LOS ANGELES — Homelessness remains a problem in Little Tokyo, but the situation is a lot better now than it was two-and-a-half years ago, since L.A. city officials cleared out a large homeless encampment at Toriumi Plaza in March, according to a local business owner familiar with the city action. A city order declaring the […]
Metro Rail construction project impacts life in Little Tokyo
December 22, 2022 by Leave a Comment
LOS ANGELES — The Metro Rail Regional Connector construction project that burrowed underground through downtown Los Angeles created serious disruptions to daily life in Little Tokyo and even caused several businesses to close, according to some local citizens. Construction for the Regional Connector began in 2014 and it is slated to open for service in […]
Joy in Japangeles
November 25, 2021 by Leave a Comment
Japangeles, a Los Angeles Little Tokyo streetwear clothing shop, had to close its doors for more than half of 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Roy Kuroyanagi, a Sansei, established the store in 2010, its Website states. He had always been interested in clothing and streetwear and ?wanted to find a way to express my […]
Seeking happily ever after in Little Tokyo
July 22, 2021 by Leave a Comment
FROM LITTLE TOKYO WITH LOVE By Sarah Kuhn (Toronto, Ontario: Viking Books for Young Readers, 2021, 432 pp., $24.99, hard cover) A clever, funny, romp of a story that is “not a fairytale” begins: “Once upon a time, a beautiful princess lived in the magical kingdom of Los Angeles. Always alone, she belonged to no one — and no one belonged to her. She dreamed of one day finding someone who shared her passions, […]
While COVID closes many Little Tokyo businesses, some are surviving
May 27, 2021 by Leave a Comment
LOS ANGELES — Little Tokyo businesses faced many challenges the past year as COVID-19 forced a number of small establishments to close, but some shops like Mitsuru Sushi & Grill managed to survive, and a few like Bunkado even thrived. Mamoru Hanamure, owner of Mitsuru, revealed that he was stressed during the pandemic because of […]
Suehiro Café receives grant from Preservation Program
May 27, 2021 by Leave a Comment
LOS ANGELES — Suehiro Café, founded in 1972 in Little Tokyo, is one of 25 small restaurants nationwide that was awarded a special grant earlier this month as part of a collaborative effort of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express through their Backing Historic Small Restaurants program to help those businesses improve, […]
LA police probe fire, vandalism at Japanese Buddhist temple
March 4, 2021 by Leave a Comment
LOS ANGELES — Authorities are investigating a vandalism and fire at a Buddhist temple in the Little Tokyo section of downtown Los Angeles. Surveillance video caught a man jumping the security fences at the Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple on the night of Feb. 25, smashing a 12-foot-high glass window with a rock, yanking a pair […]
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