BGuthrie Photos: CA -- Los Angeles -- Little Tokyo

CA -- Los Angeles -- Little Tokyo:

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[1] LTOKYO_090801_001.JPG	[2] LTOKYO_090801_012.JPG	[3] LTOKYO_090801_017.JPG
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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. LTOKYO_090801_025.JPG: Colonel (USAF) Ellison Shoji Onizuka Astronaut/National Aeronautics and Space Administration June 24, 1946-January 28, 1986 Colonel Onizuka was the first Japanese American astronaut selected to participate in America's Space Program. Born and raised in a simple rural community, he walked a remarkable path that led from the coffee fields of Kona, Hawaii to miles above the earth. In 1985, he flew on a Department of Defense mission aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, America's first classified manned military space flight. The Challenger flight was his second mission into space. A humble man, he was especially proud of his Japanese heritage and remained genuinely grateful to all those responsible for his achievements. The embarrassed hero who was adored by children across many lands, he dreamed, he dared, and he delivered... "Your visions are not limited by what your eyes can see, but by what your minds can imagine. Make you life count and the world will be a better place because you tried." -- Ellison S. Onizuka --
2. LTOKYO_090801_039.JPG: Friendship Knot. by Skinkichi Tajiri Dedicated to the memory of Dr. Morinosuke Kajima Diplomat, scholar, and international businessman whose vision and generosity initiated the revitalization of Little Tokyo. Bicentennial gift to the City of Los Angeles Friends of Little Tokyo Arts -- August 5, 1981
3. LTOKYO_090801_070.JPG: Azusa St. Mission Site of the Azusa St. Revival from 1906 to 1931. Cradle of the Worldwide Pentecostal Movement.
4. LTOKYO_090801_074.JPG: The George & Sakaye Aratani Japan America Theatre
5. LTOKYO_090801_131.JPG: Throughout a century that began in the horse-and-buggy age and ended in the space age, Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Street now bears the name of one of the pioneers of travel. When the city was incorporated, the diagonal path from First Street to the corner of Second and San Pedro streets in Little Tokyo was carved by the wagon ruts of stagecoaches who used it as a shortcut as they raced to their destination. Soon it was formally named Weller Street. The ride from the city's first harbor in Wilmington into Los Angeles was more arduous and ore sporting that most people bargained for. As often as three times a day for a quarter-century, two stagecoaches stood at dockside waiting to take passengers from the harbor to downtown. Passengers climbed abroad and placed their bets against the rival stagecoach. Both were pulled by vicious-looking mules or by half-wild mustangs. With whoops and yells from the cowboy riding the lead horses and the driver twirling his whip, the coaches raced toward town. About two hours and 20 minutes later, both six-team coaches, usually accompanied by barking dogs, raced up the pot-holed path and drew up in front of the Bella Union Hotel -- all for a one-way fare that varied over the years from $1 to $10. By the boom years of the 1880s, the stagecoaches had been replaced by railroads whose arrivals, local and transcontinental, kept downtown hopping. Today, where stagecoaches once raced, stands a 27-foot-high replica of the space shuttle Challenger that honors crew member Col. Ellison S. Onizuka, the nation's first
6. LTOKYO_090801_135.JPG: Asian-American astronaut. The image is seared into memory: the explosion on January 28, 1986, of the space shuttle as it carried teacher-in-space Christa McAuliffe and six astronauts, among them Onizuka. The Challenger launch was the second space flight for the 39-year-old Onizuka. Today, the street bearing his name exceeds the city's 16-letter street-name limit, even as Onizuka met and exceeded every hurdle. Half-Blind Pastor, Color-blind Faith: In spite of its name, Little Tokyo was not the sole domain of Japanese or Japanese-Americans. Some branches of Pentecostalism know it as the birthplace of their faith. A small mission founded shortly after the turn of the century in a one-time stable became the vortex of an ecstatic Pentecostal worship known as the Azusa Street Revival, named for the street where the stable stood. Beginning in 1906, more than 1,500 white and black Christians jammed the 40-by-60-foot sanctuary -- a rundown wooden barn in a predominantly African-American section of downtown -- to be "baptized in the Holy Spirit." A fiery, one-eyed African-American preacher named William Joseph Seymour and his partner, a white Methodist preacher named Hiram Smith, were, so said a local reporter, "the best show in town for free." Vigorous hand-clapping accompanied the percussion of "bones" -- cows' rib bones -- a washboard and thimbles, creating what was called music of the spirit. Another parishioner played the violin, but the fiddle was soon banished; too many people believed that it sounded like dance-hall music, and had the devil in it.
7. LTOKYO_090801_139.JPG: Spiritual Fever and a Spiritual Split: The humble and the famous, eager to catch the spiritual fever and to witness this integrated worship, flocked to the church. Arabella Huntington, the widow of "Big Four" magnate Collis P. Huntington, had herself chauffeured to one service from her San Marino estate. By 1909, though, prejudices both within the congregation and in the larger community forced the congregation to split along black-white lines. Members left and began constructing separate churches and denominations that still exist apart today. Against formidable odds, Seymour's ministries survived for almost three decades. After his death in 1922, his wife continued preaching until about 1930, when the working-class members found they had the spirit but not the money to help the church grow, and the Azusa Street Revival closed its doors. The birthplace of Pentecostalism -- off San Pedro Street behind the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center -- is marked with a plaque commemorating the neighborhood where it all began.
8. LTOKYO_090801_158.JPG: "Enemy Ears are Listening!" The posters, with caricatures of the eavesdropping enemy triumvirate of Hitler, Hirohito, and Mussolini, hung in millions of public places throughout North America. It was World War II, and the Japanese, Germans, and Italians were the enemy. On the West Coast, which was gripped by a fear of Japanese invasion and espionage, ethnic Japanese -- 70% of whom were American citizens -- were rounded up and sent off to internment camps. Their story is well known, as is there successful fight to win reparations and an apology from the U.S. government. But largely unknown are the stories of primary Japanese-American military units. Organized after Hawaii's Japanese-Americans lobbied to have their sons permitted to take part in the worldwide fight and prove their loyalty to the United States, some of these units became the most decorated in U.S. military history. The Army's 100th Infantry Battalion was so well known for its courage it was referred to as the "Purple Heart battalion." The 442nd Regimental Combat team was one of the most decorated units, while the Japanese members of the Military Intelligence Service are credited with helping to crack codes used by enemy Japanese forces. In bloody fighting through Italy, France, and Germany, Japanese-American soldiers earned more than 18,000 decorations, including 8,486 Purple Hearts. The 442nd's motto was "Go For Broke," and its proudest and most tragic hour came when it brought through German lines in eastern France to free 211 trapped Texans, members of the Lost Battalion. The action cost the lives of about 200 Japanese-American soldiers. Another 600 were wounded. In the Pacific, 6,000 Nisei linguists working with military intelligence questioned 14,000 prisoners, eavesdropped on communications between Japanese pilots and their airfields, and translated 20 million captured documents. The government would later estimate that their labors saved over a million lives and shortened the war by two years.
9. LTOKYO_090801_162.JPG: Little Tokyo Above and Beyond the Call of Duty: Still, the front lines were dangerous for soldiers like Los Angeles veteran Yoshikazu Yamada. He was with American soldiers wounded in the Philippines when the Japanese attacked. As he ran, other Americans mistook him for the enemy. He founded himself ducking fire from both sides. The Nisei took part in the opening of the Burma Road to funnel weapons to Chinese allies. In India, they intercepted Japanese radio commands for air strikes. And, by a stroke of luck, they were able to provide General Dwight D. Eisenhower with a description of the German defenses that his troops would face on D-Day. Japan's ambassador to Berlin had been given a tour of Germany's defenses and promptly sent a description to Tokyo. His message was intercepted and sent to Virginia, where Nisei linguists translated it.
10. LTOKYO_090801_166.JPG: The veterans' stories reflect a remarkable courage that in the 1950s helped to persuade the U.S, government to allow Japanese immigrants to become naturalized citizens. Three decades later, the same government issued a formal apology and reparations. Overdue Honors: In June 1999, from as far away as Hawaii and Washington, D.C. they came to Los Angeles, some in wheelchairs or hobbling on canes, to commemorate their wartime glory and heal their long-time pain. A black granite "Go For Broke" monument, honoring the 100th, the 442nd and military intelligence units, was unveiled. It was inscribed with 16,000 names of Japanese-American veterans and their officers. The following year, 19 Japanese-Americans whose names are engraved on the monument were awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor. The veterans, who had earlier received the country's second-higher honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, were chosen for the Medal of Honor after a four-year-long review of their combat service. One of the recipients was Senator Daniel K. Inouye, of Hawaii, who, as a second lieutenant, led a platoon with the 442nd in Italy and lost an arm in combat. In the words of President Harry S. Truman, they "fought not only the enemy, but ... fought prejudice --- and ... won." The nearby Japanese American National Museum also commemorates them and the many other contributions made by Japanese Americans to this country.
11. LTOKYO_090801_171.JPG: Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple Nishi Betsuin 1925-1969 The Temple relocated from this site to East First and Vignes Streets
12. LTOKYO_090801_181.JPG: National Center for the Preservation of Democracy
13. LTOKYO_090801_186.JPG: Go For Broke monument
AAA "Gem": AAA considers this location to be a "must see" point of interest. To see pictures of other areas that AAA considers to be Gems, click here.
Wikipedia Description: Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Little Tokyo, also known as Little Tokyo Historic District, is an ethnic Japanese American district in downtown Los Angeles and one of only three official Japantowns in the United States. Founded around the beginning of the 20th century, the area, sometimes called Lil' Tokyo, J-Town, (Sho-tokyo), is the cultural center for Japanese Americans in Southern California. It was declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1995.

Description:

At its peak, Little Tokyo had approximately 30,000 Japanese Americans living in the area. Little Tokyo is still a cultural focal point for Los Angeles's Japanese American population. It is mainly a work, cultural, religious, restaurant and shopping district, because Japanese Americans today are likely to live in nearby cities such as Torrance, Gardena, and Monterey Park. However, the recent boom in downtown residential construction is changing the nature of Little Tokyo.

What is left of the original Little Tokyo can be found in roughly four large city blocks. It is bounded on the west by Los Angeles Street, on the east by Alameda Street, on the south by 3rd Street, and on the north by First Street and the Los Angeles Civic Center. More broadly, Little Tokyo is bordered by the Los Angeles River to the east, downtown Los Angeles to the west, L.A. City Hall and the Parker Center to the north, and the newly named Arts District (made up of warehouses converted into live-work lofts) to the south.

Attractions:

Cultural attractions:
The original Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist temple. Across from the building is the Japanese American National Museum opened in 1992—50 years after President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the internment of Japanese Americans.

The Japanese American Cultural & Community Center is located in Little Tokyo, as well as the Japanese American National Museum. The extension of the Museum of Contemporary Art, formerly called the Temporary Contemporary and now known as the Geffen Contemporary (named after David Geffen), is also in Little Tokyo. East West Players, one of the nation's first Asian American theatre companies, specializing in live theater written and performed by Asian American artists, is located in Little Tokyo, performing in the David Henry Hwang Theater. There is also the Aratani/Japan America Theater, which features plays and musical performances. Visual Communications, an Asian Pacific American media arts organization, has its offices in Little Tokyo, and each May, annually presents VC FilmFest (Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival), in several venues around Little Tokyo.

The Nisei Week festival is held every August, and includes a large parade, a pageant, athletic events, exhibits of Japanese art and culture, a taiko drum festival, the Japanese Festival Street Faire, a car show, and other events. The LA Tofu Festival is a subcommittee of Nisei Week and is also held during the month. A queen and court will be selected.

Little Tokyo has quite a few public sculptures and artwork, including a monument to Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka, a Japanese American from Hawai?i who was a mission specialist on the Space Shuttle Challenger when it exploded during takeoff in 1986 and another monument to Chiune Sugihara, Japanese consul to Lithuania before WWII and Righteous among the Nations. There are also two Japanese gardens in the area open to the public—one is next to the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center and the other is a rooftop garden in the Kyoto Grand Hotel and Gardens, formerly the New Otani Hotel. The Go For Broke Monument commemorates Japanese Americans who served in the United States Military during World War II. The multi-purpose theatre, The ImaginAsian Center, opened in December, 2007.

Shopping and dining:

There are numerous Japanese restaurants, catering to both Japanese and non-Japanese clientele. Many of them specialize in one type of Japanese cuisine, such as donburi, Japanese noodles (soba ramen and udon), shabu-shabu (which translated from Japanese means 'swish-swish', referring to the motion of dipping meat and vegetables in a communal bowl of boiling water), Japanese curry, sushi, or yakitori. There are also a number of yakiniku restaurants, where meat is often cooked on a small grill built into the center of the table.

Two wagashi (Japanese sweets) shops located in Little Tokyo are among the oldest food establishments in Los Angeles. Fugetsu-do, founded in 1903, appears to be the oldest still-operating food establishment in the city and the first one to celebrate a centennial; its best-known offerings include mochi and manju, and it claims to be an inventor of the fortune cookie. Mikawaya was founded in 1910, but is now well known as the company that introduced mochi ice cream to the United States in 1994.

Little Tokyo has several shops that specialize in Japanese-language videos and DVDs, while other shops specialize in Japanese electronics and video games. These are a great way to find Japanese video games that were never translated into English. There are also several stores that sell manga and anime related products.

The Weller Court shopping mall has several restaurants, karaoke clubs, and a Bubble Tea cafe. For tourists visiting from Japan, there are a number of shops specializing in expensive name brand products such as Coach handbags. There is also a large bookstore, Kinokuniya, that is part of a well-known Japanese chain. They have a large selection of Japanese-language books, magazines, music CDs, manga, and anime, as well as a selection of English-language books on Japanese subjects and translated manga and anime.

The Japanese Village Plaza is located roughly in the center of Little Tokyo. There are several restaurants in the plaza, plus a number of shops geared towards tourists. First Street and Second Street border Japanese Village Plaza and have a number of restaurants that are open later than those in the court.

History:

The original boundaries of Little Tokyo extended east and south of the present location, and covered approximately one square mile. The area was a magnet for immigrating Japanese until the Exclusion Act of 1924 halted any further migration. Shops were along First Street, and vegetable markets were along Central Avenue to the south. Japanese Americans were a significant ethnic group in the vegetable trade, due to the number of successful Japanese American truck farms across Southern California.

The internment of Japanese Americans during the Second World War emptied Little Tokyo. For a brief time, the area became known as Bronzeville as African Americans and also American Indians moved into the vacated properties and opened up nightclubs and restaurants. After the internment ended, the Bronzeville residents mainly moved to other areas.

After the war, due to lack of housing in Little Tokyo, Japanese Americans returning from the camps moved into areas surrounding the downtown, into apartments and boarding houses. Notably, Boyle Heights, just east of Little Tokyo, had a large Japanese American population in the 1950s (as it had before the internment) until the arrival of Mexicans and Latino immigrants replaced most of them.

In the late 1970s, a redevelopment movement started as Japanese corporations expanded overseas operations and many of them set up their US headquarters in the Los Angeles area. Several new shopping plazas and hotels opened, along with branches of some major Japanese banks. Although this redevelopment resulted in many new buildings and shopping centers, there are still some of the original Little Tokyo buildings and restaurants, especially along First Street.

During the 1970s and 1980s, artists began to move into nearby aging warehouse spaces in the area, forming a hidden community in the industrialized area. Al's Bar, Gorky's, the Atomic Cafe, and LA Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE) are some well-known sites.

Land use has been a contentious issue in Little Tokyo due to its history, the proximity to the Los Angeles Civic Center, the role of Los Angeles as a site of business between Japan and America, and the increasing influx of residents into the Artist District. Unlike a traditional ethnic enclave, there are relatively few Japanese residents in the area because of evacuation and internment. Consequently, Little Tokyo, like other ethnic urban enclaves, is constantly threatened with development that could eradicate it. Conversely, because the Japanese American community was politicized by the internment and subsequent Redress and Reparations effort, and because of the global and local growth of overseas Japanese investment, Little Tokyo has resisted eradication and has continued to exist as a tourist attraction, community center, and home to Japanese American senior citizens and others.

The current site of Parker Center, the Los Angeles Police Department's headquarters, was the former site of the Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist temple. The area south of the site was part of the First Street business strip. The warehouses and new condominiums to the east of Little Tokyo were once residential areas of the district. The Weller Court mall was opposed by some people in the community because it redeveloped a strip of family-owned small businesses. Community activists established First Street as a historic district in 1986, In 2004, they helped reopen the Far East Cafe, an acknowledged community hub.
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