A Little Treasure in the Neighborhood: Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, CA

Downtown Los Angeles can be frustrating, it is smoggy, crowed with vehicles and noisy. However, downtown does not have to be all that bad, it does have some promising little spaces to relax and take in a little culture. Little Tokyo is one of those areas in Los Angeles that can offer a bit of an escape from the everyday life. It is nestled in the heart of the downtown area of Los Angeles, California and located conveniently close to Union Station; the central hub for Metrolink and Amtrak track trains as well as the red and gold lines of the Los Angeles subway system.

Little Tokyo offers a number of interesting things to see, do, and taste during your visit. Perhaps you would like to do a little shopping in this cultural neighborhood? Small boutiques spread through out Little Tokyo have authentic items from the orient such as dishes and pictures for home decor, as well as cute trinkets, lucky cats, and good luck charms of all shapes and sizes! There are also two or three anime stores for the Japanese culture lovers to indulge in an abundance of Manga, Anime DVD's, wall scrolls, and figurines. Located in the central area of Little Tokyo is an Asian Market selling exotic treats, rice cakes, sakes, plum wine, spices, sauces, fresh sushi fish and meats of all kinds; but beware, most of the items in the store are in the traditional Japanese packaging, so it makes for an interesting time to figure out what some of the items are. However, that just adds to the intrigue of the whole place.

If you do not want to pick something up at the market to take home to cook, try dining at one of the many fine restaurants in Little Tokyo. Each restaurant features it's own specialty of Japanese cuisine. Including a very nice sake bar with an outdoor patio to enjoy the sunny California weather while you sample various sakes straight from Japan. There is also a sushi restaurant on the upper level of Little Tokyo that offers a half priced sushi menu for those of us on a budget. For a more upscale sushi place, the entrance to Little Tokyo offers a fine restaurant with beautiful cloth window hangings and traditional wooden tables and seats, with a large square sushi bar in the middle of the restaurant. Little Tokyo also has a number of small food places that offer dishes such as udon, takoyaki, unagi, and teriyaki dishes.

Lastly, if you want to burn off some of those calories you just put on, or want to do something a bit educational, Little Tokyo also has a Japanese Cultural Museum, located across the street from the majority of the stores and restaurants.

So next time you are feeling a little burnt out on the everyday life of Los Angeles, California and want a little change of pace try heading downtown to Little Tokyo for a little shopping, sake and sushi in the sun! It's a fun place to be and a little treasure in town.