Sunday May 27, 2012

JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

LA's Little Tokyo seeks to get back Japanese vibe

Lifestyle Oct. 15, 2008 - 05:06AM JST ( 13 )

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13 Comments

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rjd_jrOct. 15, 2008 - 07:55AM JST

These are good ideas and plans to revitalize the area. Little Tokyo has been getting a few new shopping areas here and there but it's time to bring back the flavor of its heyday. Little Tokyo is an important cultural enclave to Japanese Americans and it would be unfortunate if it went the way of other ethnic areas like Little Italy. Great for all of them.
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NeoJamalOct. 15, 2008 - 09:22AM JST

If Germany can attract Jewish immigrants after the Holocaust, there's no reason why generations of Japanese-Americans who have dispersed and blended in with White America after the war can't be attracted back to Little Tokyo

But then, the repatriates must co-exist with Korean-Americans who've since called Little Tokyo their own like the Palestinians in Israel.
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BetzeeOct. 15, 2008 - 10:28AM JST

“We would like it to have a Japanese touch or flavor, but not this pagoda sort of thing: this sort of ostentatious caricature of Japanese culture,” said Bill Watanabe, president of the Little Tokyo Services Center, a social services agency and nonprofit developer teaming up with Kaji on the project.

I know exactly what he means but the world has changed. In this age of travel, few people seek out ethnic enclaves for an authentic cultural experience. They want a good meal and one doesn't need to venture into downtown LA, with its terrible parking and proximity to skid row, to find that. LA's Chinatown, a stone's throw from Little Tokyo, has also become a geriatric community, eclipsed by the eastern suburbs where one can find all the amenities of Chinese life without forsaking the convenience of suburbia.

Korean-Americans who've since called Little Tokyo their own like the Palestinians in Israel.

Hardly an appropriate analogy. Koreans, in contrast to the Japanese, continue to immigrate to the USA in significant numbers. They have a vibrant community in LA which is somewhat responsible for the economic vitality that does exist in the city (as opposed to the suburbs). Now I know Japanese are perturbed by all the Korean-owned Japanese restaurants in LA, but if they can find paying customers what's the problem?

San Francisco has a thriving Japantown. Situated in a good location, it attracts hip young Bay Area residents and enough of an expat community to support at least one Japanese language bookstore (probably a franchise).
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BetzeeOct. 15, 2008 - 11:13AM JST

and have rejected the ghettos of the past.

This is inevitable and then the place takes on the characteristics of a new community. If Korean immigrants want to invest in Little Tokyo to try and make a buck, more power to them!
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theproOct. 15, 2008 - 12:59PM JST

Get some pachinko parlours in there
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OgieDoggieOct. 15, 2008 - 01:03PM JST

If you go to Little Tokyo in LA than you better know how to speak Spanish is all I can say.(I've lived in Southern Calif. for past 55 years so I know what am talking about).
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VOROct. 15, 2008 - 06:45PM JST

This endeavor is more about commerce and less about community.

It is nice having a these ethnic areas nearby, if not for anything else but the ability to chow down on genuine cuisine.
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borschtOct. 15, 2008 - 09:41PM JST

Even in the 80s Little Tokyo was owned mainly by Koreans or Korean-Americans. Except for that big hotel (New Otani?). But the tourists - and this I could never understand - were mainly Japanese. They flew from Tokyo to LA to visit Tokyo?
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TriumvereOct. 15, 2008 - 10:00PM JST

Meh.

Score one for integration. Go melting pot!
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usaexpatOct. 15, 2008 - 11:53PM JST

Last time I was in Little Tokyo was about 5 years ago and it had really gotten Ghetto with a capital G. The neighborhood around LT going towards Alhambra had gotten pretty bad. I wonder how many naive Japanese go there and walk a few streets in the wrong direction only to get mugged.
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vajraOct. 16, 2008 - 12:48PM JST

J-town today... the upscale shops closed, all the Nihonjin turned to Europe, all the vacancies here were taken up by non-Japanese and the homeless began to infiltrate again . So, this news is good news, hope it takes off because past some major cultural event taking place there I rarely have a reason to visit the dump anymore .