A Walking Tour of Little Tokyo

The home base for your Little Tokyo excursion is the elegant DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Los Angeles Downtown. Nestled in the heart of Little Tokyo, the hotel features a unique Japanese-influenced interior design, and the serene rooftop Kyoto Gardens. The garden and several suites feature breathtaking city views. The hotel's on-site Justice Urban Tavern serves craft beers and pub fare made with local ingredients. Located in the atrium, the Rendezvous Lounge offers a full-service bar, bar bites, and big-screen HDTVs for watching sports. The Weller Court Shopping Center, with restaurants, shops and Marukai Market is conveniently adjacent to the hotel.

Kickstart the morning at Cafe Dulce, located in the Japanese Village Plaza. Caffeinated options include LAMILL Coffee & Tea and specialty drinks like Vietnamese style iced coffee, Hong Kong style milk tea, and organic masala chai latte. To complement the coffee, many guests order the ever-popular Matcha Roti, which are best enjoyed in the morning, freshly made and piping hot. There’s also a variety of freshly made donuts, pastries, cakes, and tarts, as well as a selection of sandwiches and salads if you stop by a little later in the day.

Another morning option is Okayama Kobo Bakery & Café, located in the Miyako Hotel off 1st Street. Featuring LA-based Groundwork Coffee, Okayama Kobo offers freshly baked bread and pastries handmade with 100% Hokkaido flour, with no additives or preservatives.

The Kobo Kuma (bear-shaped bread filled with vanilla bean custard cream) and Chocolate Emoji (soft sweet bun filled with dark chocolate and vanilla bean custard cream) are almost too cute to eat. For a little more umami, there's the Mentai Salt & Butter Roll topped with spicy cod roe and seaweed; Curry Pan (baked, panko-crusted bread filled with original Japanese-style vegetable curry) and Hot Dog Panini with Japanese pork sausage, ketchup, mustard, Japanese mayo and cheddar cheese.

While you're there, be sure to snap a pic of the Shohei Ohtani mural by Robert Vargas on the side of the hotel!

Now that you're properly fueled up, cross 1st Street to the Japanese American National Museum (JANM). The museum is internationally recognized for its commitment to exploring America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by presenting and sharing the experience of Japanese Americans with exhibitions, public programs, an award-winning museum store and resource center.

NOTE: JANM is currently closed for renovations and will reopen in late 2026.

For one of the best sushi deals in LA, head to Sushi Gen, located in the Honda Plaza strip mall off 2nd Street. Just before 11am, eager diners queue up for the famed Sashimi Lunch Special that comes with miso soup, warm tofu dish, pickles, bowl of rice, and a large sashimi plate. Selection varies, but usually includes tuna, yellowtail, spicy tuna or toro, octopus and cooked fish. Note that the lunch special is only available at a table, not at the sushi bar. Lunch is served Tuesday-Friday from 11am to 2pm.

If you’re in the mood for something heartier than sushi, stop by Men Oh Tokushima Ramen, also located in Honda Plaza. Their signature Tokushima Ramen features a savory and umami-rich broth made from Kurobuta pork bones and soy sauce. The hefty ramen bowl includes stir-fried pork belly, seared pork, bamboo shoots, seasoned soft-boiled egg and scallions. Turn up the heat with the Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen - curly noodles in the signature broth with spicy miso ball, char siu, shredded nori, chile threads, cabbage, seasoned soft-boiled egg and bean sprouts.

For those seeking udon, check out Marugame Monzo on 1st Street, where the thick noodles are made right in front of diners who score a coveted “window” seat.

Opened in 1976, Little Tokyo's Kouraku is renowned as the first ramen restaurant in the U.S. The late Hiroshi Yamauchi, who took over Kouraku in 1986, attracted a late night crowd with Japanese comfort food like Tenshin Chahan Ankake - a shrimp omelette on pork fried rice with gravy. 

Open until 1 a.m. on weeknights and 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, you can order favorites like Kouraku Special Ramen and Katsudon from the adorable BellaBot. When the kitty robot delivers your order, she instructs you to be careful when you pick up the dishes from her trays. So kawaii and thoughtful!

After lunch, pick up some sweet treats at the family-owned Fugetsu-Do, which has specialized in making mochi for more than 120 years. Along with traditional mochi, creative offerings include Peanut Butter Mochi, Korey's Chocolate Mochi (named for the owner's son) and the snack-sized Rainbow Dango. The 12-Piece Wagashi Mix offers the widest assortment of bean paste centers and outer textures. Fugetsu-Do also stocks a variety of sweet and savory snacks.

Founded in 2009 by native Angeleno Roy Kuroyanagi, Japangeles expanded from its Little Tokyo kiosk to a storefront at Japanese Village Plaza in August 2017. Designed and printed in LA, the Japangeles streetwear line remixes traditional Japanese iconography like Mt. Fuji, geishas, bonsai, and maneki-neko ("waving cat") with a modern SoCal aesthetic. There's no online store, so a trip to the Little Tokyo shop is the only way to buy Japangeles gear. Follow @japangeles on Instagram for the latest drops.

Located on 2nd Street, POP Little Tokyo is Popkiller's flagship location, featuring ironic t-shirts packaged like LPs from independent labels and original designs created in-house. A few doors down, Popkiller Second sells everything from vintage clothing to jewelry, accessories, toys, vinyl and novelty items like “bacon strip” band-aids.

Located adjacent to JANM, The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA (previously The Temporary Contemporary) opened in 1983 as a satellite location of the Museum of Contemporary Art. Formerly a police car warehouse, the 40,000 square-foot space was renovated by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry, who also designed Walt Disney Concert Hall and other world-famous buildings.

As part of its 40th anniversary, MOCA reinstalled Untitled (Questions), the monumental wall work by LA–based artist Barbara Kruger. Located on the building's north facade facing Temple Street, the red, white, and blue artwork was originally commissioned by MOCA in 1989 for the exhibition A Forest of Signs: Art in the Crisis of Representation. The 30 x 191-foot work holds an iconic place in the collective memory of LA’s art community and is considered one of the museum’s curatorial highlights.

After viewing Kruger's artwork, stop by the nearby Go For Broke Monument, the first memorial of its kind on the U.S. mainland. The 40-foot black granite circle is engraved with more than 16,000 names of Japanese American soldiers and officers who served overseas during World War II.

"Go for Broke" was the motto of the all-Nisei 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated unit in the history of American warfare. Members of the 442nd received over 18,000 awards in less than two years, including 21 Medals of Honor.

Located on 1st Street a half-block from JANM, Far Bar features a lively main bar with numerous flatscreens, dozens of craft beers on tap, and Asian-influenced cocktails and pub fare. A second bar is discreetly located next to the bar’s patio off 1st Street, featuring a massive list of hundreds of bourbons, single malts and Japanese whiskies.

Far Bar hosts a popular Happy Hour Monday through Friday from 3-7pm and is a hot spot for Dodgers fans during baseball season. 

Wolf & Crane, which describes itself as “Little Tokyo’s Neighborhood Bar," boasts the largest collection of Japanese whisky in the U.S. Beginning in June of 2026, Wolf & Crane is bringing Joint Seafood in house for fresh hand rolls to go with your Japanese Highballs and Wolf Old Fashioneds. 

For even more pre-dinner drink options, head to Peking Tavern, which "The Andrews" (Chiu and Wong) relocated from its original underground location below Spring Street to the former Yapa space at the AVA apartment complex.

Sip on signature cocktails like the Wong Chiu Punch and Peking Manhattan, or pick an "alcohol (optional)" drink like the Liquid Jade. Happy Hour is every night and all day on Mondays. 

Housed in the former Vibiana cathedral on 2nd Street at the edge of Little Tokyo, Redbird is a stunning restaurant from acclaimed chef Neal Fraser. The main dining room is a beautiful courtyard with a retractable ceiling. The indoor/outdoor space includes a lounge and a wraparound bar with award-winning cocktails from Bar Director Tobin Shea.

Starters include Spicy Shishito Peppers and Everything Parker Rolls.  Entrees include Heritage Pork Chop, Whole Crispy Branzino and BBQ Smoked Tofu.  

Opened in 2018, The Mermaid is tucked inside Honda Plaza a couple of doors down from Sushi Gen. Industry vets Katie Kildow and Arelene Roldan set out to make the former hostess bar a safe space for people of all genders to relax and enjoy tropical cocktails while immersed in kitschy nautical-themed decor.

Like any great neighborhood joint, The Mermaid hosts karaoke nights and guest bartender nights, which raise money for numerous causes.

Located on the third floor of the Little Tokyo Galleria on Alameda, the 50,000 square-foot XLanes has something for everyone: 30 state-of-the-art LED bowling lanes (including three VIP rooms), 4 competition-quality pool tables, karaoke room, and 80 vintage and modern arcade games.

NOTE: XLanes is 21 and over after 9pm Friday-Sunday and there's a dress code.

Located inside Little Tokyo event space Hello Stranger, Salt Box Records specializes in funk, from US classics to hard-to-find European 45s to Japanese city pop rarities to new modern funk releases. The record store also hosts the monthly Salt Box Sessions DJ event and is typically late when parties like monthly city pop night Tokyo Love Song are happening at Hello Stranger. 

Located on 2nd Street, Going Underground Records is a good source for new releases on vinyl across genres, as well as a wide variety of used vinyl, including punk and metal. Follow along on Instagram for info on in-store events. 

A Little Tokyo institution, Anime Jungle is known for its wide variety of anime collectible items. But, they also carry trading cards, tabletop games, books, DVD/Blu-ray and so much more. Follow on Instagram for updates on new merchandise and in-store events like game tournaments.