Address: 131 S Central Ave, Los Angeles, 90012

For best parking, GPS the address above and park in the garage directly next to it; cost is $2 per 15 minutes and max $10 all day.

Little Tokyo can be a little overwhelming for first-timers, so here’s a list of our Top 15 recommendations:

1. James Irvine Japanese Garden – a hidden, meditative garden tucked away in the south-east corner of the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center.
2. Marukai Market – phenomenal Japanese grocery store with terrific “Grab & Go” sushi selection (on ground floor of Weller Court).
3. Pop Killer – super stylish T-shirt shop collab’ing with local artists & designers.
4. Space City Vintage – one of the best vintage clothing stores in all of LA.
5. Mitsuru Cafe – world famous, delicious bean cake pastry (Imagawayaki). Family-owned since the 1960’s.
6. Dōnatsu – exceptional vegan donuts.
7. Kura Revolving Sushi Bar – fun, conveyor belt sushi restaurant. All sushi plates $3.15 each.
8. Rafu Bassan – high quality, authentic Japanese housewares and gift items.
9. Men Oh – arguably the best Ramen in Little Tokyo.
10. Sushi Gen –  an LA institution. 40 years in business.
11. Fugetsu Do – family-owned mochi and manju sweet shop since 1903.
12. Yamazaki Bakery – the steamed buns are out of this world.
13. Suehiro Cafe – serving Japanese comfort food for over 40 years.
14. Japanese American Museum – highly recommended. Rich in Japanese culture.
15. MILK+T – DTLA’s first self-serve boba bar.

Scroll down to watch a video on Little Tokyo, from KCET’s iconic TV show “Visiting with Huell Howser” – and tap here for more info on Little Tokyo’s 135-year-old history, dating back to 1905.

While in the area, consider checking out these other Best Guide LA Downtown sights.

These photos were taken July 2020. Click to enlarge.