Sawtelle Japantown is Where to Find an Asian Fusion of Food, Los Angeles, California

Sawtelle Japantown in West Los Angeles is smaller than Downtown’s Little Tokyo but has a charm unto itself. It’s a tantalizing area of the city to eat Asian cuisine and do some shopping. To be honest, in all the years I’ve lived in L.A., I hadn’t heard of it until recently. It’s a hidden treasure!

Japanese immigrants began moving into the area beginning in 1910. They liked being near the ocean and also because residents of rich white neighborhoods like Westwood, Bel Air, Brentwood, and Pacific Palisades were looking for gardeners with a Japanese aesthetic to tend to their exotic gardens.

At the time, Japanese Americans weren’t allowed to purchase homes under the Alien Land Act which lasted until 1952. Most lived in boarding houses. “Little Osaka” as it was known at the time, was essentially a ghetto during the early days.

Japanese nurseries have a rich history in Sawtelle Japantown dating back to the early 20th century. At one time there were as many as 26 of them. They specialized in flowers, exotic plants, and bonsai trees.

During World War II, many of the nurseries closed when residents were removed and incarcerated in internment camps. Most of them were sent to Manzanar in Inyo County. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).