Little Tokyo Historical Society - Los Angeless Little Tokyo

The establishment of Little Tokyo may have been due to a pervading anti-Asian sentiment in the broader society, but in turn it nurtured the bonding of people who shared a common language and culture. Throughout the enclaves history, enterprising individuals made an impact on both the local and greater community.

Japanese immigrants pioneered and introduced to Southern California a myriad of industries and technologies, from vegetable and flower farming to deep-sea tuna fishing (which thrived along the West coast). Wholesale produce and floral markets served greater Los Angeles, while Japanese American importers introduced new products to market. Large brigades of Japanese men worked as seasonal and migrant farmworkers, toiling in harsh conditions. For these and others, Little Tokyo was a welcome respite and a familiar sense of home.

The necessities of daily life were provided by enterprising businesspeople who served the growing Japanese population. Individuals and families regularly made the trek from outlying areas to visit the growing enclave. All manner of shops, restaurants, churches, factories, health providers, entertainment centers, and other aspects of community life came into being to serve their diverse needs.

Now, 125 years after the opening of the first business, the community continues to thrive, full of history and a rich past, but also full of potential for progress and change. Some family businesses have operated for more than a century while others have changed and evolved. New businesses continue to be established; yogurt shops and Starbucks now mingle with sushi bars and ramen establishments.

The types of establishments are not the only difference. There are varying opinions about the exact boundaries, but everyone can agree that they have changed over time and are geographically smaller than in its heyday. Even the streets themselves have changed. Turner Street became Temple Street. Weller Street is now Onizuka Street. Jackson Street, formerly between Temple and First Streets, no longer exists. Little Tokyos heart was razed in the late 1940s when the city acquired the land between Los Angeles and San Pedro Streets and between First and Market Streets to build the Police Administration Building (Parker Center). Despite the many changes, the spirit of Little Tokyo endures.

In 1885, the Santa Fe Railroad extended to the Los Angeles depot by the Los Angeles River between First and Second Streets. By 1899, both the Santa Fe Railroad and the Southern Pacific Railroad, which had reached Los Angeles by 1876, were hiring Japanese workers to maintain tracks and clean boxcars. In this undated photograph, Kyukichi Inouye is shown, second from the left, with other unidentified workers. (Courtesy of Harry Honda.)

In 1898, Sanjuro Mizuno opened the Santa Fe Hotel boardinghouse at 112 South Rose Street, catering to railroad workers and seasonal laborers. The hotels name was later changed to the Rose Hotel around 1920. By 1908, the Japanese ran more than 90 boarding houses in Los Angeles. Mizuno later ran the Mizuno Employment Agency. (Courtesy of the Rafu Shimpo .)

Sataro Shigaki, seated with the baby, opened S. Shigaki Seed Company at 142 South San Pedro Street in 1915. The store sold seeds, fertilizer, and plants to farmers in Imperial Valley, Oxnard, Orange County, and the San Fernando Valley. After his death at age 30, his widow, Tomi, operated the business while raising three children at their Hewitt Street home. She closed the business in 1932. (Courtesy of the Fern Shigaki family.)

The interior of the S. Shigaki Seed Company in 1918 shows a vast array of flower and vegetable seeds and young plants available for cultivation. The business was prosperous, employing three salesmen who used a company car to travel from farm to farm. (Courtesy of the Fern Shigaki Family.)

The Japanese were highly influential in the development of both the wholesale and retail floral industries in the United States. The Southern California Flower Market, known as the Japanese Market, opened at 421 South Los Angeles Street in January 1913. The market was later located on South Wall Street, as shown in this 1934 photograph. (Courtesy of JANM/Southern California Flower Market.)