LITTLE TOKYO

At the beginning of the 20th century, a wave of Japanese immigration swept through the West Coast of the United States. In 1905, the Japanese community, settled around First Street, already numbered 3,500 souls. Only two years later, through arranged marriages, more than 30,000 Japanese settled in Los Angeles in 1907 to work in agriculture and wholesale trade. The community continued to grow and live in harmony with the rest of the city until the Exclusion Act of 1924, which violently curbed Asian immigration to the United States. Xenophobia against Asians reached an all-time high during World War II. After the Japanese government attacked the American port of Pearl Harbor in 1942, President Roosevelt decreed the forced internment of all Japanese-Americans, who were now considered enemies of the Star-Spangled Banner. From then on, Little Tokyo was emptied to make way for poor, black and Latino populations, and was colloquially renamed Bronzeville. It was not until after the war that the Japanese were able to resettle in Little Tokyo. Today, Little Tokyo is the largest Japanese community in North America. It's not quite an old-fashioned Japanese neighborhood, but you'll recognize the mark of the Japanese builders in the big banks. It's also a great place to walk among traditional stores, Buddhist temples, Zen gardens and authentic ramen and sushi bars.