Little Tokyo

Little Tokyo is a Japanese American neighborhood located in downtown Los Angeles.  It became a National Historic Landmark District in 1995, and is within walking distance from Union Station.  I spent a wonderful afternoon there this week, going to the Japanese American Museum and need I add--shopping!  Mimi wears the blouse I bought at Ashiya.  I love the graphic design.  Paired with white pants, I will wear it during the remaining weeks of summer, but it will transition into fall perfectly.  I wanted to buy a Hello Kitty, "I Love Nerds" bag, but Mimi's nagging voice stopped me.  "Don't you dare." she said, "Or I'll disown you!"

 

The Tanabata Festival had just ended and all the trees were covered with these little scraps of paper.  In present day Japan, people write their wishes, often in poetry, on these tiny sheets of paper and then they are burned after the festival.

This monument located next to the Geffen Art Museum, commemorates the nearly 16,000 Japanese American veterans who fought in World War II.   The Japanese American National Museum has many exhibits on this.  The incarceration of our citizens in barracks during the war is an embarrassment to our country, but nevertheless, a part of our history.  The museum traces the immigration of the Japanese to the United States.  In the early part of the 20th century, they filled a labor need in Hawaii and California, but they were met with racism every inch of the way.  The movie "Go For Broke" in 1951 told the story of these heroes and helped to positively change the perception of the Japanese.  Such is the power of movies!

I enjoyed the Stan Sakai drawings of his wonderful comic character, the samurai rabbit, Miyamoto Usagi.  He created a world of animals who live in 17th century feudal Japan.  As Usagi roams the country, he has many adventures, both dramatic and humorous.  There are battles galore, as well as love scenes and encounters with ghosts.  His comics have kept readers entertained for 25 years.   Stan Sakai does all the writing, penciling and coloring himself.  He is a third generation Japanese American who was raised in Hawaii, but now lives in California.