Los Angeles - Little Tokyo

Little Tokyo, the Japanese enclave in Los Angeles, with its numerous new buildings is a clear indication of a thoroughly prosperous ethnic group. Situated around 1st Street between Main and Alameda Streets, within walking distance of the City Hall, the Japanese Village Plaza quarter has developed, with a culture center, dozens of Japanese shops and restaurants and a large shopping center. The few 19th century houses still remaining fit into the picture well. Today, more than 100,000 Japanese live in Los Angeles and the surrounding county; after the Japanese community had been decimated by internment after the war started in 1942, it is now bigger and probably richer than ever. Little Tokyo can easily be explored on foot.