Walking L.A. #32—Little Tokyo: A Proud Tribute to Japanese Immigrant History, 0.75 mile (our total, 3.25 miles).

Barbara and I rode the Metro from NoHo to the Civic Center and walked to L.A.'s Little Tokyo, a U.S. National Historic Landmark District—and birthplace of the California Roll! A 132-year old community with a poignant past, it's one of only three official Japantowns in the U.S. First stop at Central & 1st, the Japanese American National Museum. Across the plaza, a bronze sculpture of the handmade camera Toyo Miyatake secretly constructed with smuggled material to record his life in a Japanese interment camp during WWII. Heading north past the Geffen Contemporary branch of MOCA to the Go For Broke Monument commemorating the 16,000 Japanese-American volunteer vets of WWII sent to Europe and the Pacific Rim to fight for the same country that had interred their families. Impossible to read the names without a deep respect for their courage and selflessness. We headed back to 1st St. and the original historic district—a two-block stretch of early 20th century buildings from Central to Los Angeles Street, including Fugetsu-do, the oldest, still-operating food establishment in L.A. (not confirmed, but allegedly the birthplace of the Fortune Cookie). We made our way to Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Street, named for the first Japanese-American astronaut and member of the Challenger team. Took a detour into the DoubleTree (which used to be the Kyoto Grand but first was a famous honeymoon hotel, the Otari) to stroll through the gardens. Finally, the Japanese Village Plaza Mall, the heart of LT's shopping district, where rubber sushi and noodle window displays beckoned, and we barely escaped the three bakeries we "had" to go in "for a look." I still want to go back for a Dinosaur egg. And noodles. And sushi.