Two Worlds Meet at the Race Track

By Carrie Dilluvio

This slideshow represents the two economic sides of horse racing. These photos were taken at Betfair Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California on May 28, 2012. Despite the current economy, people still willingly gamble their money away, even when the odds are against them. It fascinates me how these two groups of people, with drastically different economic statuses, come to the races for the same reason: to win.

What’s The Opposite of Culture Shock?

By Cleo Tobbi 

Maybe it’s because my parents had me eating sushi at the age of 10. Maybe being a resident of Irvine for the better half of a year spoiled it. Maybe my expectations were just too high but Little Tokyo was not what I expected.

Perhaps to a visitor from Africa or South America, Little Tokyo, Los Angeles would have been something new but, to me, it just wasn’t. I don’t know why I expected an “authentic Japan.” I don’t know why I thought “authentic Japan” would mean cobbled streets, outdoor carts on the sidewalk filled foreign delicacies, and buildings with sliding paper doors. Japan is very much a developed country and I am disappointed with my ignorant assumptions.

Once I was snapped out of my Memoirs of a Geisha ideal, I found that although Little Tokyo was made of paved streets and modern strip malls and restaurants, it still held a substantial amount of Japanese culture to it. Monuments of the first Japanese American to become an astronaut and of honoring the haiku, a Japanese style of poetry, set the historic undertone to the modern LA streets.

Little Tokyo is in a small pocket of Los Angeles that takes up the ten blocks between North Fremont Avenue and North Alameda Street. This section of LA is a vibrant and friendly environment that welcomes all to enjoy themselves Japanese style. Sushi and ramen were nestled in between rows of Hello Kitty stores in the Japanese Village Square that have you battling between the best charms to dangle from your phone. Although it appears westernized, the region’s restaurant signs, liquor stores and novelty shops make for an aptly named neighborhood.

Kanpai!

If you want to eat in Little Tokyo and can’t decide between raw fish or traditional noodle soup, just have both like I did. I passed sushi bar after sushi bar making my decision of choosing the perfect place to dine on raw fish more than difficult. I landed on Mako Sushi located at 123 Astronaut E S Onizuka St. Ste 307 Los Angeles, Ca 90012. It was on the second floor of a petite outdoor shopping mall.

The fish was fresh. The crab was real. The Japanese beer was cold. Mako Sushi was solid. I was set back about $18 but for a sushi joint serving real crab instead of imitation, I did not cringe at the bill. After seeing the chefs toasting various customers by yelling, “Kanpai” [“cheers” in Japanese], thanking and bowing to me in true Japanese fashion, I was pleased to have dined at a genuine sushi bar.

Round two took me to Mr. Ramen at 341 E. First St. Los Angeles, Ca 90012. Ramen is a traditional Japanese dish consisting of thin noodles and chicken broth. Green onions, boiled egg, seaweed and meats like pork or fish can also be added to soup. If you don’t want to spend all of your money at a sushi bar but still want the taste of Japan, eat ramen. Not only was my meal only around $5, it was tasty and filling. My expectations of the architecture were dwindled but my hopes of traditional Japanese cuisine were fulfilled in Little Tokyo.

There were never any Pagodas

The beginning of the small Asian neighborhood started in 1886 when an ex-seaman from Japan, Charles Kame, opened a Japanese restaurant on First Street. It was when about 2,000 Japanese immigrants, or Issei, found their home in the small portion of LA in 1903 that Little Tokyo took its name. From railroad recruitment to escaping discrimination from northern California, Little Tokyo’s streets began to fill.

However, there are not too many reasons for Japanese people to immigrate to the US anymore. According to the World Bank, Japan currently holds 8.87 percent of the world’s economy while the United States’ is at about 2.2 percent. Japan’s current rate of unemployment is at a healthy 4.5 percent while the United States’ is at a depressing 8.1 percent. America is usually an aspiration to many foreigners Japan doesn’t need us. But, it does not mean those who have chosen to live in the US leave their home behind. Walking by apartment buildings throughout the town displayed Japanese flags in the windows and almost every street sign was slapped with a sticker of the red and white “rising sun” shaped in a heart.

However, Little Tokyo is no longer a neighborhood bustling with Japanese people, stores and restaurants. I noticed the growth of diversity when I saw that Mr. Pizza was directly across from Mr. Ramen. Koreans, Chinese, Thai, Filipino are few of the different ethnicities that now make up the population of Little Tokyo. According to The Asahi Shimbun, a local Japanese/English publication, eight out of ten guests of the Miyako Hotel in Little Tokyo use to be Japanese. Now, seven out of ten guests are American. Although Little Tokyo is now home to people of various nationalities, the Japanese who do live there, never forget where they are from.

Arigatou gozaimasu

Near the end of my tour of the streets of Little Tokyo, I stopped by a liquor store. Like any liquor store, a florescent neon sign facing the street told me that tobacco was sold inside. But, under the red glowing English letters, blue Japanese characters where right underneath. Despite the sign in both English and Japanese, what really made me feel the Japanese authenticity of small store was the chime that greeted me into the store. It was not a typical buzz to simply inform the clerk of an arriving customer, the sensor actually welcomed me in Japanese by saying, “Irasshaimase.” And expecting the same when I left the store, I was shocked when I was thanked with a perky, “Arigatou gozaimasu.”

Little Tokyo has had a long history in Los Angeles. Although I did not experience a massive culture shock, it was the accented storeowners, traditional cuisine and murals of Japanese recognition that made me feel the real authenticity of modern day Japan.

(photo credit: me)