Is Little Tokyo big enough for Koreans?

Little Tokyo has been the historic and cultural hub of Southern California's Japanese American community for decades. But the infusion of non-Japanese residents, investment and business owners is causing concern among longtime residents and supporters.

Perhaps the most dramatic evidence of the shift is the recent acquisition of the Little Tokyo Shopping Center by a group of Korean American investors. Their plans, none of which have been finalized, include converting the three-story property into a Korean-themed shopping and entertainment center (with a grocery story and spa) or a more mainstream mall, according to the LAT and L.A. Business Journal (subscription required). The fate of the existing Japanese tenants is not clear.

The new store lineup makes sense given Little Tokyo's growing pool of young, Korean American residents as well as new downtown loft dwellers of all ethnic and racial types, say the buyers' representatives. Still, that does not sit well with people like Frances Hashimoto, owner of Mikawaya, a nearly century-old Japanese pastry shop, who fear the erosion of neighborhood's Japanese identity.

"If they're going to make it into a Korean shopping center, then why don't they go to Koreatown?" Hashimoto told the LABJ.

-- Jesus Sanchez

Photo: Al Seib/Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Josh]

I'm always late to find things like this and saddened to find Mitsuwa is no longer there. Capitalism? But really, this is bad!
Little tokyo is a small enclave I used to visit sometimes when I got close to that area. Mitsuwa was unique, with so many interesting Japanese things, food, gadgets, etc. Now, its a Korean market without much of a character. Were original tenants evicted? I miss them.

[Mike]

I don't really care either way if Koreans or any other group moves in. I think the problem here is the 'perceived' ethnocentric nature of Korean culture. Koreans are a very homogenous group and their food/culture is not as well known as Chinese or Japanese -- that is why you have a lot of Korean owned 'sushi' restaurants in L.A.

[fcline]

We all think it's quaint to have an authentic and distinct ethnic commercial center, but what does it require of the city as a whole? Do we forbid other cultures from purchasing property within those districts? Do we tell them what they can and can't build there? Who oversees the process of determining whether or not a development is culturally authentic or not? Should we throw money at shrinking ethnic centers (Little Tokyo) and penalize those that threaten to grow too large (Koreatown)? I hate to see Little Tokyo and Chinatown get watered down until they look like the rest of the melting pot, but the alternative seems to override the freedoms that we all expect from living in America.

[Spectre]

"The original developer of the marketplace was not Japanese and it was not owned by Japanese when it was sold to the Koreans."

Actually, the original developer was a Japanese company called Yaohan, where the original name of the plaza comes from. When the parent company in Japan was ailing financially, they sold the plaza. I'm not sure if it was directly to the immediately previous owners, but one way or the other it fell into the hands of Mereulo-Maddux. MM isn't really a retail landlord by trade, despite owning one of the largest chunks of downtown, and didn't know how to adequately promote the mall. Probably didn't care, either. They kept leases lean in case a re-developer wanted to come along and kick out the existing tenants, which is what happened.

[Sung]

Edward,

I don't think that was what Jim was implying.

But it is true that with the exception of K-town restaurants, most Korean businesses do not appeal to outsiders. If you go to Koreatown Plaza or the Koreatown Galleria, you don't see a heterogenous mix of ethnicities.

Maybe it's just the appeal of the Japanese culture that the media is fond of praising (The Last Samarai, anyone? Quite possibly the worst movie ever). Both cultures are rich in history and very appealing, but one gets more exposure. I would know, growing up as a Korean-American in Bakersfield.

[Edward]

Jim,

Are you implying that Korean stores have little commerical appeal to non-Koreans and that Japanese stores have more?

[JIm Yoshoshia]

Yes, it's a shame to see any part of Little Tokyo lose it's appeal and go Korean. But the realtiy is that the area has been in decline for some time now. Japanese Americans in Southern California simply don't patronize Little Tokyo anymore. The original developer of the marketplace was not Japanese and it was not owned by Japanese when it was sold to the Koreans. Relatively speaking, without a Japanese theme, I can't see why people would patronize a mall of Korean businesses. The Koreatown area itself draws little outside dollars from non-Koreans.

[Korean Beacon]

Simply capitalism?

[Eric Hong]

I'm surprised at some of the anti sentiments and the concerns of what they perceive as a hostile take over. And the whole Korean cultural Supremacy thing just flew right over me. It is far from it. I'm Korean and I've noticed and seen articles in Korean news papers about Koreans investing and moving into other areas other than Korean Town. I see no problem with this. As a matter of fact, I see no problem with any ethnic groups moving to anywhere they can afford. Korea Town itself is also very diverse. Hispanics, Caucasians, Koreans, Blacks so on and so forth. If people want to preserve a flavor of Japan that's Little Tokyo then the Japanese should not have sole to other ethnic investors. Had it been any other investors would this be a problem? The owners of the plaza were clearly looking to sell. Also, Japanese have been moving to OC and Torrance in big numbers in the past number of years. Japanese are leaving Little Tokyo. I just hope the ramen place stays.
.

[Edward K. Kim]

As someone of Korean heritage, I love the fact that LA has a Japanese ethnic enclave for people to enjoy. I am in Little Tokyo often myself for authentic sushi and soba noodles. And I have fond memories of the old Yohan Plaza (the current Little Tokyo Plaza).

However, Japanese Americans have almost completely assimilated into mainstream America and are culturally indistinguishable from average Americans. Costa Mesa is a center for students who study abroad from Japan and Torrance is where the Japanese companies have set shop. There are just not enough Japanese to keep little Tokyo afloat. I guess we can keep Little Tokyo Japanese, but then it would be half deserted.

Koreatown is expanding rather then growing into their space because of current real estate and zoning laws. It's hard (and prohibitively expensive) to buy an old building and refurb it or buy a residential zoned property and build a commerical business. Changing and reforming nearly century old zoning laws would help. But since this isn't happening Koreatown is expanding into Pico Union, Downtown, the Fashion District and Little Tokyo.

[E.L.]

What a shame to hear, because its kind of like Chinatown being taken over by the art district. A good portion of the Chinatown storefronts have changed to art exhibit areas. I have respect for some of the new owner who have left the old signs, but have their art displayed in the store, but I hate most of the new owner who have changed the signs to something that belongs in the art district. Pretty soon we'll have to change the name from Chinatown to Sell Out Town. Little Tokyo, has already had it share of the art invasion just east of there, and now the Koreans who have their own area are going to move into Little Tokyo. I have nothing against Koreans, but It would make more sense to invest in Koreantown a place with its own identity. But from a business standpoint, why would you want to open a Korean mall, next to a Korean mall. Its just doesn't make sense. The Koreans are smart, and they know that a lot of Japanese visitors have M O N E Y! What a shame though!

[Brandon]

I tend to agree Ms. Hashimoto, however, I guess this is the result of capitalism. The truth is Japanese Americans are a shrinking minority. It only makes sense that Koreans overrun other asian ethnic areas.

[susan]

That would be a tragedy! Little Tokyo is unique, whereas there's already a Koreatown around mid-Wilshire and Korean shops and areas along Vermont, etc.

What a shame that we're seeing a battle of cultural supremacy played out in the Asian marketplace; the old resentments of Koreans against Japanese for dominating them during the last war, combined with the fact that ancient Korean culture precedes and was absorbed into Japanese "high culture," continue to be played out in subtle ways here and in Southeast Asia. But let the Korean owners show less xenophobia, and realize they've bought into an area that's unique and was built up by their Japanese neighbors.

Also, the Japanese American Museum next to "little Tokyo" was an investment in a community that should be strengthened and not dismantled. As for "mainstream" shopping: sure, add one or two stores, but don't ruin the character of Little Tokyo with Chili's and K-Marts, Macy's and the like.