The Los Angeles City Council recently unanimously voted to name a West Los Angeles neighborhood located near UCLA “Sawtelle Japantown.” The area is bordered by Santa Monica Boulevard and Pico Boulevard and is west of the 405 Freeway, reports Rafu Shimpo (photo by Mighty June).
Japanese Americans began settling in the Sawtelle neighborhood in the 1890s, due to race-based restrictions on buying homes elsewhere in Los Angeles. This neighborhood was informally known to some as “Little Osaka.”
This is the second Japantown in Los Angeles. The first is Little Tokyo in Downtown Los Angeles. The two other Japantowns in the U.S. are located in San Francisco and San Jose.
To learn more about the Los Angeles City Council’s decision and the history of Sawtelle Japantown, read Rafu Shimpo.
