Nestled along bustling Western Avenue in Gardena, two beloved traditional Japanese mochi shops, Sakura-Ya and Chikara Mochi, stand just 250 feet apart. Frequented by locals for decades, these shops offer fluffy mochi and cakey manju, preserving the essence of authentic Japanese sweets in a city rich with culture.
Just a short walk away is the nearly 50-year-old Meiji Tofu Shop, known for its daily production of fresh soy milk and tofu. Across the street lies Otafuku, a family-owned restaurant where the Akutsu family has proudly served traditional Tokyo soba since 1997.
In the surrounding area, clusters of diverse Japanese eateries pop up throughout Gardena and Torrance, the latter boasting the largest East Asian population in Los Angeles. These neighboring cities are home to the most significant suburban Japanese community in the United States, showcasing a vibrant restaurant landscape that feels like a time capsule yet continues to thrive as a destination for authentic Japanese cuisine and hospitality.
Daniel Son, a native of South Bay and the chef-owner of Sushi Sonagi in Gardena, remarked on the unique charm of the area. “It’s like we’re stuck in the ’90s,” he said. “While modern trends push businesses to monetize and constantly create fresh content, these local spots focus on delivering great products quietly.”
The roots of Japanese immigration to the Los Angeles area trace back to the late 1800s and early 1900s, when many immigrants arrived after the San Francisco earthquake in 1906 to work as strawberry farmers. Diasporic communities in suburbs like Gardena and Torrance have managed to maintain their cultural identity amidst urban changes, unlike Little Tokyo, which has been affected by the evolving landscape of downtown Los Angeles. Emily Anderson, a curator at Little Tokyo’s Japanese American National Museum, highlighted the importance of preserving Japanese American food culture in these suburban areas.
Anderson stated, “In places like Torrance and Gardena, the development and preservation of Japanese American food carry layers of history and struggle, with food serving as a source of comfort and identity.”
The establishment of Toyota’s North American headquarters in Torrance in 1967 brought an influx of Japanese immigrants and cuisine to the area. Over the following decades, dozens of restaurants opened alongside a growing number of Japanese grocery chains like Tokyo Central, Nijiya Market, and Mitsuwa Marketplace, providing the community with familiar tastes of home.
Even after Toyota’s departure to Texas in 2017, the culinary establishments in Torrance and Gardena have remained integral to the region’s cultural tapestry. Their outreach has broadened, now welcoming and serving residents from all backgrounds.
Kristen McIntyre, the owner of homestyle Japanese restaurant Fukagawa in Gardena, expressed her commitment to authentic Japanese cuisine. “My plan is to be the last bastion of Japanese food prepared the Japanese way,” she said.
At Otafuku, Mieko Akutsu emphasized the importance of authenticity in their offerings. “We never adjusted the flavor for American people,” she stated, highlighting their dedication to serving traditional dishes like sarashina soba, a delicate white noodle made from the core of the buckwheat plant—revered in Tokyo as an upscale dish.
Recent openings, such as Sushi Sonagi in 2023 and the Michelin-starred Sushi Inaba in Torrance, are attracting not only locals but also food enthusiasts from across the country to the South Bay. These establishments stand out for their commitment to preserving traditional culinary practices, many of them being immigrant-run and operating on a cash-only basis, embodying a nostalgic spirit of old-school dining.
As Son noted, “Opening Sushi Sonagi here almost celebrates the diversity and the rich Asian American culture that runs deep in this area. It’s really wonderful to bring more life to what I believe is L.A.’s little secret.”
image source from：latimes
