Multiethnic flavor permeates Little Tokyo in L.A.

There is a downtown area called Little Tokyo in Los angeles. It has become more "international" or rather multiethnic. There are vorious kinds of food stalls in the town but the signs of many shops and restaurants remain in Japan. The town has seen a sharp rise in the Korean population in recent years, while young Japanese-Americans are leaving the area. The town's transformation from a Japanese to multiethnic community reflects changes in the Nikkeijin (Japanese-American) community in the United States.
Japanese emigration to the United States began in the late 19th century. Around that time,Japanese opened Japanese restaurants where Little Tokyo now stand but the Asian Exclusion Act of 1924, which virtually banned immigration from Asia, dampend Japanese inflow. Although Japanese could return the town after the World WarⅡ, the town was for many black residents during the war.
The new budokan sports facility will be build in the town and it will have a multipurpose gym that can hold four separate basketball games. "It can bring young Nikkei back to L.T. (Little Tokyo), We want young Japanese-American families to use it. Parents can tell their kids about their roots in L.T." said LTSC Executive director Bill Watanabe.


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