You need to visit Little Tokyo’s hidden gem

Just a 30 minute Metro ride from campus and one transfer from the Expo to the Purple line lies Little Tokyo, one of LA’s oldest and most culturally significant historical districts. The Trojan experience would not be complete without a day in Little Tokyo, and The Tab is here to help guide you.

You can’t start your day in J-Town without ramen from Daikokuya. Just walking into the restaurant, the aroma of simmering noodles and delicate spices will be enough to make you ravenous . The service was excellent and the waiters were super friendly.

I ordered their famous Daikoku Ramen with Kurobuta pork and a Tonkotsu soup base. It’s a noodle soup dish infused with their “secret blended soy sauce” and although it contains your standard ramen ingredients: marinated boiled egg, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts and green onions – it is far from standard. The prices were pretty reasonable as far as Ramen places go, roughly $10 for a large bowl, and by large, I do mean LARGE.

None of my friends were able to completely devour their ramen even though we had all originally believed that we were too hungry to share. Having arrived at lunch time, the restaurant was packed. From what we’ve heard, it’s crowded no matter what hour you arrive.

I that you leave your name, take a short walk around Little Tokyo, and then come back to claim your seat.

Located just across the street from Daikokuya is the Japanese Village Plaza. Known as the “Gateway of Little Tokyo,” the Plaza offers unique clothing, gift shops, bakeries, restaurants, and even a Japanese grocery market. Every Saturday evening an outdoor Karaoke event is hosted at the center of the plaza right outside of the Nijiya market.

Even if you feel too hesitant to perform, listening to the singers while enjoying a delicious Mochi ice cream from Mikawaya is just as enjoyable. Mikawaya specializes in the traditional Japanese dessert, which consists of various flavors of ice cream covered in a rice flour dough. If you haven’t tried Mochi yet, put it on your bucket list.

After satisfying your sweet tooth, you have to check out the eclectic collection of boutiques which line the Plaza. My personal favorite was “POP Little Tokyo,” a smaller version of the original “Popkiller” store. “POP Little Tokyo” specializes in unique tee-shirts, folded and packaged to mimic vinyl album covers.

The record shop décor of the store complements their extensive variety of tee-shirts, ranging from cheesy phrases to more artistic patterns and designs. An entire afternoon of just perusing the intricacies of Little Tokyo’s famous shops will fly by before you even know it.

However, the crown jewel of Little Tokyo is actually a hidden gem. On the roof of the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, there is a beautiful outdoor garden that is accessible to the public. The garden is modeled after an ancient Japanese garden in Tokyo, created for the 16th Century samurai, Kiyomasa Kato.

The garden consists of waterfalls, ponds, and various resting areas for you to relax within this tranquil and serene oasis. In the evening, you can admire the wondrous view of the city lights from atop the hotel.

The Tab USC is the Trojan’s guide to Los Angeles, so stay tuned for future adventures.