Twenty years ago, a cross section of Little Tokyo denizens gathered to talk about creating a new organization in what became the inaugural meeting of the Little Tokyo Historical Society (LTHS). It was July 2006.
LTHS will celebrate its 20 years beginning with a special 20th Anniversary Shinnenkai on Sunday, March 8th at the Japanese American National Museum, 100 N. Central Ave., Little Tokyo LA. Festivities will begin with a Luncheon at 12 noon, and a program at 1:30pm.
There will be prizes and surprises, and opportunities to get involved with a Little Tokyo project and meet new friends. (Those new to LTHS will receive a 1 year complimentary membership!)
The Beginning It was Summer 2006 when a group of 37 people met in a community room at LTSC to exchange ideas for launching a new organization – Little Tokyo Historical Society.
The concept paper from April 2006 read: “The LTHS would focus on researching and discovering the historical resources, stories and even hidden secrets of sites, buildings and events related to Little Tokyo as an ethnic heritage neighborhood. It would also focus on commemorating the Nikkei history and heritage through various means such as: archival collections, photos, exhibits, lectures and workshops, and gallery. Although other overlapping organizations exist, such as Japanese American Historical Society of Southern California and the JA National Museum, neither are site-specific (to Little Tokyo) but rather have broader, over-arching perspectives.”
Since then LTHS has initiated many projects that are now a part of Little Tokyo life such as Historic Marker committee working to win historic designation for important legacy sites such as Kame Restaurant, the first business in Little Tokyo established in 1884, located where Bunkado now stands; a bronze lantern in Japanese Village Plaza whose lights personify human rights activist Sei Fujii (1882-1954) shining a light on the struggle for justice; designation of Japanese Hospital in Boyle Heights as a City of LA Cultural Monument#1131, etc.
The Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest was created to generate new interest and attention to LT through fictional stories highlighting Little Tokyo LA. Past participants have gone on to publish books and produce plays based on their submissions.
This popular program awards cash prizes and is now in its 13th year. There will be information on these and other LTHS projects at the Shinnenkai. Also, a short retrospective including insights from founding members is being filmed and edited by award-winning filmmaker Jeffrey Chin, and popular local filmmaker Steve Nagano. A delicious 20th anniversary lunch will be curated and catered by Don Tahara.
LTHS has members and partners residing, working and committed to preserving and protecting the history, culture and legacy of Little Tokyo. After lunch, we will look at why historic preservation is vital to protecting Little Tokyo today, and what this means for LTHS in the coming years.
Partners in Historic Preservation & Fighting Gentrification A Conversation on Historic Preservation & Urban Futures in Little Tokyo LA and Tsukuda-Tsukishima, Tokyo will feature Hideaki Shimura, professor of architecture at Shibaura Institute of Technology in Tokyo.
He has founded several community-based learning initiatives engaging planning students, local residents, and academic specialists in historic preservation and community-building amidst the rapid gentrification of downtown Tokyo.
In 2023-24, Professor Shimura co-led a campaign to preserve and adaptively reuse an historic Taisho-era home in Tokyo’s Tsukuda neighborhood, which won recognition as a National Cultural Heritage Site in 2024. Their Tsukuda-Tsukishima Community Journal has carried local reports about historic preservation and community-building in Little Tokyo LA since 2023.
The roundtable will also feature Adrian Scott Fine, President and CEO for the Los Angeles Conservancy, dedicated to preserving, revitalizing and promoting the historic architectural and cultural resources of LA County. They work through education and advocacy to protect landmarks and promote sustainable, smart-growth development. Moderating and adding to the conversation is Bill Watanabe, LTHS founding member, President of Little Tokyo Impact Fund, founding director of Little Tokyo Service Center – and man about town.
The LTHS 20th Anniversary Shinnenkai Luncheon and Program is $50 which will be collected at the door. Cash, check, credit card or Zelle is accepted. For Program only there will be a $10 charge; students free with ID for program only. Please RSVP as soon as possible to littletokyohs@gmail.com.