J.K. YAMAMOTO / Rafu Shimpo
Participants in the LTHS’ 2025 Shinnenkai at JANM.
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 present a special 20th Anniverary Shinnenkai on Sunday, March 8, at the Japanese American National Museum’s Democracy Center, 100 N. Central Ave. in Little Tokyo. Festivities will begin with a luncheon at 12 p.m., followed by a program at 1:30 p.m.
There will be prizes and surprises, and opportunities to get involved with a Little Tokyo project and meet new friends.
The Beginning
In the summer of 2006, a group of 37 people met in a community room at Little Tokyo Service Center 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, overarching 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; and designation of Japanese Hospital in Boyle Heights as City of Los Angeles Cultural Monument 1131.
The Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest was created to generate new interest and attention to Little Tokyo through fictional stories. 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 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, they will look at why historic preservation is vital to protecting Little Tokyo today, and what this means for LTHS in the coming years.
Historic Preservation, Fighting Gentrification
A conversation on historic preservation and urban futures in Little Tokyo 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, Shimura co-led a campaign to preserve and adaptively reuse a 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 since 2023.
The roundtable will also feature Adrian Scott Fine, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Conservancy, which is dedicated to preserving, revitalizing and promoting the historic architectural and cultural resources of L.A. 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 cost of the luncheon and program $50, which will be collected at the door. Cash, check, credit card or Zelle accepted. For program only there will be a $10 charge; students free with ID. RSVP as soon as possible to littletokyohs@gmail.com.
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