Japanese Village Plaza in Los Angeles, CA was developed in 1984 by an American architect be the name of David Hyun. It was built as a means to bring life back into the downtown area of Los Angeles, and it has more than done that. It's located in the an area known as Little Tokyo and is filled with exciting and busy shops and beautifully designed attractions. The shops have the traditional blue tiled roofs and wood frames, which perfectly complement the Japanese lookout tower.
The little shops in the Japanese Village Plaza will keep you mesmerized for hours as you browse through them. You'll find Japanese ceramics, holistic herbs, authentic kimonos, golf clothing, Japanese clothing and many gift ideas.
You'll find it situated among famous buildings such as the Japanese American National Museum, Weller Court, Little Tokyo Square, Japanese American Cultural and Community Center. It is also walking distance to Chinatown, the Los Angeles Civic Center and Union Station.
The Japanese Plaza has ten different restaurants and cafes, which are all Japanese except for the Corean barbeque restaurant. Your desire for dessert will find you at Mikawaya, a Japanese pastry shop, for some mochi ice cream. This is always a special treat for tourists. This plaza is huge, making it seem almost like a small city. Being an outside mall makes it very popular as well as the great architectural designs. You'll find Japanese books, gifts, art and specialty sundry products in many of the small shops.
The Japanese Village Plaza also has some special cultural doings in July and August called Nisei Week, as well as really celebrating it up on New Year's.