Little Tokyo began in 1885 when a shipwrecked sailor, Charles Hama Shigeta, opened a Japanese restaurant at 340 East First Street. For generations of Japanese Americans, and Americans with a yen for all things Japanese, like me, Little Tokyo has been a gathering place to keep in touch with Japan's past and present - especially when it comes to food.

1. Hama Sushi

My most memorable sushi-eating experience was in a hole-in-the-wall restaurant just outside of the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. Not even the sign hanging outside the door was in English, and forget about reading the menus. It was hard-core traditional sushi - none of those fancy "crispy dragon samurai with truffled seamonkey" rolls. Hama Sushi is like that: authentic, from the austere storefront to the no frills fresh fish. For truly melt-in-your-mouth sushi, try the unagi (freshwater eel).

THE DETAILS: Hama Sushi
347 E 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 680-3454

2. Shojin

Let me tell you, there are no bounds to what you can do with soy. Tofu is the tip of the Soyberg. The truth is, I don't know what exactly is in the food at Shojin. And normally, if I don't know all the ingredients, I stay away. But the family who runs the restaurant is so earnest about their Buddhist Vegan ethos-a concept that requires some explanation, but for me, pares down to No Crap Added-that I trust them. Everything they make uses healthful oils, whole foods, organic vegetables, and has no additives or chemicals. These are my kind of people. Even if I'm not vegan, or vegetarian, or Japanese, or Buddhist.

THE DETAILS: Shojin
333 S Alameda St
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 617-0305

3. Beard Papas

In the same shopping center as Shojin, Beard Papas supplies the perfect dessert after such healthful fare. Crisp pastry puffs filled with whipped custard mere seconds before being handed over the counter, that are more delicious than either a donut or a cupcake. Is anyone else tired of cupcakes? This could be the cure for cupcake overload, though with 19 stores and counting across California, Beard Papas might just become as ubiquitous as the fearsome gourmet cupcakes we've come to love or loathe.

THE DETAILS: Beard Papas
Little Tokyo Shopping Center
333 S. Alameda Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 620-0710

4. Yamazaki Bakery

For a more traditional Japanese dessert, the Yamazaki Bakery serves up something like "Christmas cake" - a white cake decorated with fresh strawberries and whipped cream that is common in Japanese sweet shops around Christmas time. The store itself is a treat; the smell of its fresh baked breads, cakes and pastries draws many customers from the street. They have the usual croissants and fruit tarts, all inexpensively priced, but if you're in the mood for something a little different, try the melon pan. Just be sure to bring cash, since the store does not accept credit cards.

THE DETAILS: Yamazaki Bakery
123 Japanese Village Plz Mall
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 624-2773

5. Marukai Market

Marukai Market supplies all my okonomi-yaki making needs - seriously, the ingredients for that seafood and cabbage pancake are very hard to find. But Marukai has saved me on more than one occasion by supplying the missing components for exotic dishes, as well as keeping me stocked with the unsweetened bottled teas that I loved during my trip to Japan. Marukai Market's produce section harbors green prickly things I have never seen along with unusual mushrooms, and their snack food section is an alter built to the many flavors of Pocky. Mochi can be found in its various forms, but my favorite treats are the mini-eclairs. Yes, I know, éclairs are French-but these are done Japanese-style, ok?

THE DETAILS: Marukai Market
123 S. Onizuka St., #101
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 893-7200

Story by Lauren Van Mullem.
Original Publication Date: June 7, 2009