Little Tokyo, Los Angeles

Little Tokyo

Los Angeles

July 29, 2017

One of the best things about living in Oceanside is that we are in between San Diego and Orange County. It makes it easier to get on the road and drive to Los Angeles or Long Beach.  Another nice thing in Oceanside is the train station. My husband and I have driven to LA to visit Chinatown, Filipinotown, Olvera Street, Little TJ and other places. After a little bit of investigating, we decided that we would take the Pacific Surfliner train from Oceanside to Los Angeles and then travel to Little Tokyo to check it out. 

On the weekends, the train schedules are reduced, so the key is checking the schedules ahead of time. Most trains, subways, trolleys etc all use electronic tickets that you can buy through an app. The annoying thing is, each piece of public transportation has its own tickets!  

The train ride from Oceanside to Union Station is about 2 hours. It is a BEAUTIFUL ride. I would recommend taking the train, even if you just turn around and come back.  

We took the train to union station, and then we took the Metro to the Little Tokyo stop. The area is kind of spread out, but there is quite a bit to see. RIght near the station is the Museum of Japanese Heritage. Every weekend there are street performers, music, and other events to check out. It really gives everyone a good chance to experience Japanese Culture. 

We really took our time and checked out everything. There were some really cool shops. One of the most popular shops was the Hello Kitty store. Of course that store was super busy. We don't collect Hello Kitty, so it was one place that we did not check it out. 

The food is amazing! Some of the places have a LONG wait so keep this in mind. Some will let you get on the list and wait your 2 hours while shopping in the area and they just text you when your spot is available. 

After eating, before leaving the area, we went and made a couple small purchases at the Asian Market that was there. It was pretty much just a grocery store, but they did have a few Japanese items that we have had a hard time finding back in Oceanside.