Delicious Little Tokyo is about strolls, samples

Walking tours offer taste of local history and culture as well as food

Downtown Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo is offering a taste of the neighborhood’s food, culture and history on June 25-26.

Now in its seventh year, the annual Delicious Little Tokyo weekend event is made up of self-guided, ticketed walking tours that will lead visitors to some of the neighborhood’s most notable food spots.

“We want to get new and repeat people to come out to the community to explore different businesses and try different foods,” said Kisa Ito, the project director for the Little Tokyo Community Council, organizer of the event.

As part of the tour, people will get a map and an itinerary that will lead them to food tastings and areas with

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historical significance.

“They’ll check in with us and they’ll get all they need to go on their tour and try different foods in the neighborhood,” Ito said.

Some of the highlights among the handful of tours offered throughout the weekend include the $36-perperson History of Little Tokyo Food Tour, which takes place at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. June 25 and 2 p.m. June 26.

It’ll be led by Little Tokyo Historical Society members, who will take participants to some of the longeststanding small businesses and food spots in the neighborhood, including a decades-old ramen noodle shop.

And yes, expect to sample some of the deliciousness on display.

Other hot tickets will include the self-guided, $65 J-town Treats & Eats tour, happening from 1-3 p.m. June 25. This tour will include a stop at food spots that serve pastries, miso and rice bowls — and a couple of retail spots, too, where people can pick up souvenirs to take home.

And for those wanting libations, there’s the Little Tipsy Tokyo tour, set for noon-2 p.m June 26. For $85, participants get food and drink pairings at three spots in the neighborhood.

“It’s essentially a barhopping Sunday brunch,” Ito said.

The weekend also includes familyoriented cultural workshops at several businesses in the area.

HANS GUTKNECHT — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER People walk through Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo neighborhood, perhaps headed to some of the eateries included on the walking tours of the Delicious Little Tokyo event. Pastries, miso and rice bowls are some of the flavors along the way.