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A Peek Inside: 20 Recent Views of Little Tokyo

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As you may have heard, we have been spending the past few weeks exploring the neighborhood of Little Tokyo for the latest installment of our Departures project. We are starting to uncover the many layers of this fascinating community, from the last remaining fish cake factory in the neighborhood to a new wave of filmmakers housed inside a historic church.

What we've discovered is that Little Tokyo is sort of a small town in itself -- everyone knows each other, and many depend on each other for services and support. We've been fortunate enough to be able to work with many community members and leaders; here's a look at some of what we've uncovered:

Union Center and San Pedro Firm Building | Photo by Yosuke Kitazawa
Union Center and San Pedro Firm Building | Photo by Yosuke Kitazawa
Abe Ferrer, Director of Exhibitions at Visual Communications | Photo by Justin Cram
Abe Ferrer, Director of Exhibitions at Visual Communications | Photo by Justin Cram
Manufacturing kamaboko (fish cake) at Yamasa Enterprises | Photo by Sarah Silcox
Manufacturing kamaboko (fish cake) at Yamasa Enterprises | Photo by Sarah Silcox
Teiji Kawana demonstrates how chikuwa (another form of fish cake) is made at Yamasa Enterprises | Photo by Sarah Silcox
Teiji Kawana demonstrates how chikuwa (another form of fish cake) is made at Yamasa Enterprises | Photo by Sarah Silcox
Southern California Flower Market | Photo by Justin Cram
Southern California Flower Market | Photo by Justin Cram
Jon Kono, owner of Kono & Sons and president of the Southern California Flower Market | Photo by Justin Cram
Jon Kono, owner of Kono & Sons and president of the Southern California Flower Market | Photo by Justin Cram
Rafu Shimpo | Photo by Justin Cram
Rafu Shimpo | Photo by Justin Cram
Michael Komai, Publisher of Rafu Shimpo | Photo by Justin Cram
Michael Komai, Publisher of Rafu Shimpo | Photo by Justin Cram
Alan Nishio, Board President of Little Tokyo Service Center | Photo by Justin Cram
Alan Nishio, Board President of Little Tokyo Service Center | Photo by Justin Cram
Toyo Miyatake Studio in San Gabriel | Photo by Justin Cram
Toyo Miyatake Studio in San Gabriel | Photo by Justin Cram
Alan Miyatake, Owner of Toyo Miyatake Studio | Photo by Justin Cram
Alan Miyatake, Owner of Toyo Miyatake Studio | Photo by Justin Cram
Author Naomi Hirahara at James Irvine Garden | Photo by Justin Cram
Author Naomi Hirahara at James Irvine Garden | Photo by Justin Cram
Little Tokyo Gifts | Photo by Yosuke Kitazawa
Little Tokyo Gifts | Photo by Yosuke Kitazawa
Little Tokyo Gifts, instructions for abacus | Photo by Yosuke Kitazawa
Little Tokyo Gifts, instructions for abacus | Photo by Yosuke Kitazawa
Japanese chef's knives at Anzen Hardware | Photo by Yosuke Kitazawa
Japanese chef's knives at Anzen Hardware | Photo by Yosuke Kitazawa
Anzen Hardware store | Photo by Yosuke Kitazawa
Anzen Hardware store | Photo by Yosuke Kitazawa
Scrapbook of Tokio Ueyama, artist and founder of Bunkado | Photo by Yosuke Kitazawa
Scrapbook of Tokio Ueyama, artist and founder of Bunkado | Photo by Yosuke Kitazawa
Kajima Building and Parker Center | Photo by Yosuke Kitazawa
Kajima Building and Parker Center | Photo by Yosuke Kitazawa
Little Tokyo Towers | Photo by Yosuke Kitazawa
Little Tokyo Towers | Photo by Yosuke Kitazawa
Maryknoll Catholic Church | Photo by Yosuke Kitazawa
Maryknoll Catholic Church | Photo by Yosuke Kitazawa

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