bmwracer wrote:
He's a lot taller than I thought. :beaten:
The costume was the only way I could get close to the Nisei Week Court.
:hehe:
The costume was the only way I could get close to the Nisei Week Court.
:hehe:
Nisei Week Festival/Little Tokyo/Related
Started by bmwracer · 11 Aug 2003 · 1,910 replies
General Discussion
The costume was the only way I could get close to the Nisei Week Court.
:hehe:
Tu_triky wrote:The costume was the only way I could get close to the Nisei Week Court.
:hehe:
Whatever it takes. :victory: :hehe:
bmwracer wrote:
Whatever it takes. :victory: :hehe:
You're being kind. :mrgreen:
Torrance and Costa Mesa Mitsuwa's are having their Hokkaido Fair this weekend. Went down and picked up some Curry Pan. Oishii so!!!! :drooling:
gaijinmark wrote:Torrance and Costa Mesa Mitsuwa's are having their Hokkaido Fair this weekend. Went down and picked up some Curry Pan. Oishii so!!!! :drooling:
Curry Pan in your hand....mmm.
gaijinmark wrote:Torrance and Costa Mesa Mitsuwa's are having their Hokkaido Fair this weekend. Went down and picked up some Curry Pan. Oishii so!!!! :drooling:
Curry pan!! I've always wanted to try that. What exactly do they put in there? Vegetables? Meat?
sadacori wrote:I think it's just curry, the outer part was what was really good! Anyway, when I was there, it's chaos as usual, a million people running around, the people selling stuff yelling "Irrashimasei". I was standing there looking at the stuff and I feel this poking on my thigh. I looked down and this obasan about 4 foot nothing, looks up at me and says, "Are you in line?" I had to let her go by. :hehe: [/list:u]
Curry pan!! I've always wanted to try that. What exactly do they put in there? Vegetables? Meat?
gaijinmark wrote: I think it's just curry, the outer part was what was really good! Anyway, when I was there, it's chaos as usual, a million people running around, the people selling stuff yelling "Irrashimasei". I was standing there looking at the stuff and I feel this poking on my thigh. I looked down and this obasan about 4 foot nothing, looks up at me and says, "Are you in line?" I had to let her go by. :hehe: [/list:u]
Wha? Your thigh?? How tall are you anyway? :hehe:
And the curry pan sounds really good. I saw some food shows that showed curry pan, but they put too much vegetables and crap inside, so it just looked unappealing to me.
gaijinmark wrote: I think it's just curry, the outer part was what was really good!
Yeah the panko fried crust is a nice complement to the warm, moist bread. Sounds great. Good for you, man. :victory:
Maybe I should post this in the language thread: I was over at Mitsuwa and when the cashier got done bagging my stuff she handed it to me and said "Arigatou gozaimasu" just like always and I said, "Dou itashimashite". Then she gave a Japanese language tip. She said if "Dou itashimasite" is too hard, just remember the english phrase, "Don't touch my moustache" Those obaasans :rofl: [/list:u]
gaijinmark wrote:Maybe I should post this in the language thread: I was over at Mitsuwa and when the cashier got done bagging my stuff she handed it to me and said "Arigatou gozaimasu" just like always and I said, "Dou itashimashite". Then she gave a Japanese language tip. She said if "Dou itashimasite" is too hard, just remember the english phrase, "Don't touch my moustache" Those obaasans :rofl: [/list:u]
:lol: Pure comic gold.
At Last, Recreation Center Moves Forward
By GWEN MURANAKA
RAFU ENGLISH EDITOR IN CHIEF
Saturday, Sept. 27, 2008
City Council votes 12-0, giving LTSC the go-ahead to build gymnasium.
Recreation center supporters join Perry after the vote for a group photo. In the background are handprints made by supporters of the project.
A recreation center for Little Tokyo came one step closer to becoming a reality on Tuesday as the Los Angeles City Council voted 12-0 for a memo­randum of understanding with Little Tokyo Service Center to develop the site. First conceived in the 1970s, the project has taken 14 years to get off the ground.
gI think I said finally, at last,h Councilmember Jan Perry, recalled of the vote. gI know how long theyfve been at it. I was happy to start working on it when I started as an elected of­ficial in 2001. The enormous amount of patience and devotion and tenacity, itfs an inspiration.h
gItfs hard to sink in that itfs actu­ally happening. Wefve had a number of false starts, part of me didnft want to get my hopes up too high and yet part of me wanted to capture the sig­nificance of what happened today,h said Bill Watanabe LTSC executive director.
The four-court gymnasium will be located on Los Angeles Street between Second and Third streets, next to the Little Tokyo Library on a 36,000 square foot parking lot, which was purchased by the city. The city also purchased, through eminent domain, two buildings to the south of the park­ing lot which will also be part of the gym property.
gIf the project goes ahead as itfs conceived with the parking structure and the land, this represents something in the neighborhood of $10 to $15 mil­lion worth of investment by the city in the project — thatfs the land cost plus the parking,h remarked Watanabe.
The gymnasium would host bas­ketball and martial arts tournaments as well as serve as a recreation center for the downtown area. LTSC estimates it will take three to five years to be built and have immediately made plans to start up a capital campaign. Advocates for the gym have long looked to a recreation center as a way to bring Japanese American youth back to Little Tokyo. The development will also pro­vide much needed parking for the city employees and Little Tokyo.
gCity employee parking during the week day, then public parking on eve­nings and weekends which will be when we need it the most, itfs like a perfect marriage,h said Watanabe.
Perry estimated that a ground lease on the property, the next step in devel­opment, would take gno more than six months tops.h
gIfm very committed to moving this along expeditiously so we can get to the point where wefre pulling permits, making sure that all the entitlements are in place. The land is fully assembled now so we can break ground and allow them to move forward on their capital campaign,h said Perry.
The Little Tokyo Recreation Center has looked to a number of properties in J-Town for the rec center over the years. In 2002, the issue was the focus of heated public debate between pro­ponents of the rec center and the Cen­tral Avenue Art Park. The gym faced opposition at that time to inclusion on the First Street North block from other stakeholders on the site, including the Japanese American National Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Go For Broke Educational Foun­dation. Rec center project architect Hayahiko Takase presented a proposal in July 2002 to build a six-court gym underground to address concerns about noise and disturbing the serenity of the Go For Broke Monument.
In June 2003, Perry directed the Chief Legislative Analyst to study and make recommendations on build­ing the gymnasium on the property bounded by Second, Main and Los Angeles streets, south of Vibianafs Cathedral.
Takase included a photo of a new concept model of the gymnasium in press materials. He has donated hun­dreds of hours of his time as the projectfs architect.
gIfm glad Ifm still alive, now have to live until the building is completed,h said Takase.
Watanabe also introduced Scott Ito who will be in charge of the capital campaign. Perry was upbeat that the recreation center would find funding despite the recent upheavals in the economy, saying it represented a gface to the future of Little Tokyo.h
gI donft think itfll be a tough road despite whatfs going on around us. Itfs a unique project, itfs a recreational fa­cility, we are sharing facilities, there is site control now, so there is no doubt or question of whether this project should move forward,h said Perry.
During their comments, gymnasium supporters held up a cloth with painted handprints of kids who said they wanted a recreation center in Little Tokyo.
gTheyfve told us that a gym is some­thing they would come to and play in. So it makes a connection to their lives and Little Tokyo as a place for them. We need to make Little Tokyo a part of their experi­ence and their lives,h said Watanabe.
Sawako Nitao, a volunteer with the
Asian Pacific Islander Obesity Preven­tion Alliance, was among the supporters at the City Council meeting.
gWe did a community survey and found that people want physical ac­tivity opportunities in Little Tokyo,h Nitao said. gThe community wants a recreation center.h
By GWEN MURANAKA
RAFU ENGLISH EDITOR IN CHIEF
Saturday, Sept. 27, 2008
City Council votes 12-0, giving LTSC the go-ahead to build gymnasium.
Recreation center supporters join Perry after the vote for a group photo. In the background are handprints made by supporters of the project.
A recreation center for Little Tokyo came one step closer to becoming a reality on Tuesday as the Los Angeles City Council voted 12-0 for a memo­randum of understanding with Little Tokyo Service Center to develop the site. First conceived in the 1970s, the project has taken 14 years to get off the ground.
gI think I said finally, at last,h Councilmember Jan Perry, recalled of the vote. gI know how long theyfve been at it. I was happy to start working on it when I started as an elected of­ficial in 2001. The enormous amount of patience and devotion and tenacity, itfs an inspiration.h
gItfs hard to sink in that itfs actu­ally happening. Wefve had a number of false starts, part of me didnft want to get my hopes up too high and yet part of me wanted to capture the sig­nificance of what happened today,h said Bill Watanabe LTSC executive director.
The four-court gymnasium will be located on Los Angeles Street between Second and Third streets, next to the Little Tokyo Library on a 36,000 square foot parking lot, which was purchased by the city. The city also purchased, through eminent domain, two buildings to the south of the park­ing lot which will also be part of the gym property.
gIf the project goes ahead as itfs conceived with the parking structure and the land, this represents something in the neighborhood of $10 to $15 mil­lion worth of investment by the city in the project — thatfs the land cost plus the parking,h remarked Watanabe.
The gymnasium would host bas­ketball and martial arts tournaments as well as serve as a recreation center for the downtown area. LTSC estimates it will take three to five years to be built and have immediately made plans to start up a capital campaign. Advocates for the gym have long looked to a recreation center as a way to bring Japanese American youth back to Little Tokyo. The development will also pro­vide much needed parking for the city employees and Little Tokyo.
gCity employee parking during the week day, then public parking on eve­nings and weekends which will be when we need it the most, itfs like a perfect marriage,h said Watanabe.
Perry estimated that a ground lease on the property, the next step in devel­opment, would take gno more than six months tops.h
gIfm very committed to moving this along expeditiously so we can get to the point where wefre pulling permits, making sure that all the entitlements are in place. The land is fully assembled now so we can break ground and allow them to move forward on their capital campaign,h said Perry.
The Little Tokyo Recreation Center has looked to a number of properties in J-Town for the rec center over the years. In 2002, the issue was the focus of heated public debate between pro­ponents of the rec center and the Cen­tral Avenue Art Park. The gym faced opposition at that time to inclusion on the First Street North block from other stakeholders on the site, including the Japanese American National Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Go For Broke Educational Foun­dation. Rec center project architect Hayahiko Takase presented a proposal in July 2002 to build a six-court gym underground to address concerns about noise and disturbing the serenity of the Go For Broke Monument.
In June 2003, Perry directed the Chief Legislative Analyst to study and make recommendations on build­ing the gymnasium on the property bounded by Second, Main and Los Angeles streets, south of Vibianafs Cathedral.
Takase included a photo of a new concept model of the gymnasium in press materials. He has donated hun­dreds of hours of his time as the projectfs architect.
gIfm glad Ifm still alive, now have to live until the building is completed,h said Takase.
Watanabe also introduced Scott Ito who will be in charge of the capital campaign. Perry was upbeat that the recreation center would find funding despite the recent upheavals in the economy, saying it represented a gface to the future of Little Tokyo.h
gI donft think itfll be a tough road despite whatfs going on around us. Itfs a unique project, itfs a recreational fa­cility, we are sharing facilities, there is site control now, so there is no doubt or question of whether this project should move forward,h said Perry.
During their comments, gymnasium supporters held up a cloth with painted handprints of kids who said they wanted a recreation center in Little Tokyo.
gTheyfve told us that a gym is some­thing they would come to and play in. So it makes a connection to their lives and Little Tokyo as a place for them. We need to make Little Tokyo a part of their experi­ence and their lives,h said Watanabe.
Sawako Nitao, a volunteer with the
Asian Pacific Islander Obesity Preven­tion Alliance, was among the supporters at the City Council meeting.
gWe did a community survey and found that people want physical ac­tivity opportunities in Little Tokyo,h Nitao said. gThe community wants a recreation center.h
This blog entry seems to refute the prospect that Mitsuwa in Little Tokyo will remain in the future (despite what one of the cashiers said to me).... :sweat: Not surprising though, considering the new owners are Korean.
=======================================
Malled: Little Tokyo Mall Makeover
[image]
The Little Tokyo Shopping Center at 3rd and Alameda Downtown is getting ready for some sort of makeover. Angelenic reports there has already been one set of renderings by SLAB Architecture, and the latest emerge from ZellnerPlus Architecture above.
The blog compares it to the design going on at Santa Monica Place with its open-air plan: "Triangular aluminum paneling, which brings to mind BPfs Helios 'green gas station' on the Westside, would cover the facade and walls, with new pavers throughout. Bridges would help increase connectivity to the existing parking garage. But the most striking aspect of the redesign are the new windows and a large, open corner entryway that would connect the mall to the street in an attempt to be more inviting to the neighborhood."
Other plans include swapping out Mitsuwa Market for H Mart, a Korean grocer, along with the addition of a day spa and an electronics store.
=======================================
Malled: Little Tokyo Mall Makeover
[image]
![[image]](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/2triky/2008_9_littletokyomall.jpg){kind=link}
The Little Tokyo Shopping Center at 3rd and Alameda Downtown is getting ready for some sort of makeover. Angelenic reports there has already been one set of renderings by SLAB Architecture, and the latest emerge from ZellnerPlus Architecture above.
The blog compares it to the design going on at Santa Monica Place with its open-air plan: "Triangular aluminum paneling, which brings to mind BPfs Helios 'green gas station' on the Westside, would cover the facade and walls, with new pavers throughout. Bridges would help increase connectivity to the existing parking garage. But the most striking aspect of the redesign are the new windows and a large, open corner entryway that would connect the mall to the street in an attempt to be more inviting to the neighborhood."
Other plans include swapping out Mitsuwa Market for H Mart, a Korean grocer, along with the addition of a day spa and an electronics store.
Tu_triky wrote:This blog entry seems to refute the prospect that Mitsuwa in Little Tokyo will remain in the future (despite what one of the cashiers said to me).... :sweat: Not surprising though, considering the new owners are Korean.I hope that blog is wrong, but usually it's the employees that are the last to know. :puppydog: [/list:u]
gaijinmark wrote: I hope that blog is wrong, but usually it's the employees that are the last to know. :puppydog: [/list:u]
True. I doubt it's wrong though...this is the second time I've read about them swapping out Mitsuwa for a Korean grocery store...if the owners of the building are Korean...it seems inevitable. But yeah, let's hope it's wrong.... :sweat:
Tu_triky wrote:This blog entry seems to refute the prospect that Mitsuwa in Little Tokyo will remain in the future (despite what one of the cashiers said to me).... :sweat: Not surprising though, considering the new owners are Korean.
You'd think that the owners would maintain Mitsuwa unless the want to turn away the Japanese clientele that they're supposedly trying to preserve... Or are they? :sweat:
bmwracer wrote:
You'd think that the owners would maintain Mitsuwa unless the want to turn away the Japanese clientele that they're supposedly trying to preserve... Or are they? :sweat:
Well from what I've gathered from previous blog entries/articles...many of the newly erected residential towers in the area are inhabited by Koreans so that's why they bought the building in order to cater to that newly emerging demographic. This is just what I've gleaned from past reading on the subject.
I think it's sucks pesonally but then I don't think much can be done about it because despite the cultural preservation mandate that covers Little Tokyo, 3rd and Alameda, where the mall is located, falls outside its purview.
Apparently not all new development in Little Tokyo will erode its cultural identity. I guess this should go to some length to preserve the Japanese character of the ethnic enclave. The proposed Nikkei Center discussed below was the winning proposal out of three presented to the Los Angeles City Council. Frankly one of the other proposals was quite exciting envisioning retail gdirect from Tokyoh which would be courted in the development, to emulate the success of Tokyofs remarkable Roppongi Hills Development. A 12,000 square-foot Japanese grocery store and the possibility of a Japanese culinary school to anchor the eastern portion of the project wowed the audience.
In any event this proposed Nikkei Center is an exciting development in its own right.
===================================
[image]
Last Friday (8/15), the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved the selection of the Nikkei Center team of Little Tokyo Service Center, Kaji & Associates and Urban Partners and their proposal for the development of the First and Alameda site known as the Mangrove parcel.
The City Council authorized the Chief Legislative Analyst to enter into an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement with the Nikkei Center team that will define the terms of the sale in much greater detail. The team and the CLA's office estimate the final terms of the sale, including the general development scope and schedule, will be completed by next spring.
Ron Fong, Director of Planning at LTSC, remarked on the opportunity to participate in the development of the last sizable piece of land in Little Tokyo. "We accept and welcome the responsibility of being accountable to community stakeholders for every aspect of this project--including its design and community benefits such as affordable housing, parking, job creation and business development opportunities."
Aerial view of proposed development site:
[image]
In any event this proposed Nikkei Center is an exciting development in its own right.
===================================
[image]
![[image]](http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/images/vbimghost/201948e4e0f5d24e4.jpg){kind=link}
Last Friday (8/15), the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved the selection of the Nikkei Center team of Little Tokyo Service Center, Kaji & Associates and Urban Partners and their proposal for the development of the First and Alameda site known as the Mangrove parcel.
The City Council authorized the Chief Legislative Analyst to enter into an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement with the Nikkei Center team that will define the terms of the sale in much greater detail. The team and the CLA's office estimate the final terms of the sale, including the general development scope and schedule, will be completed by next spring.
Ron Fong, Director of Planning at LTSC, remarked on the opportunity to participate in the development of the last sizable piece of land in Little Tokyo. "We accept and welcome the responsibility of being accountable to community stakeholders for every aspect of this project--including its design and community benefits such as affordable housing, parking, job creation and business development opportunities."
Aerial view of proposed development site:
[image]
![[image]](http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/images/vbimghost/201948e4e0f5dc123.jpg){kind=link}
nikkei center revealed (new renderings)
August 19, 2008
[image]
This past Friday the City Council unanimously approved the selection of the Nikkei Center as development partner for the gMangrove Parcelh at 1st and Alameda, the last large undeveloped plot of land left in Little Tokyo, reports Little Tokyo Unblogged.
The team is led by the Little Tokyo Service Center, Kaji & Associates, Urban Partners and the Jerde Partnership.
As we wrote back in March about the three proposals put forth for the parcel, Nikkei Center — which was selected in June by a Council committee — would include 390 units of rental housing (28% affordable), 80,000 square feet of retail, 166,500 square feet of office space and 1,286 parking spaces.
Following the Councilfs action, details must still be worked out for the purchase of the city-owned land.
The Project Revealed
The development team relied on their past experience in developing large mixed-use projects in Japan and Southern California, including Tokyofs Roppongi Hills, Riverwalk Kitakyushu and Canal City Hakata in Fukuoka, Japan.
New renderings made available to angelenic show a continuation of the bright, colorful and modern projects that have come to boost Japanfs major cities.
Still, questions remain about the projectfs interaction with not only the new light rail station on Alameda, but its impact on the pedestrian experience along 1st Street. Retail and its effects on the perception of activity and safety must be taken into consideration. If a visitorfs first experience with the project is a blank, inactive wall, that affects the success of the project and neighborhood.
Case in point: While some residential projects in the area were built without ground-floor retail in order to lighten the competition with Little Tokyofs existing mom-and-pop stores, that may be one contributing factor those same storesf being pushed out in favor of national chains now.
Those involved with the Nikkei Center have expressed a strong desire to recruit Japanese-themed retail to the project.
What do you think?
August 19, 2008
[image]
![[image]](http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/images/vbimghost/201948e4e4dc1f607.jpg){kind=link}
This past Friday the City Council unanimously approved the selection of the Nikkei Center as development partner for the gMangrove Parcelh at 1st and Alameda, the last large undeveloped plot of land left in Little Tokyo, reports Little Tokyo Unblogged.
The team is led by the Little Tokyo Service Center, Kaji & Associates, Urban Partners and the Jerde Partnership.
As we wrote back in March about the three proposals put forth for the parcel, Nikkei Center — which was selected in June by a Council committee — would include 390 units of rental housing (28% affordable), 80,000 square feet of retail, 166,500 square feet of office space and 1,286 parking spaces.
Following the Councilfs action, details must still be worked out for the purchase of the city-owned land.
The Project Revealed
The development team relied on their past experience in developing large mixed-use projects in Japan and Southern California, including Tokyofs Roppongi Hills, Riverwalk Kitakyushu and Canal City Hakata in Fukuoka, Japan.
New renderings made available to angelenic show a continuation of the bright, colorful and modern projects that have come to boost Japanfs major cities.
Still, questions remain about the projectfs interaction with not only the new light rail station on Alameda, but its impact on the pedestrian experience along 1st Street. Retail and its effects on the perception of activity and safety must be taken into consideration. If a visitorfs first experience with the project is a blank, inactive wall, that affects the success of the project and neighborhood.
Case in point: While some residential projects in the area were built without ground-floor retail in order to lighten the competition with Little Tokyofs existing mom-and-pop stores, that may be one contributing factor those same storesf being pushed out in favor of national chains now.
Those involved with the Nikkei Center have expressed a strong desire to recruit Japanese-themed retail to the project.
What do you think?
Tu_triky wrote:Apparently not all new development in Little Tokyo will erode its cultural identity. I guess this should go to some length to preserve the Japanese character of the ethnic enclave. The proposed Nikkei Center discussed below was the winning proposal out of three presented to the Los Angeles City Council. Frankly one of the other proposals was quite exciting envisioning retail gdirect from Tokyoh which would be courted in the development, to emulate the success of Tokyofs remarkable Roppongi Hills Development. A 12,000 square-foot Japanese grocery store and the possibility of a Japanese culinary school to anchor the eastern portion of the project wowed the audience.
In any event this proposed Nikkei Center is an exciting development in its own right.
===================================
[image]
Excellent. :victory:
Hopefully they won't try to emulate Roppongi Hills cache of high-tone stores... They tried something similar in the Onizuka Plaza and that crashed and burned after a couple of years. :sweat:
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