1929 Japanese Map of Los Angeles' Little Tokyo or Japantown

A rare 1929 Japanese language map of Little Tokyo, Los Angeles published by Pacific Printing for the Olympic Hotel. The recto features a detailed map of the Little Tokyo district. The map is oriented to the west and centered on the intersection of San Pedro Street and East 9th Ave. Above the map proper is an illustration of the grand Olympic Hotel, then the best Japanese-focused hotel in Los Angeles. The map is further surrounded by advertisements for Japanese owned business in the area, many of which are also noted on the map. The recto, or back of the map, features more advertisements and a general plan of Greater Los Angeles.

Japantown: Los Angeles' Little Tokyo

LA's Little Tokyo historic district is the largest and most important of the three official Japantowns in the United States (the others being San Jose and San Francisco). From about 1905 until 1924, Little Tokyo was a major draw for Japanese immigration into the United States. By 1941, at its height, Little Tokyo LA boasted nearly 30,000 Japanese-Americans and a plethora of Japanese owned and operated businesses.

Census

This map is scarce. We have identified no examples in institutional collections, and it does not appear in the OCLC.