Little Tokyo in Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Kouraku

Photographed by Alexis Doine, October 26, 2025

1. Kouraku Marker

Inscription.
America's oldest ramen shop still in operation.

314 E 2nd St. LA
Established in 1976

Erected 2025 by City of Los Angeles.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Asian Americans • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1976.

Location. 34° 2.937′ N, 118° 14.482′ W. Marker is in Los Angeles, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in Little Tokyo. It is at the intersection of 2nd Street and San Pedro Street, on the right when traveling east on 2nd Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 314 E 2nd Street, Los Angeles CA 90012, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Transverse Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

on the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Sei Fujii (within shouting

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distance of this marker); Friendship Knot (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Azusa Street Mission (about 300 feet away); Koyasan Temple (about 400 feet away); Colonel Ellison Onizuka (about 400 feet away); Japanese American War Memorial (about 400 feet away); Kame Restaurant (about 500 feet away); Honor Award Story (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Los Angeles.

Also see . . .
1. Ramen shop (Wikipedia). (Submitted on October 28, 2025.)
2. City Recognizes Kouraku’s Role in Popularizing Ramen (Rafu Shimpo, Feb. 16, 2025). (Submitted on October 28, 2025.)

Additional keywords. Little Tokyo, Restaurant, Japanese, ラーメン屋

Kouraku in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Matsujima (via Wikimedia Commons under CC 4.0 license), December 4, 2023

2. Kouraku in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo

Kouraku Japanese Ramen & Grill, October 2025 image. Click for full size.

Alexis Doine (CC0) courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

3. Kouraku Japanese Ramen & Grill, October 2025

Kouraku Marker Unveiling image. Click for full size.

courtesy City of Los Angeles

4. Kouraku Marker Unveiling

Credits. This page was last revised on October 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 27, 2025, by Alexis Doine of Los Angeles. This page has been viewed 89 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on October 27, 2025, by Alexis Doine of Los Angeles. 2. submitted on October 28, 2025. 3. submitted on October 31, 2025, by Alexis Doine of Los Angeles. 4. submitted on June 16, 2026, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.