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

Kame Restaurant

— Bunkado —

Photographed by Craig Baker

1. Kame Restaurant Marker

Inscription.
At this site in 1884 Hamanosuke Sugita opened Kame Restaurant, the first Japanese-owned business in Los Angeles sparking the beginning of Little Tokyo.

Erected 2022 by Little Tokyo Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Asian Americans • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1884.

Location. 34° 2.975′ N, 118° 14.396′ W. Marker is in Los Angeles, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in Little Tokyo. It is on 1st Street east of San Pedro Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 340 1st St, 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

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

are within walking distance of this marker: Honor Award Story (within shouting distance of this marker); Koyasan Temple (within shouting distance of this marker); History Mural - Little Tokyo (within shouting distance of this marker); Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple (within shouting distance of this marker); Fugetsu-Do (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Home Is Little Tokyo Mural (about 300 feet away); Aoyama Tree (about 300 feet away); Little Tokyo (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Los Angeles.

More about this marker. In 1945, over 60 years after the restaurant opened, and after the end of Japanese internment camps in the U.S., Tokio and Suye Ueyama opened the Bunkado gift shop at this site, and it’s still there today.

Additional keywords. Bunkado, Bunka Do, Bun-ka Do

Photographed by Craig Baker

2. Kame Restaurant Marker

Kame Restaurant Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker

3. Kame Restaurant Building

The plaque is to the right of the door.

Public Domain

4. Kame Restaurant Building

The Bunkado gift shop opened in 1945.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 15, 2026, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 10 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 15, 2026, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.