Azay

Dear Friends,

We are thrilled to announce our Juneteenth dinner, Friday, June 19, at 7:30PM. The Hirose family has generously agreed to host us once more at their Little Tokyo restaurant, Azay (226 East First Street). The feast will begin with a favorite of ours, a Chef Edna Lewis-inspired she-crab soup topped with salmon roe and tarragon. Next is fried green tomatoes with remoulade, pickled okra, and mustard frills. My classic Southern biscuits and cheddar chive biscuits will be on the table throughout. For our main, we’ll be smothering Peads & Barnetts pork neck and serving it with glazed turnips, oyster dressing, and turnip greens. While we cannot accommodate all dietary restrictions, we will gladly provide smothered Cornish hen and pork-less greens for this course. And for dessert: lemon coconut chess pie with vanilla ice cream AND a tbd berry ice cream.

It’s been far too long since we’ve put one of these together and we eagerly await your presence.

As always, the pleasure will be ours.

Danielle and Pablo

We are looking forward to seeing you all this weekend with new menu items!, along with our popular Japanese Breakfast and Daily Bento.

Tuesday-Friday: 11am-1:45pm last order
Saturday & Sunday: 9am-1:45pm last order

For reservations up to four people, please use Resy.

For reservations larger than four,
please call us at (213) 628-3431
or email us at [email protected]

After 6 years, we finally have merch! Beautifully illustrated by our dear friend Eri, and inspired by our previous t-shirt at our previous restaurant in Kyoto.

Purchase one the next time you come by Azay!

Our bento boxes are perfect for office meetings, parties, all celebrations, weddings, memorial services, etc.

We also offer buffet and full service catering as well, with our chef driven menus.

For catering inquiries, reach out to us at [email protected].

This month, join a workshop at Nellita's (https://nellitascraft.com/) , Little Tokyo's neighborhood craft shop.

Summer is here... and Obon

season has arrived!!
The Southern District Obon season is about to begin!
From taiko and bon dancing to food, laughter, and reunion — this is the time of year when temples come alive with joy and gratitude.
Let’s support one another, visit different temples, and make this Obon season unforgettable together!
Check out the full Southern District Obon schedule on the flyer.
See you around the yagura!
Namo Amida Butsu

Azay loves Juneteenth around the corner. Click here for an update from Azay!

We are looking forward to seeing you all this weekend with new menu items!, along with our popular Japanese Breakfast and Daily Bento.

Tuesday-Friday: 11am-1:45pm last order
Saturday & Sunday: 9am-1:45pm last order

For reservations up to four people, please use Resy.

For reservations larger than four,
please call us at (213) 628-3431
or email us at [email protected]

After 6 years, we finally have merch! Beautifully illustrated by our dear friend Eri, and inspired by our previous t-shirt at our previous restaurant in Kyoto.

Purchase one the next time you come by Azay!

Our bento boxes are perfect for office meetings, parties, all celebrations, weddings, memorial services, etc.

We also offer buffet and full service catering as well, with our chef driven menus.

For catering inquiries, reach out to us at [email protected].

Dear Friends,

We are thrilled to announce our Juneteenth dinner, Friday, June 19, at 7:30PM. The Hirose family has generously agreed to host us once more at their Little Tokyo restaurant, Azay (226 East First Street). The feast will begin with a favorite of ours, a Chef Edna Lewis-inspired she-crab soup topped with salmon roe and tarragon. Next is fried green tomatoes with remoulade, pickled okra, and mustard frills. My classic Southern biscuits and cheddar chive biscuits will be on the table throughout. For our main, we’ll be smothering Peads & Barnetts pork neck and serving it with glazed turnips, oyster dressing, and turnip greens. While we cannot accommodate all dietary restrictions, we will gladly provide smothered Cornish hen and pork-less greens for this course. And for dessert: lemon coconut chess pie with vanilla ice cream AND a tbd berry ice cream.

It’s been far too long since we’ve put one of these together and we eagerly await your presence.

As always, the pleasure will be ours.

Danielle and Pablo

The enchanting golden era musical Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song, directed by East West Players (EWP) Artistic Director Lily Tung Crystal, will serve as the grand finale for EWP’s Diamond Legacy season.

This captivating tale will receive a newly updated book for 2026 by the Tony Award-winning playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and EWP theater namesake David Henry Hwang. At a time when conversations about identity and cultural preservation are more important than ever, Hwang’s reworking of the book for the Spring 2026 production allows Asian Americans to reclaim this cherished story in a meaningful way, illuminating the complexities and richness of the community’s continuous evolution.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song pulls back the curtain on themes of assimilation and tradition in 1960’s San Francisco Chinatown as Mei-Li, a young Chinese opera artist fleeing communism, arrives in America, where she is immediately drawn into the dazzling world of the Grant Avenue nightclubs.

The primary election is

right around the corner!

Vote by mail ballots from the Los Angeles County Registrar Recorder/County Clerk (RRCC) entered the mailstream on April 30th, so you should have already received it. If not, re-register at registertovote.ca.gov and click “Register to Vote Now.” Actual vote-by-mail ballots will hit the mailstream starting April 30th. Depending on where you live, what might be on your ballot is below.

There primary election is right around the corner and there is a lot of information to sort through.

We think Knock LA does a pretty good job sorting through the items on the ballot: City of LA Mayor, LA County, LAUSD, Judges, Ballot Measures, etc.

Welcome back, Angelenos, to the 2026 Primary edition of the Knock LA Progressive Voter Guide. If this is your first time using our guide, thank you! We’re glad you’re here.

This midterm election is an opportunity for LA voters to double down on the progress our city has made, like the expansion of unarmed crisis response teams and ULA’s funding of more affordable housing. However, the same players as usual — corporations, police leagues, landlord lobbyists, billionaires, and more — are operating from the shadows, continuing to pull strings and leverage huge amounts of money behind their “Republican in everything but name” candidates.

So the choice is yours, voter. Will LA continue on this painstaking upward trend, or will the greedy hands of MAGA fools pull us back?

Our voter guide is a labor of love for a better Los Angeles. This guide reflects dozens and dozens of conversations with organizers, government staffers, lawyers, and everyday Angelenos. We pour in countless hours of research, writing, fact-checking, and editing to bring you these recommendations. A round of applause to the team that makes this possible!

We hope that this guide leaves you with the knowledge to navigate the politics of Southern California, and the confidence to get involved even after your ballot has been counted.

TUESDAY NIGHT CAFE JUNE SECOND 2026.
FEATURING



glowcone
Always free, open to the public, no tickets or assigned seating. Come through, make plans with a friend, like, comment, share, etc etc.
DJ
🎤Want to perform for our Open Mic? Make sure to sign up for our lottery by 7 PM, there will only be 3 spaces available, two performances per performer per season please! We may ask to review your content. Please read the rules at
tuesdaynightproject.org/how-to-perform (https://www.tuesdaynightproject.org/how-to-perform)
🤿As a reminder, masking is required in our space, and we will have masks available on site. If you can’t join us in-person, we will continue to stream our shows on YouTube in our link in bio.

This month, join a workshop at Nellita's (https://nellitascraft.com/) , Little Tokyo's neighborhood craft shop.

Azay loves Brunch, elections are around the corner and Juneteenth dinner with de Porres! Click here for an update from Azay!

This weekend Anzen Hardware will be hosting their
first Spring Sale!

They are excited to offer special pricing and new items, and new items, and give the community a first look at a new evolution of Anzen Hardware.

Anzen Hardware is Jo Ann and Philip Hirose's newest venture, envisioning the future of our father/grandfather's store.

This Sunday, we will be serving premium tea ceremony grade matcha from Ryuouen, a Kyoto tea purveyor founded 1875, which still uses the traditional method of stone-milling to grind and measure their tea in-house.

Our late father/husband Akira is related to this fine tea family and their matcha is one of Jojo’s favorites.

We are open for brunch!

Tuesday-Friday: 11am-1:45pm last order
Saturday & Sunday: 9am-1:45pm last order

For reservations up to four people, please use Resy.

For reservations larger than four,
please call us at (213) 628-3431
or email us at [email protected]

After 6 years, we finally have merch! Beautifully illustrated by our dear friend Eri, and inspired by our previous t-shirt at our previous restaurant in Kyoto.

Purchase one the next time you come by Azay!

Our bento boxes are perfect for office meetings, parties, all celebrations, weddings, memorial services, etc.

We also offer buffet and full service catering as well, with our chef driven menus.

For catering inquiries, reach out to us at [email protected].

Nikkei Movie Night

Join us for an evening of film screenings featuring stories and filmmakers from the Japanese American community.

Saturday, May 23, 2026
5:30 p.m. - Doors Open (Photo Gallery and Food)

6:30 p.m. - Film Screenings (with brief intermission)

8:30 p.m. - Q&A Session with Directors

9:00 p.m. - Event Ends

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Venice Japanese Community Center

12448 Braddock Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90066

*Tandem parking at the VJCC will be available as well as street parking in the surrounding area.

-—————————————————————

ADMISSION IS FREE, BUT RSVP IS REQUIRED. LIMITED SEATING.

*Light food will be provided for additional purchase by Jon Kenzo Okeya from The Shokudo.

The enchanting golden era musical Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song, directed by East West Players (EWP) Artistic Director Lily Tung Crystal, will serve as the grand finale for EWP’s Diamond Legacy season.

This captivating tale will receive a newly updated book for 2026 by the Tony Award-winning playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and EWP theater namesake David Henry Hwang. At a time when conversations about identity and cultural preservation are more important than ever, Hwang’s reworking of the book for the Spring 2026 production allows Asian Americans to reclaim this cherished story in a meaningful way, illuminating the complexities and richness of the community’s continuous evolution.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song pulls back the curtain on themes of assimilation and tradition in 1960’s San Francisco Chinatown as Mei-Li, a young Chinese opera artist fleeing communism, arrives in America, where she is immediately drawn into the dazzling world of the Grant Avenue nightclubs.

Celebrate Asian American, Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian Heritage Month, Children’s Book Week, and Kodomo no hi (Japanese Children’s Day) with our second annual Nikkei Children’s Book Festival. This year’s festival highlights heroes of all ages who have strengthened our community and made it special in big and small ways.

Explore the breadth and diversity of children’s literature across the Nikkei community with author and illustrator storytimes, signings, and meet-and-greets, arts and crafts for all ages, and a special pop-up bookstore from the JANM Store.

Featured guests include Stan and Julie Sakai (Chibi Usagi), Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Yas Imamura (Love in the Library), Mia Wenjen (Barbed Wire Between Us), Jolene Gutiérrez, Chris Sasaki, and John Tonai (Unbreakable), and Korey Watari and Mike Wu (Kimi the Ballerina).

This month, join a workshop at Nellita's (https://nellitascraft.com/) , Little Tokyo's neighborhood craft shop.

Azay loves Anzen Hardware's Spring Sale and more! Click here for an update from Azay!

"As reporter Thomas Curwen wrote a while back (https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-08-02/we-need-to-define-our-future-little-tokyo-evolves-and-survives) in a deep dive on the neighborhood, many historic Japanese businesses in Little Tokyo are disappearing or at risk of closing, making the revival of Azay and Anzen Hardware especially important."

We love and appreciate the write-ups from Laurie Ochoa (of Los Angeles Times) and Cathy Chaplin (of Eater LA)! It bring us warmth to see our staff's love and attention to the craft of food and hospitality be recognized.

Azay loves the LA Times and Eater LA, and is open this weekend! Click here for an update from Azay!