Known for its shining beaches and “perfect” weather, a heavenly lifestyle awaits you in the City of Angels: Los Angeles. Being the home of Hollywood and a bustling entertainment industry, even the culinary scene in Los Angeles is abundant with restaurants owned and operated by celebrity chefs. Given that Los Angeles is the second most populous city in the country, you can expect the food in these restaurants to represent the diversity of the world. Not only is the cuisine diverse, but Los Angeles itself is a melting pot of many cultures, which can be experienced in areas such as the Little Tokyo Historic District.

Area

Spanning over 500 square miles, Los Angeles is the second most populous city in the United States!

★ Famous for its 75 mile coastline, you can surf, swim, or soak in the sun anywhere from Malibu to Long Beach.

Population

~ 3,900,000 (With about 1% of the population being Japanese, Los Angeles is home to epicenters of Japanese culture, such as Little Tokyo.)

~Languages Spoken~

English, Spanish, Korean, Filipino, Armenian, Chinese, and Persian.

Currency

As of April, 2018: 1 USD = ~109 JPY

Travel

Los Angeles is roughly a ten hour flight from Tokyo

★ The Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the second largest airport in the United States.

Commodities

☆Compared to Tokyo, consumer prices and groceries are cheaper, while rent is more expensive in Los Angeles

☆Rent can be pricey living in the heart of the city

~Food~

・Los Angeles is one of the most culturally and culinarily diverse cities in the country, so you’ll be able to try any cuisine you might have a craving for. Many celebrity chefs also operate restaurants here.

・Every winter and summer, you can experience L.A. restaurant week -- a festival celebrating the unique, diverse cuisine of the city.

~Climate~

・Southern California is known for having some of the best weather in the United States -- where most days are sunny and warm with little to no humidity.

Public Transportation

・With one of the busiest subway systems in the country, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) also features transportation by bus and light rails. LA Transportation

Japanese Culture

The heart of the largest Japanese-American culture in North America is none other than the Little Tokyo Historic District in downtown Los Angeles. You can find the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, the Japanese American National Museum, as well as two public Japanese gardens. And of course, there is no shortage of Japanese cuisine, with everything from shabu-shabu to yakiniku, to wagashi shops! Additionally, there are shops dedicated to Japanese DVDs and video games, and well as Little Tokyo’s very own branch of the famous bookshop Kinokuniya. Go Little Tokyo

Display photo: By salewskia - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60548026