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sawtelle
Photograph courtesy ning/astrotako
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Ask Chris: The City Explained

Question:  How did Sawtelle become the hot spot for all things Japanese?
Chris:  At the turn of the 20th century, Japanese immigrants worked on the railroads and in agriculture, including barley and celery fields in the West Los Angeles neighborhood of Sawtelle. Farmers created co-ops to lease (and eventually buy) land, while others became landscapers or opened nurseries. The establishment of the Japanese Institute of Sawtelle in 1925 set the foundation for the “Little Osaka” that thrives to this day.

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Published February 2010
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