Itinerary / A Little Tokyo

The world’s attention will be focused on Japan for the 1998 Winter Olympics, which begin in Nagano on Feb. 7. Before then, there’s plenty of Japanese food and culture in our own backyard.

Friday Evening

Los Angeles has Japanese restaurants with better food, but Yamashiro wins hands down for romance. Sip sake with someone you love and marvel at the city of lights spread out like a blanket in front of you. The tea garden is perfect for an after-dinner stroll. 1999 N. Sycamore Ave., Hollywood. (213) 486-5125.

Saturday

Spend the day in Little Tokyo starting at Weller Court, an outdoor shopping center on Ellison S. Onizuka Street (named named for the Japanese American astronaut killed in the space shuttle Challenger explosion.) The Kinokuniya Book Store is a treasure trove of titles, Japanese and English, on martial arts, Japanese cinema, Japanese history and more, as well as beautifully printed origami and gift paper and other trinkets. 123 Onizuka St., Suite 205. (213) 687-4480.

Nearby is the popular Curry House, which serves inexpensive Japanese comfort food including chili chicken rice pilaf, and shrimp chili spaghetti. 123 Onizuka St., Suite 204. (213) 620-0855.

On 1st Street, stop at S.K. Uyeda Department Store for yukata (kimono-like robes) in dozens of designs, as well as hand-painted geta (Japanese wood thong sandals). 350 E. 1st St. (213) 687-4812.

Continue southeast on 1st to Bun-ka Do, a Japanese import house since 1945, which also carries fun titles like “A Guide to Sake” and “What’s What in a Japanese Restaurant.”. 340 E. 1st St. (213) 625-1122.

At the intersection of 1st Street and Central Avenue is the Japanese American National Museum. Housed in the historic Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple, this museum hosts exhibitions that document the Japanese American experience. (Now on view: “Asian Traditions/Modern Expressions: Asian American Artists and Abstraction, 1945-1970.”) And “Finding Family Stories” opens this weekend. Now in its third year, this is a collaborative exhibition designed to foster dialogue among communities in the area. This year’s exhibitions feature family stories by Japanese Americans, Jewish Americans and California Indian communities. 369 E. 1st St. (213) 625-0414. Ends April 12. Museum admission $3 to $4.

Across the street from the museum is the entrance to the outdoor Japanese Village Plaza. Visit the Plaza Gift Center. If you can get past the disorder, you’ll find everything from sushi-shaped earrings ($6) to rice cookers. 111 Japanese Village Plaza. (213) 680-3288.

Watch from outside the nearby Mitsuru Cafe as cooks make imagawayaki, tasty Japanese pancake pastries filled with sweet red beans. 117 Japanese Village Plaza. (213) 613-1028.

For dinner, try Frying Fish. Sit at the bar and choose from the sushi and sashimi rolls as they whiz by on a conveyor belt. 120 Japanese Village Plaza. (213) 680-0567.

If you can carry a tune (or not) the Plaza has its very own karaoke bar, Oiwake, with thousands of songs, a lunch and dinner buffet and daily drink specials. 122 Japanese Village Plaza. (213) 628-2678.

Sunday

Adjacent to the rooftop garden in the New Otani Hotel is a beautiful restaurant, A Thousand Cranes, with a kimono-clad wait staff and a Sunday buffet. $22.95 per person. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. 120 S. Los Angeles St. (213) 253-9255.

After brunch, visit the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In addition to a comprehensive collection of Asian art in the Japanese Pavilion, currently on view is “Hirado Porcelain of Japan From the Kurtzman Family Collection.” These creamy porcelain pieces differ widely from the more well known rough raku pottery style. $1-$6. 5905 Wilshire Blvd. (213) 857-6000.