I might have posted these photos 1 1/2 years ago, but I thought they would make an interesting counterpoint to the Flushing NYC photos I just posted. I think these are all from two trips to Southern California in Nov 2011 and Jan or Feb 2012.
First up, the suburbs of Torrance and Gardena, with their large Japanese community. An izakaya inside a Torrance stripmall
Hostess bar
Inside a Mitsuwa Marketplace. It just opened that morning, when we dropped by before going on to Santa Barbara for the day.
Out of order, but a Japanese breakfast place a few hours before
Some photos of Santa Barbara, 2 1/2 hours drive up the coast
San Ynez Valley nearby
A wet and chilly Little Tokyo photo
Mall in Koreatown
Getty Villa up in Malibu.
Santa Monica
Manhattan Beach, I think
The Vietnamese town of Westminster, which I had never visited before.
Vietnamese mall
Big Bear Lake, or is it Arrowhead? About 2 hours drive from LA. I went here as part of circuitous route to Palm Springs, or rather Palm Desert
It's not good skiing, but the fact that there is any skiing so close to a subtropical city is amazing
I think this might be Arrowhead
Finally arriving in Palm Desert