Otomisan Restaurant

Classic Japanese Diner in Boyle Heights Could Receive Historic Designation | Eater LA

"In Boyle Heights I note Otomisan is housed in a vernacular 1924 building originally built by Ryohei Nishiyama that later operated as a Japanese grocery, a florist, and a barbershop; the LA Conservancy calls it “an excellent example of a 1920s streetcar commercial development” and highlights its “cozy interior of three red button tufted booths and short counter with five stools.” It is the last remaining Japanese restaurant in the now predominantly Latino neighborhood, and its history is tied to the Nishiyama family’s wartime incarceration—interned after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and held at Tule Lake—before they retained the East First Street property and converted it into a food establishment in the 1950s. The restaurant began as Otemo Sushi Cafe, was sold and renamed Otomisan in the 1970s, and has been operated by Yayoi Watanabe since the mid-2000s; the menu offers homestyle Japanese fare like salmon sushi, oyakodon, tonkatsu, and soba. A pending vote by the LA Cultural Heritage Commission could designate the building as a Historic-Cultural Monument, a status that would require permits before demolition or major alteration and make it more likely the site will remain part of LA’s history." - Matthew Kang