A typical street in Gardena with strong Japanese character
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Gardena. To vote for other
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Gardena (in Japanese, ガーデナ; in Korean, 가데나 ) is located in the
South Bay or
South LA region, depending on your definition. It's a bit odd to consider it South Bay, since it's not on the water. However, there's a perception that it's unlike the rest of South LA, which is erroneously thought of as being much more homogenous than it is.
surrounded by the slender
Harbor Gateway to the east and south,
Torrance to the southwest,
Hawthorne to the northwest,
West Athens to the north, and
Alondra Park to the west. In recognition of
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (and on account of it being voted for by readers), I took the
CARDIS on a trip, joined by first time traveling companions
Matt and
Cheryl. We got some eats (‘n’ drinks) at
Azuma and
Furaibo, some groceries and goods at
Marukai, and deeply inhaled the strawberry scented (and hot) air in
Sanrio Surprises.
Rancho San Pedro William Starke Rosecrans
In 1784, a
Spaniard,
Juan José Dominguez, was given a portion of land in reward for his military service which was named
Rancho San Pedro in what was formerly a
Tongva hunting and fishing area. Anyway, it passed into the hands of the
Mexicans afterward, and ultimately was taken by the
US. The first Anglo settler was mostly a Civil War veteran, Ohioan
William Starke Rosecrans, who established
Rosecrans Rancho there in 1869. In 1887, he was followed by another veteran, Kentuckian
Spencer R. Thorpe. The name "Gardena" is said to have been proposed by Thorpe's daugher,
Nettie.
That year, a railway line to Gardena was established and over the next couple of years, many more Anglos came to ranch and farm in the area.
Los Angeles and Redondo Railway
In 1904, Englishman
John Bodger established
Sweet Pea Farm in the town, then home to 1,000 residents. Another large portion of the farmers and gardeners were Japanese who'd mostly arrived from Hawaii.
Due to the acres of berry farms, the city was nicknamed "
Berryland" and there used to be an annual Strawberry Day Festival and Parade. Although the
Laguna Dominguez slough and channel fed the area and gave it its green character, it was filled in in the 1920s. Nonetheless, Gardena today still boasts several nurseries and parks that reflect its past. Gardena [along with the neighboring communities of Strawberry Park (to the northwest) and Moneta (to the south)] was incorporated into the City of Gardena in 1930.
Japanese-Americans have long been integral to the fabric of
Los Angeles.
J-Towns have sprung up around the
Southland in
Torrance,
Boyle Heights,
Monterey Park,
Pasadena,
San Pedro,
Terminal Island,
Compton,
Long Beach and
Sawtelle, and Gardena (although, as far as I know, only two have acquired nicknames that reflect their Japanese-ness,
Little Tokyo and
Little Ōsaka).
Gardena Buddhist Church
In 1911, the
Japanese Association founded the
Moneta Japanese Institute. After the end of Japanese internment, many J-towns disappeared, but in Gardena, many Japanese-Americans returned to their former home after regaining their freedom. In the 1970s and '80s, Gardena saw a massive influx of even more Japanese. Today, at over 60,000 residents, Gardena still has a strong Japanese and Pacific Islander presence, making up roughly 27% of the population. Gardena is also approximately 25% black, 12% white and 32% Latino. Mexican and Japanese are the main ethnicities.
Tozai Shopping Center
Gardena is widely known for its Japanese food but, as this list of Gardena eateries suggests, there is a variety to be found at joints and there are a lot of Korean eateries,
Hawaiian joints and BBQ places. Some of the better known restaurants and other food-related places include Azuma,
Hakata Ramen Shinsengumi, Ahsah, Ana's La Gran Fonda, California Fish Grill, Jay-Bee's House of Fine Bar-B-Que, Kanpachi, Rascals Teriyaki Grill, Kau Kau Korner, Sushi Boy, Kiraku Ramen, El Rocoto, California 90, Pho Gardena, Pho So 1, Pho Long, Sakuraya, Meiji Tofu, Chikara Mochi, Giuliano's, Sakae Sushi, Polla a la Brasa, MamMoth Bakery, Jade's Bakery, La Villa, Bruddah's, Spoonhouse Bakery, Otafuku, Sea Empress, California Rice Center, Umemura, Daruma Izakaya, Akane Chaya, Kotohira, Classic Burger, Old Time Noodle House, Furaibo,
Burnt Tortilla, Rainbow Donuts, A Taste of Jamaica, Fish City, Big Star Cafe, Tokyo Grill, Tottino's, La Perla and the Murakai Supermarket.
Pacific Garden Mall
...and yes, the Pacific Garden Hotel for the overnight shopper
Today, much of Gardena's character remains, not surprisingly, green and Japanese, as evinced by Sanrio Surprise,
Hide's Shiatsu, Pacific Square Shopping Center, Tozai Shopping Center, Masfukai Park and the
Gardena Buddhist Church (established in 1926).
Nightlife in evidence takes place mostly at bars like
Club Momo, Gaku, Moa, Wild Card, Yes, The Desert Room, Club Diva, The Aloha Room, Celeb, Ray's Place, Marty's and
A Sung. Of course, there's karaoke at
501 Music Studio, Suzuran, Donna's, Fantasia, Daruma Izakaya and
Sing Sing, for those interested in checking out the local music scene.
The most famous musician born in Gardena is not an aspiring karaoke singer, but rather noted jazz saxophonist
Art Pepper. In other Jazz-in-Gardena news, in August the city hosts
The Gardena Jazz Festival. The only rock band that I know of from Gardena is
The Pretty Kittens, an all-girl rock band in the 1960s.
And although
Bookoff is mostly about books (with a huge
Manga section), they also had a pretty impressive selection of
Japanese Dramas and film, as well as a bafflingly organized music selection. Even Matt, a librarian by trade, could not figure out the system, but we did eventually find the
Judy and Mary CD we were looking for. As Cheryl was rung up, the cashier put her money in bowl and said something in Japanese. Cheryl nodded although none of us understood what was going on.
Amoeba Hollywood boasts a pretty impressive collection of Japanese Cinema but nothing compared to the rental store
Video Japan. As Cheryl perused the horror films (note to Cheryl: High School Killer), Matt waxed philosophical about Japanese actress
Sora Aoi.
Gardena’s been a shooting location for several films. For the years it existed,
The Ascot Park Speedway was featured in films quite often, appearing in
Roar of the Crowd; the
Bowery Boys film,
Jalopy; the Elvis film,
Spinout; as well as the
Jack Hill film,
Pit Stop;
Gone in 60 Seconds;
A Very Brady Christmas; and an episode of
CHiPs. Ascot was also the site of the annual
USAC Turkey Night Grand Prix midget race on Thanksgiving. It was closed in the 1990s and fewer films have been shot in Gardena ever since.
Gardena Boulevard back in the dayOther film locations include the Marine/Redondo Green Line station, which was seen in Heat, and The Pet Haven Cemetary & Crematory served as The Happier Hunting Grounds in The Loved One. H.B. Halicki was obviously a fan of Gardena. He premiered Gone in 60 Seconds and also filmed portions of The Junkman there. Gardena was also featured in Ed Wood, Mulholland Dr., Run if You Can, Money to Burn, The Abominable..., Fragments (aka Winged Creatures), the Deborah Gibson vehicle Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus, The Grind, Flossin and Palmer Chandler's Kitchen Catastrophes. Actor Toby Holguin was born in Gardena. Gardena has been featured on TV a couple of times, once an episode of Hot Rod TV and once on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, which featured Jay-Bee's in the episode "Real Deal BBQ." One of the radio station call-ins in CB4 was from a listener in Gardena too.