Little Osaka

Journey Through Sawtelle

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Hey friends, Joan here.

Even before I moved to the Westside, I had begun my journey through the infamous street of Sawtelle, an area also known as Little Osaka. Every block has a ramen shop and each one has something unique to offer. Just when I thought Sawtelle had enough ramen shops, they opened another one!

A Daikokuya opened up several months ago and I finally got around to checking it out. The first time I heard about this thing called ramen, (the legit kind, not the packaged kind that we all grew up with) was at the popular Daikokuya in Little Tokyo, in Downtown Los Angeles. I’m sure that Westside ramen enthusiasts were thrilled to hear that they no longer need to make a trek to dark side of LA.

IMG_9241 Inside decor looked like Ramen Alley in Sapporo, Japan

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BFF!

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Hey everyone, Joan here!

Sorry it’s been a while! As you might have read in one of our last blog posts, (Here’s to a New Year) things have been crazy busy with Tanya and I. We’re still busy, but we are always doing our best to keep up with the blog! So don’t worry, we ain’t goin nowhere!

Tanya came out to Santa Monica for the day to hang and we checked out a ramen restaurant that my coworker told me about. He grew up in West LA and have been going to this place all his life. So we thought we’d check it out!

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Funky Ramen Trio

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Hey friends,

Just writing a quick post for ya!

Before a gig, my friends, Max and JohnPaul, joined me for dinner at Tsujita Annex. The last time I went there I had their tsukemen, which was delicious yet overwhelmingly heavy. So I thought I’d give their bowl of ramen a try this time. The three of us ordered the Ramen with Soft Boiled Egg.

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Police Force Ramen

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Did you know that the Shinsengumi were a special police force of Japan during the final years of the Tokugawa shogunate? The Shinsengumi kept the peace in Kyoto between 1853 and 1867, when Japan opened up to the West and their political situation became very chaotic.

I sound like I know what I’m talking about….

Hey everyone, Joan here. Last Friday, I went on a ramen run with my friend Max (ramen run celebrity wannabe and Bodhi Rock trumpeteer) at the new Shinsengumi in West LA. With the stiff competition of ramen restaurants in Little Osaka, I was surprised that Shinsengumi found a home on Sawtelle Blvd. It was located several blocks north of the Little Osaka area where there’s a ramen spot on every corner. But at least the West LA folks won’t have to make a trek down to Little Tokyo in Downtown LA just for some customizable ramen!

IMG_7132Shinsengumi is located in a very unusual area…

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Ramen Converts

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Hey friends, Joan here.

I have acquired new converts to join my ramen cult. Muahaha!

After a Matthew Jude Band gig at the Joint in LA, I thought I’d take some friends on a late night ramen run at Tatsu. Half of them have never had ramen before so I was pretty excited to be part of their first ramen run!

There was actually a large group of us there, but I didn’t take any photos of myself, Matthew Jude, and Angie. You’ve seen enough of our faces anyway.

IMG_0142       Newbies Matt (different Matt & groupie)
& Kelly (awesome lady and MJBand supporter!)

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Post-Reggae Ramen

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Hey everyone, Joan here.

After a night of reggae and dancing with my friends, Bodhi Rock, I was soooo hungry and wanted ramen. The only place I knew of that was open past midnight was Tatsu Ramen in Little Osaka. My friend, Jeraldin, who has been so great at supporting the Bodhi Rock shows, joined me for ramen.

IMG_6670Bodhi Rock rockin’ it at the Basement Tavern in Santa Monica.
Oh, and me!! (on congas)

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Adventures in Little Osaka

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Hey everyone, Joan here.

It’s been a while since Tanya had ramen in LA and I finally got to take her! We went to Ramen Hayatemaru, a place that opened about 4 months ago, in West LA.

Tanya here. I can’t really remember when I have been in LA for ramen but I was excited. It has been too long. Just to give you a heads up, you need cash!

IMG_6478Tanya looked happy, I looked like a trouble maker…

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