We ordered some appetizers, small dishes, and a few yakitori skewers. To start, we had the fried sweet potato with butter. The sweet potato was crispy on the outside and had a nice, earthy sweetness. The richness of the butter rounded out the flavors nicely.

Their agedashi doufu had generous toppings of nori, green onions, and katsuobushi. But honestly, have you ever had a bad agedashi doufu? We all know what a good deep fry does. The butano kakuni was one of the better ones I’ve had, but if I was being really critical, it was not as tender as one other place we’ve been to recently. Next came the yaki onigiri. This was one of our favorite dishes, even though it’s so simple. The grilled rice ball was charred and crunchy on the outside and hoka hoka on the inside. Perfect with the side of salty tsukemono.

For yakitori, we had the chicken thigh, tsukune, and bacon wrapped quail egg. All were really good, but what stood out most was the shiso leaf wrapped in pork belly. It’s not the most photogenic—but don’t be fooled. This unassuming skewer perfectly combines the flavor of the juicy pork belly with shiso. The shiso was cooked, so it didn’t have the blast of flavor, like in its raw state. It was more subtle and went perfectly with the pork.

There was a lot of open seating, but near the entrance was a row of seats hidden by a noren, which would be perfect for a small party, in case things get rowdy!

You’ll probably find me there chowing down during their happy hour, when all yakitori is half priced—Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 6:00–8:00 pm. Also, I can’t wait to go back and try their shabu shabu.

Shin Sen Gumi Yakitori and Shabu Shabu
111 N. Atlantic Boulevard, #248
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 943-7956

In Japan, obon is observed from July 13–15, a time when families come together and welcome home the spirits of their ancestors. I remember we would visit the family grave to wash and scrub our family headstone, light incense, place a bouquet of flowers, and say a prayer. We would then go home and light a small fire in front of the house, to guide the spirits home.

Our second obon of the year was at Nishi Hongwanji on First Street. I got 6 tomatoes for $1.00 at the farmer’s market booth (!) and we took advantage of the variety of food—chirashi zushi, charsiu bao, chili rice (with a hot dog), and a bag of Okinawa dango.

A word about this dango…

I waited patiently in line, and with just one person ahead of me, they ran out. No! But they were making more (whew!). A few minutes passed, and I was starting to get impatient. But all those feelings disappeared when I was handed the warm, grease-stained bag. I knew it was worth the wait. A very generous sprinkling of cinnamon sugar, and I was good to go. This dango was crispy and sweet on the outside, soft and dense on the inside. Lo~ved it.

Upcoming obons:
July 18–19: Orange County Buddhist Church
July 18–19: Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple
July 25–26: Higashi Hongangi Buddhist Temple
July 25–26: West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple
August 1–2: Gardena Buddhist Church

Click here for more obon festivals happening in the U.S. this summer.

This was my first time going to Senshin’s obon. We heard a great performance by Andagi—an Okinawan shamisen group based out of Gardena—ate chili rice, shaved ice, and danced to the beat of the taiko drum.

Afterwards we all made our way to the temple to offer incense and light a candle in memory of those who have passed. Somen and fruit punch were served and we stayed long enough to hear one taiko performance. It was past Sa’s bedtime and it was clear we needed to get her to bed. Even though we headed home early, we left satisfied with good food, good music, memories of the past, and happy we shared the evening with a community of friends.

A few more obons in the coming months:
July 11–12: Nishi Hongwanji
July 25–26: Higashi Hongangi Buddhist Temple
August 1–2: Gardena Buddhist Church

Click here for more obon festivals happening in the U.S. this summer.

Daikokuya’s tonkotsu ramen is made from kurobuta and is the best ramen I’ve eaten outside Japan. Their ramen is topped generously with green onions, slices of kurobuta chashu, menma (pickled bamboo shoots), bean sprouts, and a soft-boild egg. The egg is marinated overnight  and the result is flavor-packed perfection—one of the things I look forward to most when the steaming bowl lands in front of me. Before digging in I cover it in a blizzard of white pepper and a small spoonful of the mashed garlic set out on the table.

Recently, they’ve added a new menu item: kichimen. The flyer on the wall described it as their new version of tsukemen, spicy and sour. I was intrigued. I’m not a huge fan of tsukemen, but this sounded different. The first sip was good, but I wasn’t blown away by the combination of flavors. Going in, my expectations may have been too high, so I made a note self not to stray from their original ramen. But then, something weird happened. As the meal continued, that broth (oh, that broth!) turned me into some kind of addict. I couldn’t stop myself from slurping spoonful after spoonful. How’d they do that?

Everything on the menu is generally good but aside from the ramen, the fried rice and gyoza are exceptional. The only things I’d avoid are the donburi and sushi items. I’ve tried both and by the end of the meal, wished I had stuck with their ramen instead. If you have an aversion for green onion, make sure you tell your waiter—here, green onions are served in mountainous forms, both in the ramen and on top of the gyoza.

You also can’t talk about Daikokiya without mentioning their décor. The interiors are vintage Japan circa 1960s and there’s nothing like it in all of Little Tokyo.

Oh, and if it’s your first time at Daikokuya, expect a line.

Daikokuya
327 East First Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 626-1680 (no reservations)