Oh god. 
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Thanks @JeetKuneBao — this thread was super helpful in trying to distill such a broad and nuanced cuisine, especially for readers who might think Japanese food starts and ends with teriyaki or California rolls. And I know print is dead and all that, but I would encourage people to pick up a physical copy if possible (you can find them at most grocery store checkout aisles). The magazine’s art director is super talented and created a gorgeous layout, and there’s some very cool illustrations by Lisa Kogawa. (http://www.lisakogawa.com/) as well. Hopefully it’s worth the $5 or whatever Ralph’s charges now. 
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You might have to take your account private! Of course, we’ve already downloaded all your photos! Bwahahahahaha. J/K (you hope).
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Hah. Hey, if you want 500 pictures of my cats, go for it! 
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Hi @g_sny,
Nice write up. One fix you might consider for the Online version:
The picture you posted for Tsujita L.A. is actually for Tsujita Annex. There’s a big difference between both ramen.
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Thank you for the pic catch @Chowseeker1999. Much appreciated!
As for the broth style, from what I understood it’s only Tsujita’s tsukemen that’s made with tonkotsu gyokai — their standard ramen is just Hakata-style tonkotsu.
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Thanks @g_sny. Ah that’s right, they changed it (I was thinking of my visit talking to the original crew of Tsujita (now working at The Tsujita); they were featuring tonkotsu-gyoukai ramen but based on the clientele / requests, they changed it back to regular tonkotsu. Yah, only their tsukemen (which I think is the better order) is tonkotsu-gyoukai at this point. Thanks!
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Good list!
If there is ever a version 2.0 of the list, it would be more comprehensive to include:
Yoshoku (hamburg steak, croquette, demi glace sauce, hayashi beef/rice, curry rice, and wafu pasta though that could be a separate sub category)
Tonkatsu (e.g. Kagura)
Shabu Shabu (e.g. Ka Ga Ya) or a category for Nabemono/hot pot
Okonomiyaki - there was a thread about this recently
Yakiniku (this is a very misunderstood category and often gets dismissed by those in favor of KBBQ), for high end there’s Yazawa and for chains there’s always Gyu Kaku.
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Any recent visits by anyone around FTC?
It was great when it opened but I have not returned for a while…feeling the itch!
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Wow - what a cool piece - love the Matt Weaver Shout Out.
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There’s also Tsuruhashi and Anjin (dont know if theyre still around) in OC and Seiko-en in Torrance for Yakiniku
Totally agree with this one. Because there is only so much ramen, sushi, and chicken heart skewers one can eat. Japanese diner food is great.
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Coming in late to this thread. Really fascinating, the issue of authentic Japanese food and whether LA has a good representation of it.
I’m not a historian for Japanese food per se, but I would like to bring in a historical perspective on the development of Japanese food.
For instance, ramen is essentially Chinese noodles brought back from Mainland China after WWII. It became a manic obsession to create the best possible pork broth to serve the noodles. A somewhat similar story with the origins of Saimin in Hawaii.
Tonkatsu (pork cutlet) comes from Europe. The “katsu” comes from the English “cutlet”. But now more non-Japanese chefs are using Japanese panko in their frying/baking.
Even sushi as we know it is a relatively new food. A 100 years ago, people didn’t even eat tuna. Modern American variations of sushi, like the California roll, etc, are finding their way to Japan.
A lot of what we call authentic Japanese food is Japanese chefs taking food ideas from elsewhere and, in an evolutionary process, making them uniquely “Japanese”. Have you ever had Japanese Italian food?
What I think is really authentic about Japanese food is that there is a never ending process to taking great food and making it better.
Also, cynically speaking, what we get in LA is food that sells. Restaurants that specialize in Oden aren’t going to make it big.
Going on beefnoguys post…
Suehiro Cafe’s off menu special…Hayashi Rice. So good! Bang it up with Udon at Marugame Monzo and you would still see the same people waiting at Daikokuya
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Is there an oden specialist in LA?
you can get oden at Torihei in Torrance from what i know. I don’t know of a place that just makes Oden. ( i don’t think you could be a place that survives just on Oden only)
i could be wrong, hopefully someone can correct me if i am.
I went over the weekend, it was good.
“Yazawa Yaki,” or perhaps their version of “noharayaki” from Tokyo’s Jumbo Hanare on which it is ostensibly based, were excellent.
We had prime long cut tongue wrapped around green onion and ginger sauce, (regular) semi-thick tongue with salt (better), kalbi, harami, shin shin, special rice, oxtail soup, spicy beef soup, momotaro tomato, two types of kimchi, and a fair amount of beer.
Favorites were the “Yazawa Yaki,” regular tongue, momotaro tomato, and kalbi.
Late to this thread. What makes Japanese food in LA tick? The relative breadth and depth of Japanese cuisine, largely thanks to the Japanese population which has resided in various parts of LA for decades (especially South Bay and West LA) and the trickle down effect leading to an openness to and popularity of Japanese food. LA also has a bit of its own brand of certain types of Japanese food, and there is big curiosity on the diners’ end. Diners’ increased familiarity with Japanese food and the ease with which Japanese food is adapted or integrated into a California menu or diet increase Japanese food’s prevalence and popularity, encouraging some restaurants to go deeper than they would otherwise elsewhere in the country. But the foundation of why the offerings of Japanese food in LA are what they are is, as is with any good “ethnic” cuisine, the contribution of the original “ethnic” population. Then there’s a positive feedback loop.
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