Staying in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles: Is It a Good Base?

At night, Little Tokyo lit up. Lanterns came on over the plaza and the little restaurants filled up and we'd squeeze into a small shop for ramen. In the morning, those same streets were so quiet!

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In this guide 9 sections

That switch is why we loved staying in Little Tokyo.

Cream and I spent a week in a Little Tokyo hotel, the DoubleTree, before we'd ever been to Japan. Looking back after a month of living in Tokyo, I think it really gives off Tokyo vibes. It has cool lights and great little restaurants, just like Japan!

Is Little Tokyo a Good Place to Stay? My Quick Answer

• Yes. It's central, it's walkable, and its hotels cost less than much of Downtown LA. Come hungry, because the food is the best part.
• Where to book: the DoubleTree, where we stayed, or the Miyako, the best-reviewed hotel in Little Tokyo.
• Safe at night? It felt safe to us, with lots of people out. Skid Row starts at 3rd Street, so know where Little Tokyo ends.
• Getting around: two Metro lines at the door, and Uber or a rental car worked fine for us everywhere else in LA.
• Skip it if you want the beach outside your door, or calm streets after dark.

I'd book one of these three.

The Hotels in Little Tokyo, Compared

I'll keep this list short. Little Tokyo only runs from about 1st Street to 3rd Street.

Just three hotels sit inside it.

Hotel	Kayak score	Rooms from	Good to know
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Los Angeles Downtown	7.5 (about 2,000 reviews)	$133	The big one, on the west edge. Where we stayed.
Miyako Hotel Los Angeles	8.6 (about 3,000 reviews)	$147	173 rooms, on the 1st Street restaurant block
Little Tokyo Hotel	6.8 (836 reviews)	$128	18 rooms, shared bathrooms

• Taxes on top: LA adds a 14% hotel tax to the room,¹ and hotels with 50 or more rooms can add a 2% tourism assessment.⁶

1. DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Los Angeles Downtown // Where We Stayed

We're loyal to Hilton, so the DoubleTree was an easy pick for us. And yes, you get the warm chocolate chip cookie at check-in. The cookies! If there's a DoubleTree, I'm picking it just for the cookie.

We got two each and took them up to the room and ate them there.

It's a tradition for us.

It was a 10/10 stay for us. We were up pretty high and our king room had a decent amount of space, and I'm pretty sure our window looked out at City Hall. It was comfortable and quiet at night.

I liked the lobby too. It's nice and big and you can hang out in it, and we never ate at the hotel because Little Tokyo's restaurants were right outside.

That rooftop Japanese garden is stunning! It's such a cool thing to have in a Downtown hotel. It's called Kyoto Gardens and it's up on the third-floor roof, and it's a half-acre copy of the old garden at the Hotel New Otani in Tokyo.⁸ This hotel opened as the New Otani in 1977.

I liked where it is, too. It's the big tower on the corner of 1st Street and Los Angeles Street, and City Hall is one way and Japanese Village Plaza is the other. Both are only a few minutes on foot.

• Address: 120 S Los Angeles St.
• Metro: Little Tokyo/Arts District station is under 10 minutes away on foot.
• On Kayak: guests rated its location highest.
• Parking: $49 a night to park yourself or $58 for valet, plus a 10% tax, in October 2026.⁷
• Who it's for: anyone who wants a big, full-service hotel on the edge of Little Tokyo, with Downtown's sights close too.
• Skip it if: you'd rather wake up right in the middle of the restaurants. That's the Miyako.

2. Miyako Hotel Los Angeles // The Best-Reviewed in Little Tokyo

I'd pick the Miyako if I wanted to step out the door and be right among the restaurants. It's at 328 E 1st St on Little Tokyo's main street and it's smaller than the DoubleTree, and it has its own restaurant and bar.

Guests love it. It had the best Kayak score of the three.

• Who it's for: anyone who wants to be on 1st Street, with the plaza and the Metro a couple of minutes away.
• Skip it if: you want a big hotel with more facilities.

3. Little Tokyo Hotel // The Budget Pick

I'd check this one last. It's a small, simple hotel upstairs at 327½ E 1st St, across from the Miyako, and the bathrooms are shared.

On our dates it was barely cheaper than the DoubleTree. I'd compare the big two before you settle.

• Who it's for: solo travelers and budget trips who don't mind sharing a bathroom.
• Skip it if: you want a private bathroom.

If none of these fit, I'd look one Metro stop farther. There are more hotels in the Arts District and the rest of Downtown, from Bunker Hill to South Park. Check what's free around Little Tokyo on your dates, or browse the map:

Places to stay in and around Little Tokyo

This map comes from Stay22, a booking partner.

What Staying in Little Tokyo Is Like

I loved how Little Tokyo felt like one place in the day and another at night.

Staying here, we got both.

Our mornings were peaceful. We'd walk over for matcha lattes while the plaza was still quiet and the shops were just opening. In the evening the lanterns came on and it got so lively, and that's when we'd go find dinner.

It was really fun for us.

I think it's the lighting that gets it right. At night, Japanese Village Plaza felt like a yokocho to me. In Tokyo, those are the narrow alleys of tiny restaurants, all under lanterns.

What Isn't Tokyo About It

Now that we've lived in Tokyo, a few things stand out.

• It's a few blocks, not a city. In Tokyo, the alleys and lights go on for miles. Here, you can walk across Little Tokyo in a few minutes, and then you're in Downtown LA.
• The neighborhood next door. Skid Row starts a few blocks south. In Tokyo, we walked home through Shinjuku at night. Here, you want to know which block you're on.
• The rest of the city is a ride away. Tokyo's trains go everywhere. LA is spread out, so most of the big sights are an Uber, a drive, or a Metro ride with a change.
• The bill. Prices are LA prices, and a tip goes on top. Tokyo has no tipping.

Is Little Tokyo Safe at Night?

Little Tokyo felt safe to us. There are a lot of people out at night around the plaza and along 1st Street, and that helps. There are some areas nearby you want to know about, though.

I'd learn one street before you go. It's 3rd Street.

Skid Row is usually defined as about 50 blocks south of there.² It runs down to 7th Street, between Main Street and Alameda Street. Little Tokyo's restaurants and hotels are on 1st and 2nd Street just to the north and the two sit right next to each other, and no sign tells you where one ends.

Our tips for nights here:

• Keep to 1st and 2nd Street after dark. That's where the restaurants are, and where people are out.
• Don't wander south of 3rd Street at night, on San Pedro Street or anywhere else.
• Take an Uber for the last stretch if you're coming back late from somewhere else in Downtown.
• Check the news before you go. Little Tokyo is a few blocks from City Hall and the federal buildings, where Downtown's protests gather. In June 2025, during protests over immigration raids, the city put a week-long overnight curfew on Downtown.⁵

Just be city smart. We were fine!

Getting Around From Little Tokyo

We had no issue getting around LA from here, and Little Tokyo is so central that Uber or a rental car got us to everything we did in the city.

Most people who visit LA rent a car and I get it, because from here the freeways run in every direction. Compare rental cars at LAX for your dates. Parking at the hotels costs extra every night, so check the rate before you book.

You don't need a car just for Little Tokyo, though. Little Tokyo/Arts District station is on 1st Street at Central Avenue, a few minutes from the plaza. It's on two Metro lines. From there the A Line runs north to Union Station and Pasadena and south to Long Beach, and the E Line runs west across LA to Santa Monica.

• Metro fare: $1.75 a ride, and it caps at $5 for the day.³

Going to	Metro from Little Tokyo/Arts District	Time on the train
Union Station	A Line, one stop	4 minutes
Crypto.com Arena and L.A. Live	A or E Line to Pico	7 minutes
Old Pasadena and the Rose Bowl	A Line to Memorial Park	28 minutes
Hollywood Walk of Fame	A Line to Union Station, then B Line to Hollywood/Highland	About 27 minutes, plus the change
Universal Studios Hollywood	A Line to Union Station, then B Line to Universal City/Studio City	About 31 minutes, plus the change
Santa Monica Pier	E Line to Downtown Santa Monica	52 minutes

From LAX: with big bags, I'd take an Uber. If you're traveling light, the FlyAway bus runs nonstop from the terminals to Union Station for $12.75 one way.⁴ From there it's one A Line stop to Little Tokyo. If you'd rather have someone waiting at arrivals, book a private transfer from LAX to your hotel.

What's Within Walking Distance

Mostly, we walked around and ate. Our favorites were the udon at Marugame Monzo and the plant-based ramen at Rakkan, and in between we'd grab an iced matcha latte or a box of taiyaki. At Monzo, they make the noodles in an open kitchen! We scored every place we ate in our ranking of the best food in Little Tokyo.

All of these are close to the hotels, too:

• Japanese Village Plaza. A pedestrian lane of shops, snacks, and restaurants between 1st and 2nd Street, under strings of paper lanterns. The red fire lookout tower marks the 1st Street entrance.
• The historic 1st Street block. Before World War II, Little Tokyo was the largest Japanese community in the US, and two blocks of its old commercial heart are now a National Historic Landmark.
• The Japanese American National Museum, on 1st Street at Central Avenue, and the Go For Broke Monument to Japanese American soldiers of World War II behind it.
• Weller Court, a small shopping center with the Kinokuniya bookstore for Japanese books, manga, and stationery.
• The Arts District, just east across Alameda Street, for murals, breweries, and coffee.
• City Hall and Grand Park, to the west, with Grand Central Market a little farther on.

What We Didn't Love

It's pricey. Ours was a little pricey, but for LA I think it was a good deal.

Every LA hotel is, though.

Skid Row next door. It's a few minutes' walk south. You'll see it if you walk that way, and I wouldn't wander there after dark.

It's far from the beach. Santa Monica is 52 minutes on the E Line, and more in traffic by car. If the ocean is why you came to LA, I'd stay there.

Who Should Stay in Little Tokyo, and Who Shouldn't

For a normal four- or five-day LA trip, I'd pick Little Tokyo. It's central and it's easy to get places from here, and it's also a really cute spot to come back to every night!

Stay in Little Tokyo if:

• It's your first time in LA and you want to see a lot of the city.
• You're coming for the food.
• You don't have a car, and you want two Metro lines at the door.
• You're going to a game or concert at Crypto.com Arena, seven minutes away on the train.

Pick somewhere else if:

• The beach is the point of your trip. Stay in Santa Monica.
• You want calm, quiet streets all around you at night.

Why I'd Stay in Little Tokyo Again

I'd book the DoubleTree again, cookies and all.

At night the lanterns glow over the plaza and people are still out on 1st Street and in the little restaurants, and it feels like a little piece of Tokyo.