About Littleakihbara

About Us

Mission Statement

Explore our Mission Statement: Discover our vision and values guiding our journey.”

Pop-up Store

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Store Opening

Examples of Current and Previous Store Locations

Our Mission Statement

A New Boom of Japanese Subculture

The first wave of a Japan Boom was when Japanese immigrants came to the United States and rooted their traditional Japanese culture, in spite of all the hardships they faced. Following that, was a Second Wave when a new generation of Japanese immigrants came and built upon those foundations in order to create a new type of Japanese culture, one where anime, J-POP and other pop culture have since flourished.Now it is upon these waves of change that we aim to create a new wave of Japan Boom right here at the foundation of their beginnings, our base, Little Tokyo.The core of our Third Wave is Japanese subculture. In order to create an even bigger wave than the predecessors, we will recreate Akihabara, the sacred land of Japanese Subculture right here in Little Tokyo and transform into a “Little Akihabara”. We will continue to create “Little Akihabara” as a place where people can experience the same atmosphere and joys as Akihabara within the United States.

In Little Tokyo, there are already so many young pop culture fans who stand in long lines in front of Anime Jungle, excitedly waiting to go in. On weekends, the area becomes exceptionally crowded, drawing in people from all over the country and even the world! This is exactly the same image as the people who go to Akihabara from regional cities all over.Furthermore, Little Tokyo has become more than a space where you can just buy hobby merchandise. It is a place where people can gather with friends and family, enjoy meals together, take cosplay photos, and overall just have fun!To build on this phenomenon, our next move in growing our business is to create a space that will become a center of activities for young people in order to develop a community just like the one in Akihabara.As our first step in our business’s development, we have opened three commercial spaces for pop-up stores on the first floor of the Little Tokyo Mall. Located next to Anime Jungle, which is known for attracting a high flow of customers, this location is the ideal place for young people who come and go.We hope companies considering branching into the U.S will allow us to work together through our pop-up spaces, in order to test the market of your business so you can become a part of the spark that ignites the third wave of the Japan boom.

PUBLICITY

David Ikegami (left), Little Tokyo Business Association president, congratulates Tetsu Shiota on the opening of America’s first official Bandai store, Gashapon.

By ELLEN ENDO, Rafu Shimpo

Five years ago, businessman Tetsu Shiota embarked on a mission to bring one of the world’s largest toy companies to Little Tokyo. Earlier this month, he made history when he opened Bandai’s first specialty store in the U.S.

The goal, according to Shiota, is to expand the new store, Gashapon, and introduce its concept nationwide.

Aware that many stores selling anime-themed products in America “ignore copyright,” Shiota, who owns Anime Jungle, Entertainment Hobby Shop Jungle, and Little Akihabara Holdings in the Little Tokyo Mall, emphasizes that his product “is 100 percent authentic.”

He adds that all items manufactured and distributed by Bandai meet U.S. safety and quality standards.

Entering the new store, the customer encounters a colorful array of sights and sounds emanating from rows of vending machines. The name Gashapon stems from the spinning sound (gasha) activated when a token is dropped into the machine. A capsule containing an official Bandai toy is dispensed with a pop sound (pon).

Shiota’s expansion of his business model reaches beyond his anime stores. He hopes to help establish and sustain Little Tokyo as a hub of Japanese culture in America.

Bandai Company, Ltd. was established in 1961, achieving initial success with action figures based on the anime “Astro Boy” (“Tetsuwan Atomu” in Japanese). Today, the Tokyo-based company is ranked alongside Mattel and Hasbro as one of the world’s largest and most profitable toy companies. Bandai is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings with offices in California, Mexico, the U.K., France, Spain, Taiwan, and mainland China.

For the past four years, Shiota has worked closely with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro), Little Tokyo Business Association, and Anime Jungle to provide shuttle buses to bring hundreds of Anime Expo attendees from the L.A. Convention Center to Little Tokyo.

Location: 319 E. 2nd St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Hours: Wednesday-Monday, 12 to 7 p.m. (closed Tuesday)
Website: https://shop.bandai.com/gashapon

About Us

Mission Statement

Pop-up Store

Store Opening

Our Mission Statement

A New Boom of Japanese Subculture

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