Sawtelle Japantown, like other normally bustling neighborhoods in Los Angeles, was relatively empty over the weekend, with few pedestrians, little traffic and ample parking, due to the coronavirus crisis.
At least one eating establishment, Menya Musashi, had closed permanently as of March 11.
Marugame Udon decided to shut down all of its California locations until further notice. Seoul House of Tofu was also closed until further notice, effective March 25. Mizu 212 Degrees was closed at least until March 31. Nongla Vietnamese Cafe was closed at least until April 1.
Restaurants still serving take-out included Tsujita LA (pictured), Tsujita LA Annex, Killer Noodle Tsujita, Tatsu, Chinchikurin, Manpuku and Big Boi Filipino.
Non-food businesses such as Giant Robot, GR2 Gallery (pictured) and cosmetic shop Make Asobi were closed until further notice.
One food truck, Okamoto Kitchen, was operating on Sawtelle.
The lone grocery store, Nijiya, had a long line that went all the way to Daiso (which remained open) on the other side of the shopping plaza due to social distancing.
Note: This is not a comprehensive list of local businesses. For more information on Sawtelle Japantown, visit https://www.facebook.com/sawtellejapantownblog/ or https://sawtelleja.com/.
Photos by J.K. YAMAMOTO/Rafu Shimpo