By ELLEN ENDO
Rafu Shimpo
It’s early Sunday morning, the weekend before Christmas. A hum emanates from trucks entering the Japanese Village Plaza loading dock while the Imagawayaki baker at Mitsuru Café warms up her grill.
In Japanese Village Plaza, Shogun Santa pursues his mission to dispel the notion that jolly old elves only come in white.
A 12-year-old boy accompanied by his dad examines a giant decorated box bearing the words “LAPD Toy Drive.”
“What is this for?” the boy, Mateo, asks, pointing to the box. He learns that toys are collected and then distributed to needy children by the Los Angeles Police Department. Little known is the fact that, due to shelter overcrowding, there is a growing number of children living in encampments.
“We are from Mexico,” Mateo asserts. Shogun Santa is impressed. The boy’s English is pretty good.
A short while later, the City Church choral group strolls up, hymnals in hand, singing holiday classics led by Pastor Chris Fukunaga. Only in Little Tokyo will a Christmas concert occur on your way to a tonkotsu ramen lunch.
Crowds moved through the plaza throughout the day non-stop, including a contingent of furries, people dressed as giant stuffed animals. It’s just another day in Little Tokyo.
By mid-afternoon, Shogun Santa was wrapping up to go home when he heard someone say, “Hello again!” It was Mateo. He was with his mother this time. He smiled as he proudly dropped a toy into the box. A sure sign that the Christmas spirit is alive and well in our community.