LA’s Oldest Japanese Restaurant: Keeping the Legacy Alive

I wish she were my extra grandma.

home cook authentic japanese meal ... don't let this hidden treasure be gone from LA.

The customer ticket warning is so cute haha.

Lightning McQueen is proud.

Fantastic 😊

My brother who lived in Los Angeles for almost two decades lived in Boyle Heights for six of those years and he always loved the food at Otomisan. He had passed on five years ago from multiple sclerosis at only 44 years old.

Can she at least get non rusted pots and pans?

What a hard worker. Will stop in for a meal.

IM SO FURIOUS RIGHT NOW 😠 😡 👿 😤 I NEVER KNEW THIS EXISTED IN MY BEAUTIFUL HOMETOWN AND I MOVED AWAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOW INFURIATING THAT I COULDNT TRY THIS FOOD UNTIL I GO BACK TO VISIT

I would love to eat here some day... L.A. is a long ways though.

I love these type of segments. Thank you, Munchies for highlighting neighborhood gems! I look forward to visiting Mrs. Watanabe's restaurant when I visit LA.

Her restaurant should be made a heritage site as it is the only original restaurant left in what was predominately a Japanese area!!!! She is amazing!!!!

And yet I worry this place will also use FAKE CRAB like every other Sushi Place in The US.

I even went out of my way to get a REAL CRAB Spider Roll the other day and the place adds fake crab along with the soft shell crab… disgusting.

I have NEVER seen fake crab used in a Sushi Restaurant in Japan, only real crab even at the cheaper sushi train places.

Yet some idiot in the US decided “let’s put fake crab in 80 percent of sushi rolls!” and every other lemming of a restaurant followed him.

The worst offender is the California Roll. Fake crab and rice? Why? Who hurt you?

It’s like if every Mexican Restaurant in the US decided to put Taco Bell seasoned hamburger meat in all their tacos… even if there was already carne asada in it…

i have no immediate plans to go to LA - but if i ever do, this place better still be running

This looks absolutely delicious and like such a happy cozy place to be 💛 I love the customer-made mug and that she displays her grandson's artwork! I wish her many many more years of success and happiness and I hope I get to go here one day!

i lived right next to boyle heights for 8 years and never knew this was here!! next time i visit LA, Yaya will get my business for sure. And when i move back, i'll become a regular.

I ate here a few times when I lived in City Terrace. It's a hidden little gem for sure. The food was exceptional!

なんか涙が出そうになりました！
今度ロサンゼルスに行ったら訪れたいと思います！！！

For sure stopping by before moving to another state.

Amazing work keeping it running for so many years 🙏🏽

I'm so happy this place exists! this owner is a queen! long live the queen!

え〜〜〜っ！！！1989年に語学学校で初めてLAに来た後一度日本に帰国し、再度1993年に渡米からずっとLAに住んで居るにもかかわらず今まで全く聞いたことも見たこともなかったなんて信じられません！日本人が料理してる日本食レストランをずぅ〜っと探してました！今日息子にインスタグラムで誰かがこのお店を紹介してるのを見てびっくり‼️
娘と息子はハーフだけど親子丼やうな重、そぼろ弁当、天ぷらうどんが大好き❣️豚カツ、カレーライス、オムライス、ハンバーグなどの洋食屋さん…日本人が丁寧に作ったあのクオリティを満たすレストランを30年経った今やっと知りました！今月中に絶対行こう！❤😊

I wish I live nearby, so that I can visit regularly and support the restaurant.
I also hope Otomisan can continue to exist years to come, because this is the kind of restaurant that you can feel motherly food and atmosphere.

I hope the restaurant can expand with more booth and she can get more help as well. It will definitely be a huge success!!

Definitely want to go an support❤. She seems like a nice lady ❤

I love her Mexican loteria apron with "La Luchona" (the fighter/persistent) right in front.

This video kind of killed this spot. Its good but its not that good to warrant the long lines it has now. Hour plus wait like 24/7 now. Bummer

美味しい

I worked down the street for 2 years and didn't know. I'm so angry lol

I live in Australia. It's very difficult to find a real japanese restaurant own by Japanese. i never go to japanese restaurant own by impostors (chinese or Korean).

Too bad the location is the ghetto, smack right in the worst location in CA, the most unsafe and with one of the highest crime rates in the USA.

Stories like these are what gonna make America great again. Remind me of my mom,granny beliefs ❤

What an incredible woman and restaurant. She radiates kindness and goodness and she’s why local restaurants makes the world a better place

She is so nice

Places such as this need protecting. Food weaves itself into history.

went there today ✨👍🏼 the food is fantastic

Went there last month! It’s such a welcoming environment and she’s so so sweet. You can tell she loves taking care of her customers.

Lived in Boyle Heights for 3 years off 1st st and never realized there was bomb Udon so close!!!

Thank you - I'm going to go there

I literally live across the street

Food is 🔥, Yayoi is a sweet lady.. definitely coming back !

Nice job. No host to interrupt. Constance. That's awesome sauce from l.a ca

I love this place! been there a couple times when I lived in Boyle Heights. I shall stop by one of these days when I visit home.

Your old Japanese 🇲🇽 🌮 🌮 🌮 NOT OLD SPANISH 🌯 🌮 🤡 GOOF

I went today. The food is good. I think Mrs. Watanabe is getting old though. She looked stressed. She doesn't speak much English. I wish we could have talked more.

Where is this amazing Japanese Munchie exacting we have to take Metro from SFV

Tanx for bringing this video
Asian burger joints in Aliso are a staple to Boyle Heights
Are there any left behind

Went there a couple of years ago and it was so bloody good , I really recommend this hidden gem!!

My father grew up in Boyle Heights in the 30s and 40s. It was a heavily Jewish area and also Japanese he went to Roosevelt high school there! He was coming home from school when he saw a lot of his friends on trucks being hauled off to the concentration camps at the start of World War II!!!I I t really depressed them because he had a lot of Japanese American friends, he told me about that years later he’s walking home from school and he sees his friends being carted off to her prison he and of course I am Jewish and there were h a lot of synagogues in Boyle Heights especially the BREED StTREET Synagogue!

Otomisan needs enough modern assistant without jeopardising the nostalgic. I pray the warmness in Otomisan always continues. Mrs Watanabe seems like a sweet and down on earth lady.

素晴らしく魅力的な方ですね。
長年住んでいるにも関わらず、言葉も英語化した日本語ではなくて、しっかりとした日本語を話しておられる姿にも感銘を受けました。
ずっと元気に続けて欲しいです。

Born & raised on the block behind this.. man I miss Boyle heights !!! I still remember when my jefito brought me here like it was yesterday… it was in 94/95 we walked in and had the big o shrimp tempura!!! My mom would get her Avon next door 😂😂 IYKYK 🧏🏽‍♂️ glad they are still here .. they filmed so much in this neighborhood! American me was filmed at the apts down the street & that missile scene from Don’t be a menace was filmed down the street at the liquor store