Little Tokyo Breakfast Club
When
Where
Price
$10.00 (fees included)
Includes a traditional Japanese breakfast.
Walk-up Availability
Refer to this section for day-of ticket availability.
About
Join us on the third Thursday of every month for the Little Tokyo Breakfast Club, a welcoming gathering where community, conversation, and a home-cooked Japanese breakfast come together in the heart of Little Tokyo. Set against the seasonal beauty of the James Irvine Japanese Garden, hosts Steve Nagano and Jane Matsumoto invite guests to share stories, build connections, and engage with the people and experiences that shape the neighborhood. This month's breakfast will be prepared by special guest chef Don Tahara of Far Bar.
Steve and Jane are pleased to welcome Karen Umemoto, Ph.D., professor and Director of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center. Throughout her career, she has focused on community development, juvenile justice reform, and advancing the inclusion of Asian American and Pacific Islander histories in K-12 education. She is currently researching the history of community development in Little Tokyo and is co-director and co-editor of the forthcoming online collection, Foundations and Futures: Asian American and Pacific Islander Multimedia Textbook. Tickets are available online, with a limited number reserved for walk-up guests on the day of the event.
Come be part of the conversation. Your seat at the table is waiting!
The Little Tokyo Breakfast Club is serving up traditional Japanese breakfasts from Chef Gary Matsumoto, along with engaging talks from special guest speakers handpicked by our hosts, Steve Nagano and Jane Matsumoto.
The Team at the Table
Guest: Karen Umemoto, Ph.D.
Karen Umemoto, Ph.D. was born and raised in Los Angeles and grew up in Gardena. She first got involved in Little Tokyo in 1977 as a freshman at UCLA when she joined the Little Tokyo People’s Rights Organization as a tenant organizer. She later moved to San Francisco where she attended SF State University. She returned to Los Angeles to study Asian American Studies at UCLA. After receiving her Ph.D. in Urban Planning at MIT, she spent 22 years teaching Urban Planning at the University of Hawai‘i.
She returned to LA in 2018 as a professor and Director of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center. Over her career, she has examined and supported community development, juvenile justice reform, and getting Asian American and Pacific Islander histories into K-12 schools. She has been working on a history of community development in Little Tokyo and is the co-director/editor of a forthcoming online collection, entitled Foundations and Futures: Asian American and Pacific Islander Multimedia Textbook. She is interested in how we can build a multicultural democracy in America at peace with the world where everyone is valued, included and self-empowered to create a better future for all.
Co-host: Steve Nagano
Steve Nagano is a Little Tokyo resident, and has been involved with a number of community organizations and events. As a filmmaker he has shown his film shorts annually in the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and various community organizations. Since 2011 he has been a board member of the Neighborhood Council. He has done extensive work on the preservation of the testimonies of incarcerees before the Commission WRIC (CWRIC). He has been a key organizer of the Little Tokyo Sparkle, the community-wide cleanup.
Co-host: Jane Matsumoto
Jane Matsumoto is the former Executive Culinary Arts Director at JACCC, retiring in late 2024. Jane has worked for more than 25 years in public service. She played a key role in major projects like implementing the TAP smart card system for public transportation, but her true passion lies in the culinary arts.
Jane is deeply inspired by the history, science, and preparation of global cuisines—especially Washoku, the traditional food of Japan. Outside the kitchen, she’s often exploring food blogs, diving into cookbooks, traveling, or hiking local trails.
Special Guest Chef: Don Tahara
Don Tahara is a Little Tokyo restaurateur and caterer. His earliest remembrance of Little Tokyo was his mother taking him on the street car to his doctor’s appointment on 1st and San Pedro Street in the 1950’s. He took Japanese cooking classes there in the 1970’s and started catering in Little Tokyo in the 1980’s at JACCC. He witnessed with pride the early years and growth of JANM in the 1990’s. He participated in LTSC’s Tofu Festival for ten years, and their Sake Festival in recent years. Don signed a lease in 1994 with LTSC for the former Far East Cafe restaurant and with his partners opened Far Bar, whose mission statement described a community focused business serving goodwill and good food. He and his partners opened Sake Dojo in 2017 on historic 1st Street and then sold the restaurant in 2023. Starting with the pandemic and through the current year Far Bar has provided senior meals Mondays-Fridays for the Little Tokyo Nutrition Services program. Currently Far Bar is providing once a week lunches to Pasadena Buddhist to aid the fire victims.
Don has not only catered events at JACCC, JANM, and LTSC, but has done numerous events with LTBA, LTCC, Budokan, Go For Broke, Keiro, Nisei Week, Visual Communications, East West Players, Professional Associations, and Japanese Consulate of LA, He has catered weddings and celebration of life events, as well as family celebrations, corporate and government events.
It was through his work with Little Tokyo non-profit entities and organizations that he became impressed by the hundreds of volunteers and the leaders who were dedicated to the betterment and sustainability of Little Tokyo. They have served as a role model template for Don and Far Bar.
Don was born, raised, and educated in Los Angeles and is a dedicated Trojan, Dodger, and NBA fan. He and his wife Jocelyn were married at Nishi Temple and daughter Jill and son-in-law were married at Budokan, so Little Tokyo is a very special place for Don.
Things To Know
Entrance & Check-in
Check-in: 8:00 am | Event: 8:30 am
The entrance to the Toshizo Watanabe Culinary Cultural Center can be found inside the lobby of our 5-story Office Tower.
All patrons will visit the check-in table, located inside the lobby of the building, so please have your e-ticket(s) with QR code ready.
Accessibility
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. To be respectful of those with allergies and environmental sensitivities, we ask that you please refrain from wearing strong fragrances. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact info@jaccc.org.
Plan Your Visit
JACCC is a 7-minute walk from the L.A. Metro Rail's Little Tokyo/Arts District Station, which connects to both the A and E lines via the Regional Connector.
For additional transportation options and parking details, check out Go Little Tokyo's Guide to the area here.