To mark Kinokuniya’s grand opening, pictured (from left) are Yoshinobu Noma, Masashi Takai and Kosei Murota taking part in a traditional sake barrel opening ceremony. (Photos: George Toshio Johnston)
The beloved bookstore celebrates a new, much larger store in Little Tokyo.
By P.C. Staff
A week after its “soft opening” and nearly a year after closing its second-floor location in Little Tokyo’s Weller Court on July 21, 2025, Kinokuniya Book Stores of America held a grand opening reception on July 1 to mark the opening of its new giant-size Los Angeles flagship location.
The Kinokuniya sign above the entrance to the new location in Little Tokyo
Held at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, the reception celebrated the bookstore’s reopening just blocks away on the first floor of the Kajima Building, located at the corner of E. First and S. San Pedro Streets.
The spacious interior of the new Kinokuniya store in Little Tokyo
Part of the Studio Ghibli display in the new Kinokuniya bookstore
Facilitated by Keiko Kadota, the reception featured speeches from Kinokuniya Chairman Masashi Takai and Consul General of Japan in Los Angeles Kosei Murota, as well as Yoshinobu Noma, president and CEO of Japanese publisher Kodansha, which on July 2 opened its Kodansha House pop-up store to coincide with Anime Expo and is set to run through July 12 at 701 E. Third Street (visit kodanshahouse.com/los-angeles/).
Members of Taiko Project perform.
The Kinokuniya relaunch opened with a spirited performance by Los Angeles-based Taiko Project and a kagami biriki ceremony featuring the three speakers, all of whom donned happi coats to mark the occasion by “opening” a sake barrel with mallets, followed by a sake toast using masu (wooden sake cups) branded with the Kinokuniya logo. (Kagami biriki is a Japanese ritual performed to celebrate new beginnings and wish for future prosperity.)
Speaking in Japanese, with English translation by Young Ashworth, Takai said, “Within metropolitan Los Angeles, Little Tokyo is a neighborhood where people gather in large numbers, and the atmosphere is particularly vibrant. Japanese manga, anime, music, food and culture continues to captivate people across the generations and national borders.
“The role that Little Tokyo plays will only grow more significant in the future,” Takai continued. “As a member of this community, Kinokuniya Bookstore is committed to contributing to the continued development of Los Angeles and Little Tokyo.”
Kinokuniya’s history in the United States began in 1969 when it opened its first store in San Francisco. Eight years later in 1977, it launched its Los Angeles store in Little Tokyo.