Sawtelle Japantown's Century Is Measured on Corinth Avenue

Sawtelle Boulevard gets the restaurant openings and the lines on the sidewalk. One block west, on Corinth Avenue, are the two institutions that have kept the neighborhood's calendar for 100 years. The Japanese Institute of Sawtelle at 2110 Corinth Ave. marked its centennial in February 2025. The West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple at 2003 Corinth Ave. marks its own centennial on November 14 and 15, 2026. Registration closes October 15, ten days from today. Food tenants on Sawtelle turn over every season. On Corinth, two centennials have come within 21 months of each other.

A Century, Dated

The temple dates its centennial from 1926, when a group called the Sawtelle Howakai began meeting in members' homes. That is the congregation's birthday. The temple building came decades later. The school next door has a similar history. According to Rafu Shimpo, it began in November 1925 when Gisuke Sakamoto taught four students at his home.

The two institutions were linked from the start. The temple's Sunday School grew up in the Japanese School building on Corinth. In 1942, the Institute's building became the assembly point for removal. The Densho Encyclopedia's Sawtelle entry records that 1,314 Sawtelle-area residents gathered there on April 27 before being sent to Manzanar. Both organizations resumed after the war and are still at the addresses they held before it.

The Neighborhood's Calendar Still Comes From Corinth

The temple is more than a place for its members. Many of Sawtelle Japantown's recurring public events take place on its grounds. The temple held its 76th annual Obon on July 25 and 26, 2026. Rafu Shimpo listed West L.A. Taiko, food booths, children's games, a Dharma service, and Obon dancing that anyone could join. The temple describes its Obon as a family festival open to the whole community, with Bon Odori, Japanese food, performances, and cultural displays.

The Sawtelle Japantown Association uses the same grounds. The association held its 2026 Children's Day celebration at the temple on Saturday, May 2, from 1 to 4 p.m. Rafu reported that West L.A. Taiko performed. The group was founded in 2004, which makes it young next to the temple but older than most restaurants on the boulevard. Organizers also announced a trial phase for the Sawtelle Stories project and plans for a community mural.

Smaller programs keep going between the big events. The temple runs an annual yard sale to raise money for its 80+ Lunch Program, and it invites neighbors to donate and shop. The lunch program has hosted monthly meals for attendees over 80 since 1995. Down the street, the Japanese Institute of Sawtelle began its fall semester on August 15, 2026. It offers Saturday language and culture classes for ages 3 to 18, plus the Terasaki Japanese Immersion Preschool, and it accepts trial students. The preschool and the renovated building were the Institute's main additions in its centennial year.

What Lasted on the Boulevard

Sawtelle Boulevard has a few long-running businesses of its own. Hashimoto Nursery at 1935 Sawtelle Blvd. traces its roots to O.K. Nursery, which opened around 1928. The family's wartime incarceration at Manzanar interrupted the business. It reopened after the war as Hashimoto Brothers Nursery. By the family's own account, the West Los Angeles nursery is the only branch still operating. Giant Robot opened at 2015 Sawtelle Blvd. in 2001 and runs its GR2 gallery at 2062 Sawtelle Blvd.

The neighborhood's official name is newer than any of these. The Los Angeles City Council approved "Sawtelle Japantown" on February 25, 2015. The boundaries proposed in the city's report run from Santa Monica Boulevard to Pico Boulevard, and from the 405 to Centinela Avenue. The application asked for signs on Sawtelle just south of Olympic and just north of Santa Monica. Rafu Shimpo covered the unveiling of the sign at Sawtelle and Olympic. The name came about 90 years after the institutions on Corinth were founded.

The Centennial Weekend, in Order

The temple has posted its centennial schedule on its centennial page. Here are the events listed for Saturday, November 14:

• 12:00 p.m. O-Chigo Gathering
• 1:00 p.m. Group Photo
• 1:45 p.m. O-Chigo Parade, $50 per child
• 2:00 p.m. Commemoration Service
• 3:30 p.m. Happy Hour
• 4:30 p.m. Centennial Celebration Program
• 5:30 p.m. Celebration Banquet
• 7:00 p.m. Closing Program

The same page also lists a 10 a.m. Kieshiki affirmation ceremony, an 11 a.m. seminar titled "Hearing and Appreciating the Buddha's Wish," and a 12:30 p.m. lunch. It also offers free Sunday parking at Lumen through the Corinth entrance. The temple's banquet ticket page lists the banquet on Sunday, November 15, at 3:30 p.m., which doesn't match the schedule. Anyone planning to attend should confirm the date and time with the temple.

The evening events are at Above the Block, 11301 W. Olympic Blvd. It is an event venue with lounge and ballroom space on the second floor and a ballroom, patio, and rooftop on the third. Korean Ice Co. is at the same address. The bingsu shop announced an April 18 opening, and a business listing showed it open as of October 4. A centennial program and one of the year's newest dessert shops share a building.

The 2026 Arrivals on the Same Blocks

This year's openings are close to the temple and the Institute. The Osaka-based chain Osaka Ohsho set May 8, 2026, as the launch date for its first North American flagship, Osaka Ohsho Gyoza & Tapas, at 2129 Sawtelle Blvd. An Infatuation listing from June 10 shows it open until 1 a.m. At Olympic and Sawtelle, Rok Matcha took over the former Starbucks space in the One Westside center. A listing for Rok Matcha at 11280 W. Olympic Blvd. was updated with photos on August 30.

Three more businesses have been announced but are not confirmed open:

1. Paper Rice, 2202 Sawtelle Blvd. This is a fast-casual Vietnamese concept, its first on the Westside, in about 1,900 square feet. In May it was in early construction with a late-2026 target.
2. Ding's Noodles, 2212 Sawtelle Blvd. Its website still says "Opening Soon," with hours to be announced.
3. Mollie Mollie, 2216 Sawtelle Blvd. Signage for an ice cream shop went up in May, and little else has been reported.

Eater LA updated its Sawtelle Japantown guide on September 22 and added Yakun, Ten no Meshi, the Mulberry, and Mian. All three pending addresses are in the 2200 block of Sawtelle. If they open on schedule, that block will get a new set of tenants, while the institutions at 2003 and 2110 Corinth Ave. head into their second century.

A neighborhood's history affects how a home there should be described and marketed. Greg Jones has worked on the Westside since 1987, and The Jones Group Realtors can show you what the long-standing institutions and the newer arrivals mean for homes near Sawtelle and Corinth. Schedule a free consultation.