LA's "Little Osaka" is an up-and-coming neighborhood with a burgeoning food scene.
Sawtelle has an average violent crime rate and an above average property crime rate for Los Angeles.
While part of downtown Los Angeles gets claim to the moniker "Little Tokyo", Sawtelle – now called Sawtelle Japantown – has been called "Little Osaka". The name comes from Sawtelle's history as a destination for Japanese-Americans arriving in the 1890s, often escaping persecution in San Francisco. Today it's becoming a trendy place to live for people priced out of the expensive neighborhoods further west. This diverse area is home to single family homes, apartment buildings, terrific ethnic restaurants, and decent shopping.
Sawtelle is bordered on the north by Brentwood, on the east by Westwood, West Los Angeles, and Ranch Park, on the south by Mar Vista, and on the west by Santa Monica.
Commute:
Burbank: 19.8 miles / 35-60 minutes by car / 90 minutes by transit
Century City: 3.1 miles / 10-20 minutes by car / 30-45 minutes by transit / 25 minutes by bike
Downtown LA: 12.4 miles / 30-70 minutes by car / 50-60 minutes by transit
Santa Monica: 8.1 miles / 20-45 minutes by car / 35-40 minutes by transit
Sawtelle LOCAL schools
Sawtelle Local Flavor 
This is a popular spot that often has a line of people waiting for their tsukemen: hearty ramen noodles dipped in thick and tasty tonkotsu soup, which is cooked for 60 hours.
This is one of LA's great burger joints. It has great sides, fries, and a beer selection as well.
Yep, another ramen place. This is Little Osaka after all. Their ramen is a product of intense hours of labor of love; made with carefully selected all-natural ingredients.
Photo Credits: Thanks to @sawtelle.japantown, @kathykat27, @curiouscravingz, @paper.darling, @teddyjsolomon, @yoshirox10, @hybrid_hues, @denko_chan, @chihiroig, @charliethegreatexplore, @yukari_uetsuji, @wudaijiajia, @minh_hien_luu, @joeytsuboi, @thomasnvh for your great photos of this neighborhood!
