Trailers for Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 promise "the motion picture event of a generation." While that honor (sadly) still belongs to Avatar, franchise fans have plenty to cheer about with the release of the penultimate Potter film. Warner Bros. unleashes The Deathly Hallows on over 4,000 screens nationwide this weekend, including IMAX screenings in Burbank, Century City, The Howard Hughes Center, Universal CityWalk and Woodland Hills. more ›

It's early autumn, and a perfect day for bellying up to a big bowl--or plate--of noodles. And today is National Noodle Day. more ›

A Recession Obsession is, 1) a meal so great that it stays in your mind long after digestion's end, and, 2) plays nice with your sensitive wallet. Is there a better place than Los Angeles to eat a wide variety of amazing food that so happens to be inexpensive? Probably not. We're as lucky as we are well fed. In our last Recession Obsession we got into the tacos of El Taurino Suadero. more ›

It's only March, but I can already guarantee House is the weirdest film you'll see in a theater this year. The slice of '70s pscyhedelia takes a band of Japanese school-girls, sends them to an old house, and severs all ties to sanity. House deftly melds art-house tricks with gore and slapstick, and turns on a dime. There's new-wave editing, laser ghost cats, gorgeous lighting, dancing skeletons, faux newsreel footage, martial arts, haunting melodies and a series of deaths so outrageous I don't even know how to put them to words. It opens at the New Beverly on Friday, where it plays for an entire week. And considering all the amazing films the Bev only screens a couple nights... more ›

Come on, L.A.! The kids down here would love a Twittering food truck full of steaming hot and tasty ramen noodle soup. LAist's sister site to the north SFist reports that Shirohige Ramen-Ya, a ramen truck, launches this weekend in Hayes Valley. But really, L.A. could use a soup truck this winter. And how about a pizza truck, too? Kthxbai! more ›

This morning it was Vietnamese-fusion and now we're talking Japanese-fusion. After a soft-opening in October that ended last night, Grub Street gives a heads up to this Saturday's opening of Agura in West Hollywood. more ›

The Owens Valley, some 250 miles away, may be steeped in controversial Los Angeles history because of our water aqueduct, but it is a little less known for its role during World War II. The small town of Manzanar became one of the ten detainee military-style camps where Japanese American citizens and resident Japanese aliens were sent. Another one was in Newell, California with the rest in other states. Locally, Santa Anita was an assembly site "where Japanese Americans were sent in preparation for eventual removal from the Pacific Coast," says the Japanese American National Museum. more ›

Photo courtesy of Kunal Sen Animation more ›

Paranoia was rife in Los Angeles County during the Second World War. Military Aircraft were constantly on the defense from the German's as well as the Japanese after the Pearl Harbor assaults, so rumor that another foreign invasion was on the horizon caused mass hysteria. more ›

Japanese import convenience store Famima!! seems to have Downtown locked down. They currently have 5 locations in the area, and are prepping to open a sixth come February, but in an urban-center-Starbucks-esque move, they are opening it on the same block as another one. According to angelenic, "Downtown's newest Famima!! will be on the corner of 7th and Flower in the Roosevelt Lofts." Talk about convenient: "You won't even have to cross a street to swing by from the new Wilshire/Hope branch." Sadly, in other parts of LA County, Famima!! isn't doing as well. The Glendale location was shuttered in March following lackluster sales, as did two in Long Beach, and the one in Torrance in May. more ›

Terried Sake House falls into the hole-in-the-wall category. It's a great little Japanese Izakaya on Santa Monica close to Federal. An Izakaya, of course, is a restaurant that serves beer and sake and also the food that goes with it. The place is small and a bit dingy, but the food more than makes up for it. It's also fairly inexpensive for an Izakaya, so we got to order a ton of stuff. Alright, less talk, more pictures of food. Here we go. more ›

Nearly 100 taiko drummers from across California congregated on the stage at the Ford Amphitheatre this weekend. LA-based Kitsune Taiko, Yukai Taiko, Isshin Taiko, and Bombu Taiko took turns performing the 4,000-year-old Buddhist drumming style and later, Grand Master Seiichi Tanaka -- credited with bringing taiko to the U.S. 40 years ago -- and San Francisco Taiko Dojo took over the night. more ›

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Chabuya Tokyo Noodle Bar is sometimes referred to as the best noodle bar on the Westside (although, there are those who disagree and say Asahi Ramen is the way to go). The restaurant is modern and clean cut, the staff is friendly and accommodating and most importantly, the leftovers taken home didn't make it into the refrigerator (Dinner, the sequel, was a hit). What's your favorite Little Osaka haunt? more ›

This annual fundraiser is focused on the legendary Ventura County strawberry, and has lots of food, crafts, and entertainment from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Strawberry Meadows of College Park (3250 South Rose Avenue, Oxnard). Tickets: $12 Adults; $5 Youth (Ages 5-12); $8 Seniors (55+); $8 Active Military and Dependents with ID; Children 4 and under are free more ›

Il Chanti is a hidden gem, I tell ya, because although I had heard that there's a nice Japanese Italian place in Lomita, I could not have guessed that it was THIS good. This is definitely one of the best meals I've had so far this year. There's tons of pictures today, so let's get right to it. more ›

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When the opportunity to check out New York-based singer-songwriter Miwa Gemini live at the Hotel Cafe came up recently I jumped at the chance based on one line in the PR materials: "Think Nina Simone meets Sparklehorse meets Cat Power, and you're getting close." Intrigued, I showed up Sunday evening to the Hotel Cafe, nabbed a seat in the room's soothing darkness, and was utterly blown away. more ›

Photo by kpe II via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr more ›

When you read something you like on LAist, we love it when you hit the "recommend" button, and we love it even more if you put your two cents' worth in the comments. Getting a dialog going with our readers and making sure we're giving you content you can use are top priorities for us. So here's this week's top posts, as endorsed by you via the recommend feature, or as indicated by the level of talk going on in the comments: more ›

An ancient cuisine is hoping to attract new fans in downtown Los Angeles: Shojin, an organic Japanese restaurant whose menu is inspired by Buddhist vegetarian principles, has opened in Little Tokyo. Traditional "shojin" cuisine is a plant-based, essentially vegan diet, which Buddhists adhere to as a form of spiritual discipline. So, of course, what better theme for a trendy new Downtown restaurant? more ›

A sexy new NYC restaurant import is hitting Beverly Hills: Bond St, the brainchild of New York entrepreneur Jonathan Morr. BondSt is offering up modern Euro-Japanese cuisine in a sexy brown-leather setting (EaterLA has a few pics up here). more ›

Every Friday, LAist is taking you on a trip down to Orange County to uncover the unique dining experiences that await adventurous eaters willing to explore beyond the county line. Several years ago, I used to work in Downtown. Because I would often work through lunch, I had a certain place (Skew’s at Cal Plaza) that I would grab for takeout at every day. It was the combination of quality food (for a fast-casual... more ›

How good is Oreskaband, the all-girl teenage Japanese ska band? They're so good that after two weeks of non-stop rocking blogging and partying at SXSW in Austin (highlighted by our first exposure to Oreskaband at their show at the Elysium), and after a stressful flight home, instead of taking a break from rock shows we landed in LA, unpacked, and hit the Knitting Factory to see our favorite new discovery play again at Japan... more ›

Ahh, the power of suggestion. We're pretty sure it was that NPR story about ramen--both the starving student 10-for-a-dollar variety and the heartier restaurant kind--that came in the wake of the death of the man who invented said instant ramen, Momfuku Ando, that got our tastebuds set on a steaming bowl of broth and noodles served Japanese-style. Combine that with weekly viewings of the insanity that is the Dotch Cooking Show and we were facing... more ›