Remembering Hiroko Yamagata, 84; Owner of Aoi Restaurant

For 37 years, patrons of Aoi Restaurant on First Street in Little Tokyo knew what to expect: delicious, homestyle Japanese favorites such as saba shioyaki, nabeyaki udon and tempura-teriyaki combinations.

Hiroko Yamagata, owner of Aoi Restaurant, passed away on April 15. She was 84.

Alongside her sister Grace Maruyama, Yamagata served generations of downtown office workers and Japanese Americans visiting and working in Little Tokyo.

published on April 30, 2018