Talib Jabbar

In the 1950s, automation promised to liberate humans from “drudgery” and reorient us on the “human use of human beings,” in the words of computer scientist Norbert Wiener. On the 1956 campaign trail, incumbent Republican Vice President Richard Nixon predicted that Americans could look ahead to a four-day work week in the “not-too-distant future,” thanks to automation. Less work meant more play.

My neighbor Ani came outside holding a hen. I could see her, from the corner of my eye, pacing back and forth. I focused hard on the eclectic shuffle of songs in my earbuds, getting lost in the business of opening bags of mulch and spreading it evenly across a future bed of flowers. “Hi Fernando,” she said. “Do you want to pet my chicken?” I yanked an earbud off. “Hi Ani. How are you doing?” “I love my chicken. She is so cute.” Ani was holding her hen like a rag doll.

Mike Okamura is the president of the Little Tokyo Historical Society. He was a featured speaker for the Zócalo and Los Angeles Conservancy walking tour “What History Lies Beneath DTLA’s Bright Lights?” Before talking to tour groups about Little Tokyo, he chatted with us about gentrification in Little Tokyo, the future of the neighborhood, and his new gig at a nearby restaurant. Q: What’s one place in Little Tokyo that you cherish?