{"id":150942,"date":"2025-08-16T16:37:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-16T16:37:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/150942\/"},"modified":"2025-08-16T16:37:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-16T16:37:16","slug":"californias-oldest-structure-is-said-to-be-a-600-year-old-japanese-pagoda-inside-this-chic-l-a-restaurant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/150942\/","title":{"rendered":"California’s Oldest Structure Is Said To Be A 600-Year-Old Japanese Pagoda Inside This Chic L.A. Restaurant"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Exterior
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto by Kit Leong on Shutterstock<\/p>\n

High up in L.A.\u2019s glamorous Hollywood Hills neighborhood,<\/a> you\u2019ll find an authentic Japanese pagoda<\/strong> dating back to the 14th century, which two brothers imported to their fanciful Asian-inspired estate in the early 1900s.<\/p>\n

The estate is now a storied Los Angeles landmark and Japanese-inspired restaurant<\/a> with a compelling past: Yamashiro Hollywood. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Here, we\u2019ve delved into the century-long history and lore of the Hollywood icon.<\/p>\n

What is the history of Yamashiro? The Bernheimer brothers\u2019 Asian-inspired estate <\/p>\n

In the early 1900s, German-born brothers Adolph and Eugene Bernheimer<\/strong> ran a successful New York enterprise importing Asian goods to the States. In 1911, they purchased a Hollywood knoll and began constructing an extravagant estate called \u201cYamashiro,\u201d designed with a mix of Japanese and Chinese elements.<\/p>\n

The Bernheimer brothers imported a small tiered pagoda <\/strong>from Japan as one of many exciting elements on the property. These days, you can still find the now 600-year-old relic<\/strong> next to the property\u2019s Pagoda Bar and swimming pool<\/a>. Yamashiro Hollywood asserts that the pagoda is the oldest structure in California. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"ViewPhoto by Kit Leong on Shutterstock <\/p>\n

If the ancient pagoda doesn\u2019t tip you off as to the Yamashiro property\u2019s ambitious design, the rest of the grounds<\/a> is just as remarkable. The brothers decorated the 10-room main house with ornate teak and cedar carvings and gold lacquer<\/strong> and then filled it with heaps of imported Asian art. They adorned the sprawling terraces and courtyard<\/strong> with thousands of plants and trees, exotic animals, koi ponds, waterfalls<\/a>, a cave-like \u201cMonkey House,\u201d and even a miniature Japanese village.<\/p>\n

Construction finished on the Bernheimer estate in 1914<\/strong>, just a year after the California Alien Land Law<\/a> passed. The law prohibited \u201caliens ineligible for citizenship\u201d<\/strong> from owning or leasing land long-term, and was primarily directed at Japanese immigrants<\/strong>. Gimmick notwithstanding, the Yamashiro estate stood out for uplifting Asian aesthetics and design<\/strong> at this point in history.<\/p>\n

\"JapanesePhoto by Kit Leong un Shuttesrtock The 400 Club and World War II <\/p>\n

The Bernheimer brothers enjoyed only a brief residency at Yamashiro Hollywood. They sold the estate in 1922,<\/strong> after which point the property held a series of curious roles.<\/p>\n

Hollywood\u2019s elite 400 club famously used Yamashiro as a headquarters where A-listers like Buster Collier, BeBe Daniels, or Roscoe Arbuckle<\/strong> mingled. It then opened to the public as a scenic tourist attraction called \u201cHollywood Japanese Gardens,\u201d but with the arrival of World War II, a destructive wave of anti-Japanese sentiment <\/strong>swept throughout the country.<\/p>\n

Vandals stripped many of the estate\u2019s remaining decorative elements. The owners changed the property\u2019s name and covered and painted over the Asian-inspired architecture.<\/strong> Later, the estate served as a military boys\u2019 school and was converted into apartment units before falling into disrepair.<\/p>\n

\"YamashiroPhoto by @yamashirola on Instagram Restoration and comeback of Yamashiro <\/p>\n

In 1948, Thomas O. Glover bought the Yamashiro property<\/strong> intending to raze it to the ground. However, the story goes that Glover decided to restore the mansion<\/strong> to its original glory after discovering some of the original woodwork and ornate wallpaper.<\/p>\n

Glover opened the \u201cHollywood Hill Club\u201d cocktail lounge<\/strong> in the back of the property, which eventually grew into today\u2019s Yamashiro Hollywood restaurant.<\/p>\n

Movies at Yamashiro <\/p>\n

You may recognize Yamashiro Hollywood from its distinctive cameos in Kill Bill, Memoirs of a Geisha, Gone in 60 Seconds, Sayonara, Perry Mason,<\/strong> and many more films and TV shows.<\/p>\n

Yamashiro Hollywood Restaurant <\/p>\n

The famed hilltop restaurant is now widely regarded as one of the most beautiful restaurants in Los Angeles<\/a>, serving delicious Japanese-inspired cuisine<\/strong>. Yamashiro Hollywood\u2019s menu is extensive, encompassing everything from bountiful brunch to tenderloin steaks and handcrafted cocktails. Celebrities and locals alike look forward to an exquisite sushi meal<\/a> in the splendid garden setting overlooking the L.A. skyline<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udccd Location<\/strong>: Hollywood Hills Hotel \u2013 1999 N Sycamore Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90068
\ud83d\udd5c Hours<\/strong>: The restaurant is open daily for dinner service from 5-11 PM, and on weekends for lunch from 11 am-2:30 PM.
\ud83c\udf7d\ufe0f Reservations<\/strong>: Yamashiro Hollywood<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo by Kit Leong on Shutterstock High up in L.A.\u2019s glamorous Hollywood Hills neighborhood, you\u2019ll find an authentic…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":150943,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[1582,276,2961,224,5337],"class_list":{"0":"post-150942","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-california","10":"tag-la","11":"tag-los-angeles","12":"tag-losangeles"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115039426609761644","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150942\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/150943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}