In April, I had the opportunity to go to Yamashiro, an old Japanese (fusion) restaurant in Hollywood, right above the Magic Castle. The food was rather overpriced, but I was completely blown away by the architecture of the building, itself. Yamashiro--which means "mountain palace" is perched high up on a hill. It was built in 1914 to house the Bernheimer brothers' collection of Asian artwork. The building itself is arresting and provides a marked contrast to the houses that line the streets on the way up the hill, but its shape and form are stunning. While I have never been to Japan, to my untrained eye it appears as though a great old building had been hoisted off the ground in Japan and plopped down on a hill in Hollywood. I would encourage you to go and check out the building. The central koi pond is beautiful, as are the murals in the inner courtyard. It's not a museum, but there is definite history here.
http://yamashirorestaurant.com/about/yamashirohistory/
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Yamashiro
01/18/2016 08:38 AM
#1
Yamashiro
Great place to go to .A little on the expensive side.We used to go there a lot 15, 20 years ago.The architecture is gorgeous and the atmosphere was great before it was destroyed by the tourist industry.
As a long-time Hollywood resident, Yamashiro is one of my favorite spots. It's a Los Angeles must created a hundred years ago by two crazy brothers with a penchant for Asian culture and artifacts. When it was built, it was claimed that "hundreds" of Asian craftsmen had been brought over to construct the estate. The hillside was landscaped into terraces, and thousands of exotic plants and trees were planted. A pagoda was installed in front of an artificial swan lake. A creepy tunnel led into a cave-like "Monkey House," supposedly built to house a collection of monkeys. A waterfall-lined switchback walkway led to a Tea House, filled with priceless antiques. The main house, although supposedly based on a palace in the Yamashiro mountains near Kyoto, is actually a fanciful mish-mash of Japanese, Chinese, and other Asian architectural elements. Sure, the food and drinks are overpriced but the building and grounds are spectacular. Trust me, order a coke and take yourself on a self-guided tour. Go at magic hour. The views are awe-inspiring.