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Just up the hill behind Grauman's Chinese Theatre sit two unique Hollywood landmarks. If you turn north from Hollywood Boulevard, up Orange Drive, you will quickly come to the intersection of Orange and Franklin Avenue. Directly in front of you will be a sheer hillside, with a narrow, winding road ascending the heights. The large building you see in front (at 7001 Franklin) is the famous Magic Castle, a private club for magicians and their invited guests only. (If you're still interested, you can give them a call at (323) 851-3313.) But high above the Magic Castle, you will notice an even more impressive structure - a virtual castle perched upon the hill, some 250 feet above Hollywood Boulevard. This is Yamashiro. The name means "Mountain Palace" Japanese . An exact replica of a palace in the Yamashiro mountains of Kyoto, Japan, it was built as a private mansion in 1911. After the death of the original owners, the mansion was home to "The 400 Club", an exclusive social club for the Hollywood elite during the late 1920's, attracting silent screen legends such as Lilian Gish, Ramon Navarro and Bebe Daniels. World War II and Pearl Harbor brought anti-Japanese hysteria to California, which led to the Yamashiro being vandalized, painted-over and eventually converted into a boys' military school. After the war, it was used as an apartment house, and it was about to be torn down in 1948 when (fortunately for the public) a new owner recognized the treasure beneath the paint, and decided to restore it. From the 1970's through the mid 90's it served the public as a grand Japanese restaurant; today they offer CalAsian cuisine. Boasting twelve acres of lushly landscaped gardens, waterfalls, koi ponds, a 14th century pagoda and a spectacular view of the city below, the Yamashiro is a Hollywood legend. It preserves some of the Old Hollywood glamour & intrigue that is sadly lacking on much of the tarnished Boulevard below. (An ironic bit of trivia: that 600-year-old pagoda, imported from Japan in 1914, ranks as the oldest building in California!) Some of the stars who have dined here recently include Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck, Gwyneth Paltrow, Dolly Parton, Penny Marshall, LeAnn Rimes, Leeza Gibbons, Anjelica Houston, Johnny Depp, Faye Dunaway and Ruth Buzzi. In April of 2002, Maxim held their third annual "Hot 100" annual bash at Yamashiro and guests included Vin Diesel, Leonardo Di Caprio, Cameron Diaz, Charlyze Theron, Benecio Del Toro, Matthew Perry, Christina Aguilera, Melissa Joan Hart, Woody Harrelson, Ed Burns, Jamie Foxx, Andy Dick, Jaime Pressly, Nicole Eggert, Jerry O'Connell, Mickey Rourke, and Kelly Hu. Yamashiro has even starred in the movies and television. The estate was used as the site for filming of the Oscar-winning 1957 movie "Sayonara," starring Marlon Brando, James Garner and Ricardo Montalbon. Brando was nominated for Best Actor and the movie itself was nominated for Best Picture. Red Buttons won the 'Best Supporting Actor' award for his role in the movie, and and the 'Best Supporting Actress' Oscar went to Miyoshi Umeki. Other productions shot here include "Gone in 60 Seconds," "Blind Date," "Thousand Men and a Baby" (a 1997 TV movie), "L.A. Without a Map" and a Toni Braxton video. On TV, it was the filming location for popular series such as "I Spy," "Perry Mason," "Route 66" and "My Three Sons."
They also held the
wrap parties here for "Rush Hour" and "Third Rock
from the Sun." Open for dinner Sunday
through Thursday, from 5:30 p.m. until 11:00 p.m., and on Friday
& Saturday from 5:30 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. They are not open for
lunch. Their bar/lounge is open 7 days a week, from 5:00 p.m. until
2:00 am. Valet parking.
[You
can reach Yamashiro's official website at: www.yamashirorestaurant.com.]
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