San Francisco/Japantown
From World travel guide
Nihonmachi, also known as Japantown, the Japan Center, and Little Osaka is a district of San Francisco. It occupies an area of the Western Addition/Lower Pacific Heights neighborhoods that is roughly within the confines of Sutter Street to the north, Geary Street to the south, Fillmore to the west and Laguna to the east. It is one of only three Japantowns left in the continental United States — others are in Los Angeles and San Jose.
Contents |
Understand
History
Nihonmachi was formed after the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and fire.
Most Japanese immigrants entered the United States through San Francisco and many settled either south of Market Street or in the Chinatown area. With the 1906 earthquake, Nihonmachi, for a time, became home to the largest community in the United States.
When World War II broke out, U.S. government took Japanese Americans into custody and interned them in concentration camps. As many large sections of the neighborhood remained vacant, the void was quickly filled by thousands of African Americans who had left the South to find war-time industrial jobs in California. Following the war, some Japanese Americans returned, and the city made efforts to rejuvenate the neighborhood. Most former Japanese-American residents of San Francisco chose not to return after the World War II related reloaction, and the largest Japanese-American community in San Francisco today can be found in the Sunset neighborhood.
Japantown was also negatively impacted by redevelopment in the 1950's with the widening of Geary Boulevard and the destruction of dozens of Victorians to make room for both the boulevard. During the massive redevelopment initiated by Justin Herman in the Western Addition in the 1960s through the 1980s, large numbers of African Americans were pushed west towards the Fillmore District, east towards the Tenderloin, or south towards Hunters Point where the majority of the city's African American population resides today, while some Japanese returned, followed by new Japanese immigrants as well as investment from the Japanese Government and Japanese companies. Nihonmachi remains a social and shopping center for the city's Japanese-American population.
Get in
Bus in from downtown on various Muni buses,including the 38-Geary, 22-Fillmore, 2-Clement, 3-Jackson, and 4-Sutter lines.
This part of town is accessible by car with abundant public paid parking at the Kintetsu Mall garage (discount with validation from mall and Japan Center merchants)- and limited street parking.
Taxis are readily available at almost all hours on Fillmore and Geary Streets.
See
- Japantown Peace Park and shopping mall; Ruth Asawa's incredible wrought and cast bronze origami fountains on the Nihonmachi Pedestrian Mall. At the center entrance to the Japan Center is a five-tiered Peace Pagoda, it was designed by world-famous Japanese architect Yoshiro Taniguchi. The Center opened in 1968.
- The AMC Kabuki 8 Theater — home to the annual San Francisco Asian American Film Festival — is at the western most end of the Japan Center mall, and the Kabuki Springs and Spa is at the other end, just a block from the Filmore Auditorium on the other side of Geary Boulevard. The Miyako hotel at Post and Laguna has a picturesque Japanese garden.
- The Webster Bridge's design was inspired by traditional Japanese pedestrian walkways. In addition to providing a safe passage over the traffic on Geary Boulevard, the arched bridge has views of Japan Center and San Francisco's Western Addition.
Do
- Cherry Blossom Festival in Japantown in the spring (April or May) since 1967, includes a parade from the Civic Center to the Japantown mall area, a street fair, music and a lot to do. Great event to take kids to.
- Nihonmachi Street Fair in mid-August has been celebrating San Francisco's Asian cultures and raising funds for community organizations since 1973.
Buy
- Kobe Hardware has everything from copper rain chains and iron cabinetry findings, fine woodworking tools to bulk nails, porcelain to everyday kitchenware; just what you want in a longstanding hardware store.
- Kinokuniya Stationery, 1581 Webster Street, San Francisco, CA 94115, Tel: 415 567-8901, has a huge collection of washii decorative papers that is only surpassed by their incredible collection of pens, stationery and gift items.
- Kinokuniya Bookstore if you're into Japanese books, magazines, or comic books (otherwise known as manga), then this is your place to be. The only San Francisco branch of the famous Japanese chain, Kinokuniya carries thousands of titles, including dozens in English. So a crash course in Japanese is not essential to shopping here.
Eat
The Japan Center is packed with restaurants, particularly in the Kintetsu Building. More Japanese restaurants can be found along Post St and in the Buchanan Mall, across Post St.
- Isobune(Kintetsu Mall, 1737 Post St, tel 415-563-1030, Open 11.30am-10pm daily, Wheelchair Accessible).
As in the floating sushi bars so popular in Japan, the sushi chefs at Isobune prepare food and place it on wooden boats that sail around the inner perimeter of an oval counter. Patrons seated at the counter simply lift the dishes they want off the bobbing boats. Your bill depends on the number of empty dishes you're left with. It's fun, cheap, and delicious.
- Fuku-Sushi Restaurant(1581 Webster St, tel 415-409-0472, Open 11am-11pm or later)
While Fuku can be pricey, the quality of the sushi is excellent and well worth it. This is one of the best sushi restaurants in a city packed with hundreds. The atmosphere is low key and if you can sit at the bar, Nobu is wonderful to chat with. The service is exceptional and more in line with a traditional Japanese sushi house.
- Iroha Restaurant (1728 Buchanan St, tel. 415-922-0321)Iroha serves a variety of familiar Japanese dishes such as ramen, tonkatsu, gyoza, etc. The interior is somewhat dim and starkly decorated with dark wooden partitions that divide sections. The restaurant is on the second floor, so a window seat is prime perch for people watching.
- On the Bridge
(1581 Webster St, tel 415-922-7765, Open 11.30am-10pm daily, Wheelchair Accessible). This ultra-cute little eatery, on the bridge connecting the Kintetsu and Kinokuniya Buildings, specializes in an intriguing Euro-Japanese and Indo-Japanese hybrid cuisine called yoshoku, which has been popular in Japan for more than 100 years. Japanese 'pastas' and curried rice plates take on unexpected but delightful flavors.
- Mifune
(Kintetsu Mall, 1737 Post St, tel 415-922-0337, Open 11am-9.30pm Sunday to Thursday, and 11am-10pm Friday and Saturday, Wheelchair Accessible). Looking like a '60s movie-set depiction of a Japanese house, Mifune is one of San Francisco's most popular noodle parlors. A mere $5 will set you up with a hearty bowl of udon or soba noodles, either in a bowl of hot broth or served cold with seaweed and shrimp. Many delicious vegetarian selections are available
- Sapporo-Ya Japanese Restaurant ( Kintetsu Mall, tel. 415-563-7400, Open 11am-2am)Excellent Japanese noodles served dozens of ways. Open very late, and a good place to warm up on a cold foggy day.
Drink
Sleep
Contact
External links
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