Japantown (
Japanese: 日本町; ''
Nihonmachi''), commonly known as J Town, is a historic cultural district of
San Jose, California, north of
Downtown San Jose.
Historically a center for San Jose's
Japanese American
are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...
and
Chinese American
Chinese Americans are Americans of Han Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans along with their ancestors trace lineage from ...
communities, San Jose's Japantown is one of only three
Japantowns that still exist in the
United States, alongside
San Francisco's Japantown and
Los Angeles's Little Tokyo.
History
Japantown originally formed as a site for boardinghouses for Japanese men, just west of the 1887
"Heinlenville" Chinatown settlement, which was the block bounded by Sixth, Seventh, Taylor, and Jackson Streets.
Initially the residents of Japantown were mostly male, attracted by farming or general labor jobs.
In the early 20th century, more women began to arrive as
picture bride
The term picture bride refers to the practice in the early 20th century of immigrant workers (chiefly Japanese, Okinawan, and Korean) in Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States and Canada, as well as Brazil selecting brides from their nat ...
s.
As families began, local businesses were started to serve everyday needs for food and clothing.
The local Japantown Asahi baseball club improbably defeated the visiting
Tokyo Giants in 1935.
By 1941, there were 53 businesses in Japantown.
During
World War II, the
Japanese American
are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...
population was forcibly removed from Japantown and unjustly incarcerated in
camps Camps may refer to:
People
*Ramón Camps (1927–1994), Argentine general
*Gabriel Camps (1927–2002), French historian
*Luís Espinal Camps (1932–1980), Spanish missionary to Bolivia
*Victoria Camps (b. 1941), Spanish philosopher and professor ...
. On their return after the war, many resettled in the area.
The upward mobility of the children and grandchildren of the original immigrants to San Jose, along with the expansion and growth of
Silicon Valley caused many Japanese-Americans to leave the area for the suburbs,
but the culture and vitality of this community remains in the businesses and festivals serving locals and tourists.
Japantown is designated as an authentic ethnic neighborhood
and is home to many traditional Japanese restaurants as well.
The California State Legislature designated this area as one of the last three remaining historical Japantowns in the
United States.
In 2004, nearly 227,000 people resided within a radius of Japantown, of which 25% were of Asian descent.
Japanese community
Japantown is the site of the
Japanese American Museum of San Jose
The Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj) is located at 535 N. Fifth Street in San Jose, in the heart of Japantown. The museum's mission is to collect, preserve, and share Japanese American art, history, and culture with an emphasis on th ...
, which moved into a new building in 2010;
San Jose Taiko, Shuei-do Manju Shop,
whose
manjū were specifically requested during the 1994 visit of the
Emperor of Japan; Nichi Bei Bussan, founded in San Francisco in 1902 by the father of prominent local businessman
Dave Tatsuno
Dave Tatsuno (born Masaharu Tatsuno August 18, 1913 – January 26, 2006, in California) was a Japanese American businessman who documented life in his family's internment camp during World War II. His footage was later compiled into the film ...
and relocated to San Jose after Tatsunos were
interned, transformed from a general merchant to an Asian goods gift shop;
and a variety of restaurants, professional services, community organizations (for example Yu-Ai Kai Senior Center, and the
Japanese American Citizens League
The is an Asian American civil rights charity, headquartered in San Francisco, with regional chapters across the United States.
The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) describes itself as the oldest and largest Asian American civil right ...
) and small retail shops. Japantown had two hand-made
tofu shops,
[ ] the last closing in 2017.
Two churches founded by Japanese over 100 years ago, Wesley United Methodist Church and San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin, thrive on the same street, Fifth Street. They are home to many of the local community organizations including active Girl and Boy Scout organizations, and host several of Japantown's largest cultural festivals.
Japantown's Fifth Street now also leads to the new
San Jose City Hall. Indeed, the Fifth and Jackson Landmark was designed to be seen from City Hall as a beacon and reminder of the people that have helped to build the city. The Fifth and Jackson Landmark is part of a larger California Japantown Landmarks Project to create powerful and emotional permanent outdoor exhibits, including monuments in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Japantown is also home to a number of non-Japanese businesses, including Mexican, Hawaiian and Korean restaurants.
A number of organizations, including the Japantown Neighborhood Association, have joined to form the Japantown Community Congress of San Jose, which is a community partner to the City of San Jose (represented by the San Jose Redevelopment Agency) that looks after cultural preservation of the area (begun with CA SB 307).
Major festivals include
Obon (every July), Nikkei Matsuri (every spring) and Aki Matsuri (every fall) and a newer festival, The Spirit of Japantown Festival (also in the fall).
In addition there are events that are open to the public at Art Object Gallery and various street venues, including a year-round Certified Farmers Market run by the Japantown Business Association.
On March 22, 2021, the Japantown community formally started citizen foot patrols to increase security and prevent attacks on
Asian Americans
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...
.
Geography
Japantown is located in Central San Jose, just north of
Downtown San Jose. It is surrounded by the
Northside
Northside or North Side may refer to:
Music
* Northside (band), a musical group from Manchester, England
* NorthSide, an American record label
* NorthSide Festival (Denmark), a music festival in Aarhus, Denmark
* "Norf Norf", a 2015 song by Vinc ...
neighborhood to its south and east. To its north are the
Hyde Park
Hyde Park may refer to:
Places
England
* Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London
* Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds
* Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield
* Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester
Austra ...
and
Luna Park neighborhoods. To its west is the
Santa Clara County Civic Center district.
Transit
The Japantown area is also served by the
VTA Light Rail Blue and Green lines at nearby
Japantown/Ayer station.
Parks and plazas
Parks within Japantown include:
*Bernal Park
*Cannery Park
Backesto Park
Backesto Park is a park in San Jose, California, in the Northside neighborhood.
History
Backesto Park is named after John Pierre Backesto (1831-1890), a prominent San Jose physician in 1800s.
In 1890, after John Pierre's death, his widow, Ann ...
is located nearby in
Northside
Northside or North Side may refer to:
Music
* Northside (band), a musical group from Manchester, England
* NorthSide, an American record label
* NorthSide Festival (Denmark), a music festival in Aarhus, Denmark
* "Norf Norf", a 2015 song by Vinc ...
neighborhood.
Gallery
File:San Jose Obon Festival 2009 1.2.jpg, San Jose Obon Festival
File:Cannery Park, Japantown, San Jose 4932.jpg, Taylor St. & 10th St.
File:2017 Nijiya Market in San Jose.jpg, Nijiya Market
Nijiya Market (ニジヤマーケット ''Nijiya Māketto'') is a Japanese supermarket chain headquartered in Torrance, California, with store locations in California and Hawaii. The store's rainbow logo is intended to represent a bridge betwee ...
File:USA-San Jose-Mariani Building-3.jpg, Historic Mariani cannery
File:Issei Memorial Building.jpg, Issei Memorial Building
File:Intersection_of_Jackson_&_N_5th_Streets,_San_Jose,_CA_2_(cropped).JPG, Jackson St. & 5th St.
References
Bibliography
*
External links
Japantown San JoseJapantown Business AssociationMap of San Jose JapantownSan Jose Japantown GuideJapanese American Museum of San Jose
Further reading
Arnold, Bruce Makoto. "The Japanese Ethnopole as Determinant: The Effects of the Japantowns on Second-Generation Japanese-Americans."
{{Japantowns in the United States
Japantowns in the United States
Japanese-American culture in California
Neighborhoods in San Jose, California
Ethnic enclaves in California