Japantown, Little TokyoPowell Street (Japantown), Historical Review report prepared for the City of Vancouver by Birmingham & Wood et al., pp. 21, 28] or is an old neighbourhood in
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
, British Columbia, Canada, located east of
Gastown
Gastown is the original settlement that became the core of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and a national historic site and a neighbourhood in the northwest section of the Downtown Eastside, adjacent to Downtown Vancouver.
Its ...
and north of
Chinatown
Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
, that once had a concentration of
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
immigrants.
Japantown ceased to be a distinct Japanese ethnic area during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
when
Japanese Canadian
are Canadians, Canadian citizens of Japanese people, Japanese ancestry. Japanese Canadians are mostly concentrated in Western Canada, especially in the province of Japanese Canadians in British Columbia, British Columbia, which hosts the largest ...
s had their property confiscated and were interned. Although some Japanese returned after the war, the community never revived to its original state as the properties of Japanese Canadians were permanently forfeited by the Canadian government. As Japantown ceased to exist, the area is often referred to and marketed as Railtown by real estate developers.
History
Japantown was attacked on 7 September 1907 by the
Asiatic Exclusion League
The Asiatic Exclusion League (often abbreviated AEL) was an organization formed in the early 20th century in the United States and Canada that aimed to prevent immigration of people of Asian origin.
United States
In May 1905, a mass meeting was ...
, which smashed many windows in parts of Chinatown, and then moved on to Japantown. Four waves of attacks ensued, with the mob repulsed by armed Japantown residents who had received warning of the attacks in Chinatown. In spite of injuries inflicted by the residents, the rioters smashed the windows of more than 50 stores and businesses on Powell Street, causing thousands of dollars of damage. The centenary of the attacks was marked by a Riot Walk through Chinatown and Japantown on 7 September 2007.100th Anniversary of Anti-Asian Riots , 2007 Anniversaries of Change.7 September 2007 Riot Walk , 2007 Anniversaries of Change.
Prior to
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, in addition to having many restaurants, hotels and businesses, the district was home to three Japanese daily papers (Tiriku Nippo, Canada Shimbun, and Minshu), three Buddhist churches, several
sentō
is a type of Japanese communal bathhouse where customers pay for entrance. Traditionally these bathhouses have been quite utilitarian, with a tall barrier separating the sexes within one large room, a minimum of lined-up faucets on both sides ...
(Chitose, Tokiwa, Kotobuki, and Matsunoyu), and a Japanese language school with as many as one thousand students. By 1921, the number of Japanese stores and businesses on the street had reached 578. The kenjinkai (prefecture association) organized mutual aid for the community, mitigating the need for welfare during the Great Depression.
During World War II,
Japanese Canadian
are Canadians, Canadian citizens of Japanese people, Japanese ancestry. Japanese Canadians are mostly concentrated in Western Canada, especially in the province of Japanese Canadians in British Columbia, British Columbia, which hosts the largest ...
Downtown Eastside
The Downtown Eastside (DTES) is a list of neighbourhoods in Vancouver, neighbourhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. One of the city's oldest neighbourhoods, the DTES is the site of a complex set of social issues, including disproportio ...
and the area is informally known as Railtown.
Along Powell Street, a few remnants of the former Japanese neighbourhood still exist. The Vancouver Buddhist Church, formerly the Japanese Methodist Church, still exists at 220 Jackson Avenue at Powell, as does the Vancouver Japanese Language School and Japanese Hall at 475 and 487 Alexander Street at Jackson, which is the only property in Canada that was ever returned to Japanese Canadians after World War II.Vancouver Japanese Language School and Japanese Hall Until the boom in Japanese restaurants in the 1980s, two restaurants on Powell Street were among the only Japanese dining establishments in the city.
Oppenheimer Park
Oppenheimer Park
Oppenheimer Park is a park located in the historic Japantown, Vancouver, Japantown (Paueru-Gai) in the Downtown Eastside, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
History
The park was opened in 1902 as the Powell Street Grounds by Vancouver's sec ...
(Powell Street Grounds) in this area was the home for Asahi baseball team and it is the site for the annual two-day
Powell Street Festival
The Powell Street Festival is an ongoing annual festival in Paueru-Gai, Vancouver. Originating in 1977 the Powell Street Festival is the largest Japanese Canadian festival and the longest ongoing community event in Vancouver. The festival takes p ...
, which began in 1977.Powell Street Festival Powell Street Festival Society. It is held every August, in the first weekend of the month, and is a community celebration of Japanese heritage as well as the alternative and street culture of the Downtown Eastside.
See also
*
Asahi (baseball team)
The Asahi was a Japanese-Canadian baseball team of amateur and semi-professional players that was based in Vancouver from 1914 to 1941. The team won many league championships, particularly in the 1930s.
History
The Asahi was established as a s ...
*
Judo in British Columbia
The Japanese martial art and combat sport judo has been practised in the Canadian province of British Columbia since the early 1900s, and it was the only place in the country where judo was practised prior to the Second World War. The first long ...
*
Judo in Canada
The Japanese martial art and combat sport judo has been practised in Canada for over a century. The first long-term judo dojo in Canada, Tai Iku Dojo, was established by a Japanese immigrant named Shigetaka Sasaki, Shigetaka "Steve" Sasaki in V ...
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...