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 and Chinese American 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

thumb|left|San Jose Betsuin Buddhist Temple.

thumb|left|Until its closure in February 2019, Wing's Chinese Restaurant was San Jose's oldest operating restaurant.

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.

Japanese culture

thumb|left|The [[Japanese American Museum of San Jose|Japanese American Museum.]]

thumb|right|Performers at the San Jose [[Bon Festival|Obon Festival, held annually in Japantown.]]

thumb|left|Santo Market mural inspired by [[The Great Wave off Kanagawa.]]

Japantown is the site of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose (which moved into a new building in 2010); San Jose Taiko; Shuei-do Manju Shop and a variety of restaurants, professional services, community organizations (for example, Yu-Ai Kai Senior Center and the Japanese American Citizens League), and small retail shops. Japantown had two hand-made tofu shops, the last of which closed 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 local community organizations, including active Girl and Boy Scout organizations, and they 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 who have helped 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 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.

Geography

Japantown is located in Central San Jose, just north of Downtown San Jose. It is surrounded by the Northside neighborhood to its south and east. To its north are the Hyde Park and Luna Park neighborhoods. To its west is the Santa Clara County Civic Center district.

Transit

The Japantown area is served by VTA light rail Blue and Green lines at nearby Japantown/Ayer station.

Parks and plazas

Parks within Japantown include:

  • Bernal Park
  • Cannery Park
  • Heinlenville Park

Backesto Park is located nearby in the Northside neighborhood.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="100">

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

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.

</gallery>

References

Bibliography

  • Japantown San Jose
  • Japantown Business Association
  • Map of San Jose Japantown
  • San Jose Japantown Guide
  • Japanese 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."