Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Japantown once housed over 100,000 Japanese-American
residents.
When they were forcibly interned in camps during
World War II, other settlers moved in, among them African Ameri-
cans recruited to work in the shipyards. Today less than 15,000
Japanese-Americans remain in San Francisco. Although few of them
live here, Japantown remains their cultural center. This tour should
take 2 hours.
START:
Webster St. & Geary Blvd. Bus: 2, 3, 4, 22, 38.
1
Webster Bridge.
Built in
the style of Japanese pedestrian
bridges, this arched walkway
spans several lanes of traffic over
the city's widest thoroughfare,
Geary Boulevard. Its height pro-
vides a good overview of Japan-
town, which today covers
just six square blocks,
down from over 40
blocks in the 1930s.
Webster St. & Geary
Blvd. Bus: 2, 3, 4,
22, 38.
2
Peace Plaza.
The Japan Center,
a collection of Japan-
ese shops and
restaurants, was
opened in 1968. It
seemed very modern
at the time,
but looks less
impressive
today. The
serenely
empty space
between the two buildings is the
Peace Plaza. Take a moment to
examine the unusually austere foun-
tain, where water cascades horizon-
tally across a hard-edged cement
surface.
Between Fillmore, Laguna &
Posts sts. & Geary Blvd.
3
Peace Pagoda.
This concrete
structure was designed by Japanese
architect Yoshiro Taniguchi as a
gesture of goodwill from the people
of Japan.
Peace Plaza.
4
Origami Fountains.
Noted
Japanese-American sculptor Ruth
Asawa designed these bronze
sculptures in the style of the tradi-
tional Japanese art of paper fold-
ing. The airy, delicate sculptures,
reminiscent of paper fans, contrast
with the heavy stone benches that
encircle them. The benches are a
good place to relax and
observe the water
rippling through the
“folds” in the sculp-
tures to the ground
below.
Nihonmachi
Pedestrian Mall,
Buchanan St.
(between Post
& Bush sts.).
5
Japan-
town Shops.
Explore the
array of Japanese
shops selling
bonsai,
kimonos, and
ceramics. For
excellent bar-
gains on
Japanese tableware, head to the
basement of
Soko Hardware
(p 78).
In the Japan Center.
The five-tiered peace pagoda was built as an offer
of friendship from Japan to the United States.
6
Isobune.
Pluck California rolls or
maguro
tuna sushi off little boats that
cruise by on an aquatic conveyor belt
in front of you. Just be sure to come
at lunch or dinnertime; in off-hours
you'll see limp fish that has been
around the loop one too many times.
1737 Post St. (in the Japan Center).
y
415/563-1030. $$.
