Kenji G. Taguma/Nichi Bei Times
Chris Aihara, chair of the Planning and Cultural Preservation Committee of the Little Tokyo Community Council, Bill Watanabe, president of the Little Tokyo Service Center, Jerry Hiura, president of the Japantown Community Congress of San Jose, and Sandy Mori, president of the Japantown Task Force, Inc. in San Francisco, speak during the opening session of the Preserving California’s Japantowns Symposium held June 9 in San Francisco.

More than 100 individuals from across the state, concerned about the preservation of the nation’s three remaining Japantowns, gathered for a day-long symposium at San Francisco’s Miyako Hotel on June 9 to discuss their work, brainstorm and to learn from those with similar goals.

“Our goal is no easy goal,” reminded symposium chairperson Paul Osaki. “The reward of our work today is no different than that of the Issei who first built our communities. That after we’re gone there will still stand a Japantown.”

Sale of San Francisco Properties
The day kicked off with an update about the state’s Japantowns, beginning with the sales of buildings representing about 75 percent of San Francisco Japantown’s income–the Radisson Miyako and Best Western Miyako hotels, Kintetsu and Miyako shopping malls, the AMC Kabuki Theatre and the Hokubei Mainichi building.

Southern California-based 3D Investments, which purchased the hotels and malls, have signed city covenants meant to protect the culture of the area, which Japantown Task Force Board President Sandy Mori said is unusual for developers to do.

Japanese company Viz Media’s plans to demolish the Hokubei Mainichi building and establish the “J-Pop Center” “has been endorsed by virtually every community organization,” said Okamoto.

Although “the community is still fearful of the unknown,” expressed Okamoto, “things look bright.”

The Gentrification of San Jose Japantowns
“The manju-ya, tofu-ya, Shiseido don’t have next-gens waiting to replace them,” said Jerry Hiura, Japantown Community Congress of San Jose (JCCsj) board president, discussing the area’s “gentrification issue.”

However, a massive redevelopment affecting potentially 7.6 acres is in the works. The majority of the land is on the San Jose City Corporation Yard site, constituting 5.8 acres, for which Olson Urban Housing has been selected for the development. Additionally, 1.3 acres of the Boys and Girls Club property and a half-acre of land in the parking lot across from the Corporation Yard will be affected.

In San Jose, it is an issue of a change in community, noted Hiura, recalling that a decade ago, there were only one-and-a-half dance circles at their annual obon festival.  Recently the number has expanded to about five or six circles, he said, due to an expanding pan-Asian population.

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