Japantown, San Jose, California
| Japantown | |
|---|---|
| Neighborhood of San Jose | |
The intersection of Jackson and North Fifth Street
|
|
 Japantown
|
|
| Coordinates: 37°20′54″N 121°53′44″W / 37.348463°N 121.895421°WCoordinates: 37°20′54″N 121°53′44″W / 37.348463°N 121.895421°W | |
| Country |
 United States
|
| State | California |
| County | Santa Clara |
| City | San Jose |
| ZIP Code | 95112 |
| Area code(s) | Area code 408 |
Japantown (also known as "Nihonmachi" (ja: 日本町) or "J Town") is the portion of San Jose, California, United States bounded by First Street to the west, 8th Street to the east, Empire Street to the south and Taylor Street to the north; it is just north of Downtown San Jose. 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 brides. 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 population was forcibly removed from Japantown and unjustly incarcerated in camps. 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. The other two historical Japantowns are within California, in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
In 2004, nearly 227,000 people resided within a 3-mile (4.8 km) radius of Japantown, of which 25% were of Asian descent.
...
Wikipedia