Stakeholders seek community consensus, trust in S.F. Japantown’s future

San Francisco’s Japantown is one of three remaining Japanese American ethnic enclaves in the United States. In its more than 100-year history, the Nikkei population in San Francisco’s Western Addition has survived two major social upheavals, the wartime incarceration and urban redevelopment. The JCHESS As a reaction to urban redevelopment in the 1960s through ‘80s, […]

Better Neighborhood Plan fields community input before revision draft

San Francisco Japantown community members attended a meeting held at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) on July 31 to discuss potential changes to the Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan (BNP). About 50 people — including project members, city employees and even District 5 Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi — attended the event. The […]

Leaders to discuss community revitalization on Sept. 18, in SF’s J-Town

San Francisco’s Japantown, as with numerous Nikkei communities, has faced more than a few challenges in recent years. The 2006 purchase of the Kintetsu and Miyako malls by Beverly Hills-based 3D Investments and the closure of the beloved Japantown Bowl a few years prior, are just two events that have caused a community outcry. These […]

Japantown Plan Moving Forward Slowly: Community Members Have “Second Chance” to Make Their Voices Heard

Community members still have a chance to influence the fate of the Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan (BNP), which, once adopted, will govern how San Francisco’s Japantown will develop over the next several decades. Since property owners have postponed development due to the economic crisis and lack of city funding has slowed the planning process, community […]