Yoshihiro Uchida, the legendary coach who helped make San Jose State University a collegiate powerhouse in judo for decades, will celebrate his 100th birthday on April 1. He had hoped to visit Japan later this year for the Tokyo Olympics, but those plans are uncertain because of the global coronavirus pandemic. Uchida was born in […]
Dr. Jerry Hiura, arts leader and dentist, dies
January 2, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Dr. Jerrold Hiura, a San Jose Japantown dentist, leader in the arts community and co-founder of Contemporary Asian Theater Scene, passed away after battling late-stage esophageal cancer on Dec. 26, 2019. He was 72. Hiura was born in Chicago, and he moved with his family to the San Jose when he was seven. At the […]
Arts center on hold while commercial developments move forward
September 12, 2019 by Leave a Comment
SAN JOSE — As San Jose’s Japantown finally sees construction begin at the site of the city’s former Corporation Yard and its historic Chinatown, community members expressed hope as the long-delayed project is now pouring concrete. Part of the development, however, has been put on hold, with costs becoming too high to move forward on […]
San Jose Tofu, a Japanese American institution, to close
December 7, 2017 by Leave a Comment
SAN JOSE — After more than seven decades of handcrafting tofu from scratch, San Jose Japantown’s iconic San Jose Tofu will close its doors for good Dec. 30, leaving a community in mourning over the loss of one of Japanese America’s most unique businesses. “We’re tired, and while I’m still able to walk, we want […]
New book helps to make San Jose’s Japantown more accessible
September 14, 2017 by Leave a Comment
After some 15 years on a volunteer project, pouring over hundreds of photographs for a seminal volume on San Jose’s Japantown, you would think that it would be easy to walk away once that project was complete. But not for Japantown photographer and businessman James “Jim†Nagareda. A new opportunity arose to further document the […]
PLAYING FOR COMMUNITY: San Jose Taiko founders P.J. and Roy Hirabayashi
April 1, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Known both locally and internationally, P.J. and Roy Hirabayashi were among the latest inductees to the Hokka Nichibei Kai (Japanese American Association of Northern California) Bunka Hall of Fame during its annual New Year’s party Jan. 28, alongside fellow San Jose’s Japantown cultural arts icon Reiko Iwanaga (Reimichi Hanayagi). The Hirabayashis, founders of San Jose […]
San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin Annex renovation project complete
September 15, 2016 by Leave a Comment
SAN JOSE — The renovations to the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin’s Annex Building are complete, and the facility is ready for future generations to enjoy. The renovation began approximately a year ago as part of a two-phase capital project titled “Generations.†The first phase of the project involved seismic and Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility […]
Ethnic enclave readying for new developments
September 17, 2015 by Leave a Comment
SAN JOSE — San Jose’s Japantown, a mix of retail, residential and light industrial development still has opportunity for growth and developers are taking advantage of the available space to build new retail and housing in the ethnic enclave. At the center of potential new developments is the Japantown Corporation Yard, bordered by Sixth, Seventh, […]
Supes approve resolution against oil train project
September 3, 2015 by Leave a Comment
SAN JOSE — The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution Aug. 25 against a project that would bring trains carrying oil through the county. The proposed rail spur extension project in San Luis Obispo County would allow up to five trains with 80 cars to travel through 40 miles of track […]
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San Jose Obon delivers comforting familiarity to community
This year’s Obon festival in San Jose’s Japantown, which took place July 9 and July 10, was the same as it is every year: parking was nearly impossible to find, a line extended all the way from Jackson Street around the corner to North Fifth Street for the shave ice sold at Shuei-do Manju Shop, […]