There are only three Japantowns left in the country, but only one isn’t a tourist trap.
8 Asians reports that Japanese Americans resisted catering the neighborhood to tourists and, as a result, many of the original buildings remain. Yu Ai Kai senior center, the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin, the Wesley United Methodist Church, and the Japanese American Museum remain anchors in the community that is now celebrating its 125th anniversary.
Recently Curt Fukuda and Ralph Pearce recently appeared on KQED radio to talk about the community’s history. The two authored the book San Jose Japantown. You can hear their interview below. You can read some of the highlights on 8 Asians.
Photo by BrokenSphere (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
