The Lost Kinjo — Disappearing Japanese Neighborhoods

Welcome to Lost Kinjo, a year-long project to uncover a little-known chapter of Japanese American community.

California once thrived with more than 40 different Japanese American neighborhoods or kinjo prior to WWII. They have all disappeared.

Over the next year, we will tell the stories of these Lost Kinjo or neighborhoods and discover why Japanese Americans left and where they went.

AsAmNews gained its inspiration from Preserving California Japantowns, a project by Donna Graves and Jill Shiraki. The two worked tirelessly to identify the neighborhoods and to preserve its history.

This project is funded by the California State Library Japanese American Civil Liberties Program and the Takahashi Family Foundation.

Timeline

Historic Japanese American home may be saved from demolition

A historic North San Jose farmhouse stands as a powerful symbol of Japanese American farming. This house carries the weight of history—echoing the painful...

Japanese community MIA in multicultural Long Beach, CA

By Aviraj Gokool Shiny pickup trucks, old models of Toyota Corollas, and worn-out mini vans are lined just outside Long Beach’s First Apostolic Church. As...

One Of California’s Early Japantowns, Gardena Still Reflects Its Issei Roots

By David Hosley (This is part of our ongoing series, Lost Kinjo- a look at the more than 40 Japanese communities that disappeared after World War...

Lost Kinjo: How Lompoc Japantown in California Vanished

By Raymond Douglas Chong (This is part of our ongoing series, Lost Kinjo- a look at the more than 40 Japanese communities that disappeared after World...

Lost Kinjo: Japanese in Berkeley endured segregation

By Dianne Fukami (This is part of our ongoing series, Lost Kinjo- a look at the more than 40 Japanese communities that disappeared after World War...

Sawtelle: LA hotspot fights to keep its Japanese identity

By Aviraj Gokool (This is part of our ongoing series, Lost Kinjo- a look at the more than 40 Japanese communities that disappeared after World War...

Lost Kinjo: As Florin’s Japantown fades, traditions survive

By David Hosley (This is part of our ongoing series, Lost Kinjo- a look at the more than 40 Japanese communities that disappeared after World War...

Shrinking Japanese American community works to preserve history

By Jeanne Mariani-Belding Sebastopol is tucked in a corner of western Sonoma County, a blend of rural plots and emerging hipster culture. But if you...

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