San Francisco Hotel Reservations

Japantown – Lots of restaurants, some shops – a pretty good time

The first Japanese immigrants came to San Francisco in the early 1860’s. They settled in Chinatown and south of Market, but after the devastating earthquake in 1906, moved to the site of today’s Japantown, between Van Ness Avenue and Fillmore Street, where they built temples and ran restaurants and stores. By 1940, it covered about 30 blocks.

Like the Chinese community, Japanese people in San Francisco were not always treated fairly. During World War II, when the American government declared war on Japan, Japanese Americans were rounded up and transferred to internment camps in California, Utah, and Idaho. It was a devastating blow for the Japanese community, and it took years to the U.S. government to fully rehabilitate them. By 1945, Japantown had shrunk to a mere 6 blocks or so, but after their release, the Japanese slowly returned to the neighborhood.

Today, more than 12 000 Japanese live in San Francisco, but only a small percentage of the city’s Japanese community actually live in Japantown. Still, exploring the neighborhood few square blocks and the shops and restaurants within them is a cultural experience not to be missed. Notable sights include religious shrines like the Buddhist Church of San Francisco, the Konko Church of San Francisco, the Sokoji-Soto Zen Buddhist Temple, and the Cathedral of St-Mary of the Assumption, and shopping mal Nihonmachi mall, and Japan Center, an Asian-oriented shopping mall. At the center of Japan Center is Peace Pagoda, designed by Japanese architect Yoshiro Tariguchi, a sign of friendship of the Japanese to the people of the United States. You can also explore the center’s shops and showrooms, or spend some time in its numerous restaurants, teahouses and multiplex movie theater.

There are often cultural events in Japantown, including Japanese music and dance performances, tea ceremonies, and flower-arranging demonstration. If you’re planning to visit San Francisco in April, don’t miss the Cherry Blossom Festival, the biggest Japanese cultural event in California.

Looking to book a San Francisco Hotel Reservations? Here are 5 great hotels in Japantown :

• Hotel Carlton, a Joie de Vivre Boutique Hotel – Rates starting at 126$/night
• Castle Inn – Rates starting at 83$/night
• Hotel Kabuki – a Joie de Vivre Boutique Hotel $149/night
• Nob Hill Motor Inn – Rates starting at 68$/night
• Inn at the Opera – Rates starting at 115$/night