A Rare Opportunity: Historic Walking Tour of San Jose Japantown with Jimi Yamaichi
daruma street art in San Jose
This Saturday, September 14th, 10:30 AM – 2:30 PM
You are invited to join the students of AA/ADS 122, “Japanese American History: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives,” on a walking tour of San Jose Japantown, as well as a tour of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose, led by community leader Jimi Yamaichi.
Mr. Jimi Yamaichi grew up on his family-owned farm in San Jose during the Great Depression era. With the signing of Executive Order 9066, however, he and his family were forcibly removed from their home to the Pomona Assembly Center, and then to the concentration camps at Heart Mountain in Wyoming and at Tule Lake in California. Angered that he and others were deprived of their constitutional rights and that his older brother suffered great indignities while serving as a soldier in the US military, he became a draft resister during this time. After the war, Mr. Yamaichi would continue his struggles against civil rights violations, eventually becoming the first Asian American allowed to join a local union.
Location: The tour will be departing at 10:30 AM from in front of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose, located at 535 North 5th Street, San Jose, 95112.
Parking: For parking information / assistance, please refer to the following link: www.japantownsanjose.org
Schedule:
10:30 AM: Tour of San Jose Japantown
11:30 AM: Lunch (on your own)
12:30: Tour of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose
RSVP: Please email Professor Lisa Tsuchitani at lhtsuchitani@berkeley.edu if you are interested in attending this tour by no later than noon, Friday, September 13th.
A Brief History of San Jose Japantown
Originally formed around the existing “Heinlenville” Chinatown settlement, San Jose Japantown Japantown (also known as “Nihonmachi” or “J-Town”) has been designated by the California State Legislation as one of the last three remaining historical Japantowns in the United States. It is the site of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose, San Jose Taiko, the Shuei-do Manju Shop, San Jose Tofu, and a variety of restaurants, professional services, community organizations, and small retail shops. It is also home to a number of non-Japanese businesses, including Mexican, Hawaiian, Cuban, and Korean restaurants. Two churches founded by Japanese immigrants over 100 years ago –Wesley United Methodist Church and San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin — thrive on the same street, Fifth Street.