In a unique community renewal program inspired by the Japan Center, residents and merchants of the neighborhood worked with the Redevelopment Agency to plan and implement the renewal of the four square blocks immediately north of the Center bounded by Post, Webster, Bush, and Laguna Streets.

By the mid-1970s revitalization was well on its way and was evidenced in the new and rehabilitated homes, stores, restaurants, and businesses owned by people who had lived in the area for years, in the reconstructed churches and institutions, and in the cultural activities offered by the familiar community centers that have historically been located in Japantown. (*1)

In 1975, the Best Western Miyako Inn opened at Sutter and Buchanan Streets, one block from the Japan Center, and, in 1976, the Buchanan Mall leading to the Center's main entrance from the north was completed. The block-long pedestrian mall--with its flowering plum and cherry trees and cobbled streets--resembles a mountain village and provides an interesting contrast to the formal structure of the Center.

Today's Nihonmachi blends deeply-rooted traditions and values with the vitality of an attractive, modern environment. (*1) It is one of only three remaining Japantowns in the continental United States.

(1) San Francisco Redevlopment Agency, Nihonmachi Community, 1976.

Useful Links:
San Jose Japantown
Little Tokyo Los Angeles