Japantown, San Francisco

Paper lanterns at Soko Hardware, Japantown, San Francisco

When most people think of tourist destinations in San Francisco, they think of Chinatown.  But, just as interesting and not so crowded with tourists is Japantown, on Post Street, between Laguna and Fillmore.  During the Christmas holidays we made a family expedition into San Francisco and stopped for lunch and a look around in Japantown.  Highlights included browsing in Soko Hardware store, which carries everything from lightbulbs and garden supplies to pottery and paper lanterns; posing in front of the Tori Gate on the Buchanan Mall and the Peace Pagoda in the plaza across the street; shopping for trinkets at Daiso, the huge Japanese equivalent of a 99 cent store (one of our purchases was a pair of socks with five toes); and lunch at the upstairs Iroha restaurant, where we had sushi and huge bowls of udon noodles.

Sushi and udon noodles at Iroha Restaurant

Before World War II, this area of San Francisco was a thriving Japanese community, but during the war many residents were forced to leave and go to internment camps.  Although some returned, today this area is mostly for tourists, but with an amazing array of shops and businesses carrying Japanese goods.  We purchased some beautiful handmade Japanese paper, some ceramic bowls, and souvenir chopsticks for the kids. It was fun to window shop and see on display lovely silk fabrics, welcome kitties, all sorts of origami, and more.  Many of the shops and restaurants are in Kintetsu Mall and Miyako Mall, which flank the Peace Plaza.  The Miyako Mall is also the location of the Japanese American Historical Society and has photos and information about the World War II detention camps. 

Origami decorations were everywhere

We did a self-guided tour of Japantown using a card from City Walks San Francisco: 50 Adventures on Foot, published by Chronicle Books.  Each card in the set is a miniature guidebook, with a map on one side and notes about places to visit on the other. In my opinion, the “deck” of cards is a brilliant concept.  I don’t know how many times as a tourist I have struggled with  unwieldy maps (when I only needed to use one small section) and bulky guidebooks, in which I was always losing the appropriate page and had more information than I needed at the time.  The City Walks cards (about 4" by 6"), printed on heavy cardstock, fit easily into your purse or pocket and are easy to consult as you walk along.

After our lunch in Japantown, we headed for the San Francisco Opera House, about ten minutes away (by car) for an afternoon performance of the Nutcracker by the San Francisco Ballet.  Altogether, it was a very successful day in the city!

Getting there: San Francisco is a city with excellent public transportation and Japantown can be reached by buses #2, 3, 4, or 22.  However, we went by car.  Unlike some parts of the city, where parking is a challenge, we had no trouble finding parking along Post Street.  There is also a parking garage adjacent to the malls.