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About Japantown

Prior to San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake, four Japanese enclaves were located in the Western Addition, South Park, South of Market and Chinatown areas.  After the earthquake and fire, Japantown re-established itself in the Western Addition, where its core remains today.  (South Park survived until the 1930s.)  San Francisco's Japantown is the first and oldest of its kind on the continental USA and was established when the first wave of Japanese immigrants arrived in San Francisco in the 1880s.  With the consolidation of the community came more Japanese businesses, shops, churches, schools, restaurants, hotels and other organizations, which grew in the Western Addition and further supported the growth of the community.  The neighborhood took on a very Japanese character and before long became a miniature Ginza known as Nihonmachi, or Japantown. 

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Directions to Japantown
 


Visit maps.google.com for an interactive map.

Only one mile west of Union Square, Japantown, or Nihonmachi, is easy to reach by public transportation or car.

By BART and bus: Take BART to the Powell Street station. Walk up Powell Street to Geary (Union Square) to the 38 Geary bus line or to Sutter Street for the 2 Clement, 3 Jackson or 4 Sutter bus lines.


Map taken from Japantown Task Force website

By car: From the Bay Bridge or Highway 101 from the south, take the Octavia Street exit. Octavia will turn into Fell Street. Proceed up Fell and stay in the right lane to Webster. Turn right onto Webster and continue to Post Street.

From the Golden Gate Bridge, take the Lombard Street exit, turn right on Webster and continue to Post Street.

Parking: There are two indoor parking garages in the Japan Center. Entrances are on Geary between Laguna and Webster streets, Fillmore between Geary and Post, and Post between Webster and Laguna. Both garages are open every day.