Reflections

I walked into Japantown in late August with the mindset "i'm going to report the hell out of this neighborhood!" I quickly realized, however, that I had no idea what to do, what questions to ask or where to ask them. 

There is more than a century of Japantown history through which residents there view the present. This fact confronted me like a tidal wave as I stumbled through my first attempts at interviewing. After talking with people, it became clear that every current struggle or triumph in the neighborhood is linked to the past. 

In the short time I've been covering Japantown the Better Neighborhood Plan has stalled, the renovation of the Japan Center has continued to loom and may destroy small businesses, New People opened, and both Japanese-American newspapers based in the neighborhood have folded. 

The fabric of the neighborhood appears to be coming apart at the seams. But after talking with people for just three months, I've realized that if the future of the neighborhood was secure, that would be considered out of the norm. The whole history of Japantown is defined by a rugged struggle for survival, and it's inescapable during conversation about the current state of the community. I've simply caught a glimpse of these tireless efforts since August. 

A Beverly Hills investment company bought the economic core of the neighborhood in 2006, and residents are fighting to protect their future through the Better Neighborhood Plan, which already been more than a two-year affair. 

The 60-year-old Hokubei Mainichi folded Oct. 30, and former senior editor J.K. Yamamoto continues to update the Website everyday, despite not being paid. 

The Nichi Bei Times folded in September and former employees launched the Nichi Bei Foundation, which produces a weekly paper, to keep citizens informed. They, too, are working without pay. Kenji Taguma, president of the Nichi Bei Foundation, told me a story about his 6-year-old niece giving him a $6 donation to help continue publishing the weekly paper. 

"It would have been easier to quit," Taguma said. 

For me, that statement is tailor-made for Japantown. After internment during World War II, it would have been easier to quit, but residents didn't. They returned and rebuilt Japantown. After the 1950's and 60's redevelopment, which razed houses and cut the neighborhood in half with an 8-lane Geary Boulevard, it would have been easier to quit. They didn't. 

The upcoming renovation of the Japan Center could be a third displacement, but residents are still not quitting. 

I'm privileged to have had the experience of reporting on Japantown, and I'm astonished by what I learned in such a short amount of time. I dreaded approaching people and asking them questions three months ago. I now feel confident walking up to anyone or into any building and getting answers. And I learned that in Japantown. 

Japanese-American press struggles to survive

Leaders from the two failed newspapers in San Francisco's Japantown held a community forum Sunday afternoon to discuss the future of the Japanese American press. 

Former employees of the recently closed Hokubei Mainichi were there and discussed the demise of the Hokubei, but most of the forum focused on the Nichi Bei Foundation. 

The newly formed nonprofit foundation publishes the Nichi Bei Weekly and was formed by former employees at the Nichi Bei Times, which folded in September. 

Kenji Taguma, editor-in-chief of the Nichi Bei Weekly, explained that the Nichi Bei Foundation is one of the first models of a paper changing from a profit enterprise to a nonprofit. Taguma, along with the rest of the staff of the Weekly are volunteering their time for the paper, which has a circulation of over 2,000 subscribers. 

The foundation has made attempts at innovation, primarily new special issues, since the transition to a nonprofit. The staff publishes a special green issue that has to do with the environment and global warming. They also publish a special multi-racial issue, a health and wellness edition and an anime and manga issue. 

But the foundation is still seeking donations and subscriptions so that they can continue to publish. 

Former Hokubei senior editor J.K. Yamamoto continues to volunteer his time to update the Hokubei Website, although he admitted "I should probably be looking for a job." He explained that if the Hokubei board can find funding the Website will continue to exist, but he ceded that the online edition does not help older Japanese-Americans who don't use the internet. 

Former editors for both the Hokubei and the Nichi Bei Times cited the lack of ad revenue and subscriptions as the primary reasons for the publication's failures. Executive Director of the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California Paul Osaki has noticed the effect the papers closing.

"When I run into people in the Bay Area, they have to ask what's going on because they're not receiving that information," Osaki said. He hoped that the community could come together and help the Nichi Bei Foundation get on its feet. 

"Civilizations existed and vanished," Osaki said. "Fifty years from now a student will try to trace the Japanese-American community and there will be no documentation. This is how we stay connected as a community and we're losing that right now."

What is Japanese and Japanese-American culture?

After encountering a myriad of Japanese cultural vignettes over the past three months, I've come to the conclusion that to define that culture is impossible, but here is a brief account of people attempting to do just that in San Francisco's Japantown.

It quickly became clear that it depends on who is speaking, and more precisely, what the speaker's age is.

At the risk of oversimplification, there are roughly two camps; one champions the traditional and the other side promotes the new.

"Young people like anime and the older people are more traditional," said Linda Lum, the owner of the Japanese tableware boutique Daikoku by Shiki. "And everything is in Japantown."

Much of the battle between the two culturally divergent paths are brought to life in Japantown and represented by two buildings on opposite sides of Post Street. The 40-year-old Japan Center on the southern side of Post houses shops related to kimonos, taiko, origami, samurai and traditional Japanese cuisine.

New People, on the other hand, is a new building on the northern side of Post Street that features all the latest in Japanese pop-culture.

Even the architectural styles are opposites. New People features a 3-story glass facade that allows the sun to illuminate the inside of the building. The Japan Center shuns natural light and is built with all the stores facing inwards onto sunless halls.

A difference is also visible when comparing the crowds that frequent each location. An older crowd is more prominent in the Japan Center. Meanwhile, on a recent Saturday when New People was opening a new art exhibit -the Tokyo Creators Market- the crowd consisted primarily of younger faces.

Mika Anami, the general manager of Superfrog gallery, was overseeing the opening of the exhibit and reflected on the state of Japanese culture.
She explained that recent Japanese cultural developments mainly originate in Tokyo, a city that is "culturally fast-paced and always changing like New York City on coke," and spread from there. But nothing of what Americans receive is truly authentic, Anami explained, because to be noticed in the U.S. one has to be "big in Japan." New People is trying to change that by importing movies, art and fashion so visitors can catch a glimpse of what's happening in Tokyo.

Many people have picked up on these cultural strands from Tokyo. Every Saturday afternoon cosdancers (people dressed as anime characters that dance) can be seen performing in the Japantown Peace Plaza. Maria Watanabe, an employee at Japan Video and Media in the Kintetsu Mall of Japan Center, consistently appears every Saturday because she wants "to show that Japanese culture is cool and speaking Japanese is cool too."

Takeshi Onishi, Watanbe's boss, organized and integrated the anime portion of the annual Cherry Blossom Festival Parade. He calls anime "a big part of contemporary Japanese culture."

Others aren't so sure. A store that is viewed as most representative of the traditional aspect of Japanese culture, according to Daikoku by Shiki owner Linda Lum, is Dentoh: The Japanese Tradition.

Dentoh, which offers classes in calligraphy, origami, and sells merchandise like papier mache rendtions of traditional Japanese masks, kokeshi (wooden) dolls, traditional kimono and happi coats, is owned by Seiko Fujimoto.

"There's a generation gap," Fujimoto says about the rift over the definition of Japanese culture. And she is appalled by the dancers dressed like anime characters performing their routines underneath the Japantown Peace Pagoda, which she calls "sacred."

Fujimoto also sits on the executive board of the Cherry Blossom Festival, an annual two-week event in San Francisco's Japantown celebrating Japanese heritage, and she does not appreciate the anime portion of the parade.

"Anime is not a part of the culture we want to people to know about," she said. "I think they should make their own festival."

Others, like Linda Lum, may not be interested in anime but understand other's interest, as well as respecting the business aspect of the entertainment.

"I don't mind," Lum said. "[Cosdancing] is entertaining, and if it brings younger people to Japantown and the Cherry Blossom Festival parade that's good for business."

Japantown History Walk

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New art exhibit arrives at New People

Tokyo Creator's Market, a new art exhibit at Japantown's New People, opened Saturday, and the debut was accompanied by Bazaar Bizarre vendor kiosks stationed throughout the three-story building.

Visitors perused the art fair tables, such as Skinni Wini's Lolita decor and Stephanie Lee's food themed accessories (right), on their way to the art exhibit in the third-floor Superfrog Gallery.

Mika Anami, the general manger of the Superfrog Gallery, called the setup a vertical art village that really added a local tie-in to the event and brought more visitors.

"Over 1,000 people reserved spots at the Friday night special viewing and about 400 to 500 showed up," Anami said while sitting behind her desk in the spacious gallery. 

Artisans from Bazaar Bizarre, a network of handmade arts and crafts dealers and do it yourself workshops, were enjoying the event.

"I'm right next to my dream store," said Skinni Wini about the Lolita fashion boutique Baby, the Stars Shine Bright.Wini designs and sells products similar to what Baby, the Stars Shine Bright offers.

"I like when you dress up and you become a different person," said Wini, who was dressed in one of her Lolita outfits. "You're kinder, cute, and you don't harm people because the Lolita style is all about cuteness."

After browsing through the purchasable arts and crafts on the first two floors, visitors moved on to the Tokyo Creators Market, where items were not for sale.

Artwork was displayed from seven different artists:

-Junko Mizuno is known for her provocative and strong feminine imagery. (Below left).

-Tomomi Kazumoto is a screen printer and attempts to remind viewers of childhood with her dime-store darkness and playfulness. (Right). 

-Kim Songhe is known for sculptures built from natural materials and reusable wastes. She creates original chandeliers and designs shop window displays.

-Mikito Ozeki presents the BODY series, which is intended to stimulate the wavering of human values by showing the ambiguous robot figures with clear lines and forms of a paper cutout. (Below). 

-Noritake blends simple lines and multiple motifs that seemingly have nothing in common. Drawing from old photos, magazines and picture books, he adds in new elements and leaves it to the viewers to make their own discovery.

-The On Za Line design team attempts to celebrate passion, atmosphere and time with its handmade products.

-Yuichi Yokoyama, famous for his picture books, presents comic drawings usually depicting character movement or action.

“Pop culture serves as a theme with limitless possibilities for artistic expression and we’re very excited to present one of the most unique art shows to come to San Francisco this year,” says Seiji Horibuchi, the Founder of New People. “Each of these

artists is distinctive in their own expression, originality and style. We invite everyone to use Japanese pop culture as inspiration in their own lives."

Japantown residents saddened by closing of Hokubei Mainichi

The last bilingual Japanese-English newspaper in San Francisco ceased its print publication last week and will likely end its internet edition in the near future leaving Japantown residents disappointed.

In an Oct. 27 letter to readers, Hokubei Mainichi President and CEO Don Yamate explained that the newspaper would halt publication "as a result of our worsening financial situation." He also apologized for the last minute notice, writing that the staff at the Hokubei "sincerely regret having to give the bad news so suddenly." 

Hokubei Mainichi ran its last issue October 30, and its final publication comes only 50 days after its former competitor, the Nichi Bei Times, closed (an offshoot of the Times, the nonprofit Nichi Bei Foundation, now prints a weekly English edition and thrice-weekly Japanese issue). The loss of both publications made the news that much harder for Japantown residents and leaves some scrambling for a new source of news.

"It's very inconvenient," Keiko Sajan said as she sat with three friends drinking tea and coffee in the Japan Center. "I used to read it every day." Sajan, the only one of the group of four who spoke English, said she will now get her news from television.

"Tragic," executive director of the Japantown Task Force Robert Hamaguchi said as he held up the Hokubei final edition. "It's just unfortunate they couldn't have come together with the Nichi Bei Times." 

Hokubei CEO Don Yamate did offer a glimmer of hope, saying "the company will continue to seek investors and make every effort to once again become a media outlet serving the community," but the prospects appear dim. 

Staff members are still gathering and posting Japanese-American related news on the Hokubei Web site, although they are not being paid and are "preparing to go dark" Hokubei columnist Delia Tomino Nakamaya said. In her opinion, the internet version would last until the beginning of 2010 at the latest due to the difficulty in raising funds. 

Nakamaya tried to rally readers in her final article and appealed for assistance in the form of financial support or advertising in the hope that the Hokubei may print again. 

"A newspaper is the voice of a community," she wrote. "When developers aspire to land-grab or a school in Japantown is in need of support or funding, Hokubei Mainichi has been there to let us all know what is going on and what actions we can manifest. Without a newspaper, a community is silenced. As Japanese Americans, we know very the well the terror of silence, the resounding silence of America as we were interned duing World War II when no one spoke out against our four-year imprisonment."

Nakamaya is now exploring other options as the Hokubei has struggled to raise the $500 needed to keep the online version going without employees being paid. 

From 1977 to 2007, Hokubei Mainichi was housed in the large building on the corner of Post and Webster streets, but with diminishing revenue the newspaper company sold the building to Viz Media in 2007 and moved to 1710 Octavia St. The Post Street building is now occupied by New People, which houses a Japanese themed art gallery, movie theater, and small boutiques.

For now, all that remain of Hokubei Mainichi is dwindling online news and a small plaque in the front window of New People, the end of which reads:

"Founded in 1948, the bilingual newspaper voiced the post-World War II concerns of both older Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans, chronicling news and issues critical to the community that were not covered by the mainstream press. Both as social center and home to the Hokubei Mainichi, 1746 Post Street served to unite the community." 

Map of major Japantown businesses being sold with information

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