Little peace and quiet in Japantown Peace Plaza

On a sunny Saturday afternoon in Japantown's Peace Plaza different languages are carried on the wind that gusts between the separated buildings of the Japan Center, and the tongues announce the theme of the day: the intermingling of cultures, ages; and real life and fantasy. People lounge underneath the Peace Pagoda, and people sit on the circular cement benches wrapped around cement cylinders holding flowers or a tree. Kids use cement structures as hiding spots during games of hide-and-seek, and people make their way from the Miyako Mall to the Kintetsu Mall and vice-versa. 

At first the conversations vary wildly, including topics such as the difference in Californian and Japanese marijuana laws, the San Francisco Chronicle's Sept. 24 article examining possible water rationing in the Bay Area's future, what to drink that evening, and a man riding a bike naked on the Embarcadero. Oakland resident and University of San Francisco student Mark Devera shared the secrets of Japantown shopping.

"The Kinokuniya Bookstore is always well-stocked," Devera said. "And they have a huge selection of Japanese comics." 

Daniel Reidy, who lived in Japantown for four years in the 1970's and now visits regularly, recommended the Soko Hardware store, where "they have great old, traditional Japanese tools." Reidy lamented some of the changes Japantown has undergone over the years such as the loss of a distinct architectural style, the recent closing of Japantown Bowl, and the Kabuki Springs and Spa losing its authenticity and becoming like any other spa. 

 

All attention quickly shifted to dancers on an elevated portion of cement next to the Peace Pagoda. Previously a young man and woman had been dancing to music from their boombox  and they had been receiving a fair amount of looks from the crowd in the Plaza, but two new dancers arrived and the party really began. Both of the newcomers were young women, one of whom wore a green wig, a small red hat, a short red dress and red stalkings. The other fashioned a purple halter-top, and a short dress of the same color. She mouthed words into a golden microphone as she dances her way onto the raised cement area where the other dancers continue to perform unperturbed. 

"Who are these people?" asked Daniel Reidy as he squinted through his thick glasses and settled his eyes on the dancers with a perplexed glare. 

"I don't know," I answered and excused myself to go find out. I sat and watched while the dancers mechanically jumped around and flung their arms about like robots until they finally tired. I waited longer for answers while the exhausted dancers obliged some adoring fans by taking photographs with them. 

Finally, the answer comes. They are "costume-players'" or as they called it, "cosplayers." What is a cosplayer? It is someone who dresses like an anime character and goes around "and just has fun," explained Darla Amyx, the cos-player dressed in red.

"You can purchase the costumes on Ebay or you can make your own," advised Asha Blackwell, the green-haired cos-player. This particular day, Asha and Darla were dressed like characters from the anime Macross Frontier, but there's all different costumes and characters, they assured me. 

 

And why did they come to Japantown? It was only one of their stops during their of cos-playing, but they knew they had to pay homage to anime's birthplace of Japan by dancing through Japantown.  Although they didn't know the other anime dancers, Asha and Darla felt comfortable coming to Japantown to cos-play because they knew fellow cos-players would likely be there. The other two who made up the momentary foursome were Kaela Tucker and Max Hall. 

"We're not cosplayers," Hall said. "Dancing without the costumes is just dancing." Hall and Tucker usually come out every weekend to Japantown's Peace Plaza and dance to the music of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, a video game. They normally appear as cosplayers, although their costumes weren't available this weekend because they were dirty, Tucker explained. They come to Japantown for the same reason that Amyx, Blackwell, and many others come: Japantown is the closest they can get to Japan without travelling across the Pacific Ocean. 

New People a crash course in 'J-Pop' culture

New People, a center for Japanese pop culture, opened it's doors just over other a month ago on Aug. 15, 2009, and is seeking to position itself as a staple destination in Japantown and a source of stimulation for both San Francisco locals and tourists, the New People Web site declares. 

The four-story building, informally called the "J-Pop Center," is located at 1746 Post St., and contains a Japanese art gallery,  fashion boutiques, and the United State's first movie theater dedicated solely to Japanese animated and live-action films. I stopped by recently to see what the J-Pop Center was all about. Here is what I found:

Through the center's beckoning red doorframe on Post Street is the small movie theatre lobby where snacks and drinks are offered for filmgoers. On the second floor is New People: the Store, commonly referred to as simply 'the Store.'  Japanese dance music plays while customers make their way around the interspaced tables and stands, which display Japanese graphic novels, toys, jewelry, and clothing accessories. 

"It's for people who grew up watching Japanese animation," said  Chinatsu Komori, a New People employee . "Or for people who grew up here and didn't have a chance to familiarize themselves with it." Over 90% of the products offered at the store are Japanese-made, Komori said. "We're introducing stuff that's not available in the U.S., and we concentrate on Japanese pop culture." 

For someone like San Francisco resident Jeffrey Tunches, that exposure to Japanese culture was a driving force behind his visit to the J-Pop Center. As he browsed through items in the Store he praised the change that New People offers. 

"It's different, it's cultural, and it's not mundane," said Tunches, a video producer for the Web site changestartsathome.com. "Plus, my girlfriend is really enjoying it." 

With customers like Mr. Tunches, the J-Pop Center is achieving its stated goal of "attract[ing] those eager [to] explore new cultural inspirations or who would like a crash course in Japanese popular culture."

The crash course continues on the third floor with Baby, the Stars Shine Bright, which features clothing products that are a cross between Alice in Wonderland and Captain Jack Sparrow. 

A more technical description is provided by Angelica Lyons, a Baby, the Stars Shine Bright employee and a third-year History student at San Francisco State University. The correct label is either Roccoco, an 18th Century France, Victorian England hybrid, or Lolita. The latter has no connection to the Vladimir Nabokov novel of the same name, Lyons assured me as I eyed the revealing and rather suggestive clothing. 

Next to Baby, the Stars Shine Bright is BPN, an acronym for Black Peace Now. It features an array of Gothic styles and an ultralimited selection of colors: black. 

The fourth and final floor of New People is reserved solely for the Superfrog Gallery, which features "Jap Pop Art." It is currently featuring the "Deva Loka USA" exhibition by Yoshitaka Amano, known for his character designs for the video game Final Fantasy. 

Finally, there's the underground, 143-seat cinema, which continues the Jap-pop theme by showing new films from Japan, as well as Japanese classics, documentaries and anime. 

New People can be an explosion of Japanese pop-culture for those in need of a crash course. And it presents a new lens with which to examine our preconceptions of Japan. Indeed, it is a long way from the samurai exhibit that recently ended at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum. Rather than being a relic of the past, the J-Pop Center is looking to the future and accomplishing its goal of "bringing a new cultural energy to an area filled with history."

A newcomer's impression

Riding the Muni 22 line north on Fillmore Street past Geary Boulevard, I notice a gray pagoda rising slightly over the surrounding buildings against the gray sky backdrop. It's two p.m., and walking east on Post Street between Fillmore and Webster, the shopping bags swing aiming for your kneecaps. After passing Sundance Kabuki Cinema the signs for sushi restaurants begin to come into view. 

I must admit that I am unfamiliar with Japanese culture aside from sushi and "Lost in Translation." From this point of view Japantown has the feeling of a low-density Chinatown with what I perceive as a likeness in the script that graces storefronts, poster boards and street signs. 

The primary similarity, however, is that when so saturated with a culture of a faraway place, after a few hours the mind awakes from its drifting to discover that it is in fact still in San Francisco. This mind travel is ushered in when entering the main attraction of Japantown from where all the knee busting shopping bags generated: Japan Center. This shopping center is separated into three buildings: the Kinokuniya Building, the Kintetsu Mall and the Miyako Mall. 

Taken together the buildings occupy three square blocks and contain a movie theater, a hotel, and establishments ranging from supermarkets, restaurants and cafes to antique shops, record stores, and clothing outlets. When Japantown advertises itself as "The Gateway to Japanese Culture, Cuisine, and Shopping," the statement is fairly accurate.

A mix of old elaborate structures and modernJapanese architecture line the main thoroughfare Post Street as well as well as surrounding streets of Webster, Buchanan, Laguna, and Sutter. For some, the architecture alone is reason enough to visit.

"I love the architecture and how it all matches," San Jose resident Titus Ares said while sharing sushi wraps with a friend in Japantown Peace Plaza. "It's definitely a place to immerse yourself in the culture."

Much of the language emanating from the restaurants, stores and sidewalks was a mystery to me. Between Geary Boulevard and Sutter Street, Buchanan turns into a pedestrian space where groups congregate, even on this chilly Sunday afternoon. Here the Korean BBQ restaurants are interspersed with the sushi bars.

"It's not really our favorite place," said Hechang Myong, a 24-year-old student from Seoul, South Korea. "But the food is great." His friends Yong Youn and Sooyoung Mon nod their heads enthusiastically in agreement.

Jessi Lee, 26, San Jose, agrees about the food. She enjoys coming with friends to get Taiyaki, a fish-shaped pastry with red beans inside. "And the Cherry Blossom Festival is really cool. There's food, cars and Taiko music," Lee said.