San Francisco Impressions 2023 #2: Japantown

At noon on April 9, I came to Japantown in search of a good Korean meal. One of the oldest and largest Japantowns in North America, it lies west of downtown, beside the Western Addition and US Route 101. By chance, I found the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival in full swing.

This year marked the fifty-sixth Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival. The second-largest cherry blossom festival in the United States after Washington, D.C.’s, it attracts more than 200,000 visitors.

Japantown is home to the famous Peace Pagoda, a traditional five-tiered Japanese Buddhist structure standing thirty metres tall. Designed and built by Japanese architect Genmyo Kaneko, it was completed in 1968. The pagoda was surrounded by cherry trees in full bloom.

The festival’s many stalls offered a colourful range of activities and wares: food, arts and crafts, cultural displays, games, trinkets, and more.

The Consulate General of Japan had a booth introducing visitors to Japanese culture, scenic destinations, and exchange programmes.

The San Francisco Police Department also had several booths at the festival, maintaining public safety while engaging with visitors and building better relations with the community.

Look—the police have caught a thief! It was only a bit of fun between the officers and festivalgoers, giving visitors a chance to experience being “arrested” and pose for a souvenir photo.

Visitors could also sit inside a police car and have a look at its equipment.

The festival had two stages: the main stage in the heart of Japantown and a smaller one in another part of the neighbourhood.

Japanese American folk artists performed traditional Japanese dance, kabuki, and taiko drumming. The programme also included live music, dance competitions, fashion shows, and much more.

The performers threw themselves into the show, and the audience was just as exuberant. Many people began dancing as soon as they heard the music, and before long the space in front of the stage had become a gleeful free-for-all.

While the middle-aged crowd was busy expressing itself with abandon, the younger people remained absorbed in worlds of their own.

They dressed with striking individuality—distinctive and self-assured.

Some came in cosplay costumes, adding to the festive atmosphere without even trying.

And don’t imagine that cosplay belongs only to young Asians.

Black or white, young or old, people had taken great care over their costumes.

All this kept the photography enthusiasts very busy.

Japantown’s principal complex is Japan Center, comprising three main buildings: the East Mall, the West Mall, and the Fillmore Center residential tower.

The shops and restaurants largely revolve around Japanese culture and products. Sonny Angel, for example, was first launched by the Japanese toy company Dreams Inc. in 2005 and later became a popular collectible and decorative figure around the world.

Other distinctive wares included Japanese calligraphy and paintings,

Japanese jewellery and cosmetics,

as well as Japanese-language books and all manner of small goods.

Traditional Japanese clothing was also exhibited throughout the complex.

And of course, there was no shortage of food.

Sushi, ramen, tempura, grilled eel over rice, charcoal-grilled skewers, wagashi sweets—the sight of it all was enough to make anyone hungry.

My favourite place in all of Japantown was a large open area inside the main hall.

Young people had set up small stalls there, selling anime-style illustrations, art prints, postcards, posters, and more.

The Chinese term “two-dimensional culture” refers to a particular Japanese subculture centred on a passionate devotion to anime and manga.

It is enormously popular both within and beyond Japan, especially among young people. Besides anime and manga, it encompasses light novels, games, virtual idols, voice actors, and many other elements.

These works often feature richly developed characters, exquisite artwork, intricate plots, and deeply imagined worlds.

Leaving the building, I returned once more to the foot of the Peace Pagoda.

There I found someone crashing the party. Standing stubbornly beneath the blazing sun, this elderly man was determined to preach about Jesus amid a crowd of Buddhists and atheists. Yet the “love, life, and peace” he spoke of belong to the realm of faith and have long transcended the boundaries of any particular religion.

As I was leaving, I saw a group of performers in traditional Japanese sword-fighting attire waiting to take the stage. A scene suddenly formed in my mind: cherry blossom petals drifting on the wind, samurai dancing with their swords beneath a shower of flowers, the glint and sweep of their blades setting off the grace of their movements and the mastery of their technique. It seemed to embody the meaning of the cherry blossom: even when splendour is fleeting, give it everything you have, revealing your beauty and talent to the fullest.

San Francisco Impressions 2023 #2: Japantown

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