Celebrate the arts and culture of Japan with a visit to Japantown in the center of San Francisco. There are world-renowned art displays, engaging performances, multi-ethnic cuisine, fun festivals and incredible souvenirs to buy in an area first settled in the 1860s.
For authentic gifts from Japan, browse Japantown’s ubiquitous shops. In Japan Center and along its surrounding streets, you’ll find porcelain pottery, tea, incense, Asian skincare products, silk kimonos, manga, cosplay fashions, sweet confections and much more.
Come to Japantown with an appetite. In addition to Michelin-starred restaurants in the neighborhood, Japantown offers conveyor-belt and sit-down sushi spots, food stalls with wafting street food scents, plus Chinese, Korean, Thai and Indian cuisine. If you’re a foodie, take one of the culinary tours of the area, including tasty bites of local favorites, from sweet potato latkes to mochi.
Consider a walking tour of Japantown to see the sights at your own pace or with a local guide. Stroll along busy Post Street or pedestrian-friendly Osaka Way. Follow the interpretative signs of the 10-block San Francisco Japantown History Walk. You’ll learn about the area’s first immigrants and the community that flourished after the 1906 earthquake. Find out about the building of the Japan Center, which was part of the huge renewal project in the 1960s that redeveloped the neighborhood. Visit historic buildings, including the San Francisco Peace Pagoda.
If possible, arrange to visit Japantown during one of its many annual festivals. Oshogatsu is the Japanese celebration of the new year, springtime brings the Cherry Blossom Festival and the Grand Parade, and summer features many festivals celebrating Japanese culture and Japanese Obon (ancestors). Festivals continue into fall and winter with a harvest festival, Aki Matsuri, Halloween festivities at the Japantown Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, and holiday lights and magic at hotels, malls and the Japan Center in December.
Find Japantown in a six-block area along Post Street in the Western Addition neighborhood. The series of malls in the area is collectively known as Japan Center and hosts most of the shopping and dining outlets.
