Japantown

Liberdade in São Paulo, the most populous Japantown in the world

For historical Japanese communities in early modern Southeast and East Asia, see Nihonmachi.

Japantown (日本人街, Nihonjin-gai) is a common name for official Japanese communities in big cities outside Japan. Alternatively, a Japantown may be called J-town, Little Tokyo, or Nihonmachi (日本町), the first two being common names for the Japanese communities in San Francisco and Los Angeles, respectively.

North America

Japantowns were created because of the widespread immigration of Japanese to America in the Meiji period (1868–1912). At that time, many Japanese were poor and thought they would have a better life in the United States. Japanese immigrants initially settled in Western parts of the US and Canada.

At one time, there were 43 different Japantowns in California, ranging from several square blocks of Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, to one in the small farming community of Marysville in Yuba County. Besides typical businesses, these communities usually had Japanese language schools for the immigrant's children, Japanese language newspapers, Buddhist and Christian churches, and sometimes Japanese hospitals. After the World War II internment of the Japanese, most of those communities declined significantly or disappeared altogether.

There are currently three recognized Japantowns left in the United States, which are facing issues such as commercialization, reconstruction, gentrification and dwindling Japanese populations.

Canada

• Japantown, Vancouver, British Columbia
• Steveston, British Columbia, Canada

United States

• Japantown, San Francisco, California, United States
• Japantown, San Jose, California, United States
• Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California, United States

Concentrated and historical Japanese populations in the United States

San Francisco Bay Area: The San Francisco Bay Area has the largest population of Japanese Americans in the United States and has been the main concentration of the nation's Japanese population since the 20th century. In addition to Japantown districts in San Francisco and San Jose, suburbs and neighborhoods with significant Japanese American populations and/or histories include:

• Alameda, California
• Berkeley, California
• Hayward, California
• Lower Haight, San Francisco, California
• Mountain View, California
• Oakland, California
• Palo Alto, California
• San Mateo, California
• Santa Clara, California
• South San Francisco, California
• Sunnyvale, California
• Walnut Creek, California
• Watsonville, California

Outside Bay Area:

• Lower Colorado River Valley, Arizona
• Fontana, California
• Gardena, California
• Long Beach, California
• Sacramento, California
• Salinas, California
• San Luis Obispo, California
• Torrance, California
• Sawtelle Boulevard, West Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
• Sakura Square, Denver, Colorado, United States
• Japantown, Salt Lake City, Utah
• Hawaii
• Porter Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Novi, Michigan
• Edgewater, New Jersey
• Fort Lee, New Jersey
• Seabrook, New Jersey
• St. Mark's Place, East Village, New York City
• Westchester County, New York
• Portland, Oregon
• Ontario, Oregon
• International District in Seattle, Washington

South America

Brazil

• Liberdade is the Japanese district in São Paulo, Brazil. São Paulo metropolitan area is the city that has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan and the largest population of people that have Japanese descent.

Asia

India

• Sataku, Haldia

Philippines

• Japantown, Manila, Philippines
• Japantown, Iloilo City, Philippines
• Japantown, Cebu City, Philippines
• Japantown, Mandaue City, Philippines
• Japantown, Davao City, Philippines
• Little Tokyo, Davao City, Philippines

Taiwan

• Tianmu, Taipei, Taiwan
• Linsen North Road, Taipei, Taiwan

Concentrated and historical Japanese populations in Asia

Indonesia

• About 7,000 Japanese used to live in Jakarta,^{[citation needed]} Indonesia, mainly concentrated in Blok M district and the rest lived by surrounding area. This number decreased drastically following the Indonesian riots of May 1998.

Pakistan

• There is an active Japanese presence (including multinational companies and expatriates) in industrial areas of Karachi, such as Port Qasim. During the 1980's and 1990's, there were over 2,000 Japanese living in Karachi, making them one of the significant expatriate communities in the country. Now, the community has shrunk to a few hundred. There is also a Karachi Japanese School.

Thailand

• In Bangkok a Japanese population lives in and around Sukhumvit Road, and Phrompong. Many of the apartment complexes are rented solely to Japanese people (although they are owned by Thais), and there are Japanese grocery shops, restaurants, bars, dry cleaning, clubs, etc. in and around Phrompong.

Europe

France

• Paris has Japanese restaurants and shops concentrated near the Opéra Garnier (especially on Rue Sainte-Anne) and the city's Japanese population is largely concentrated in 15th arrondissement and 16th arrondissement.

Germany

• Düsseldorf (especially the district Oberkassel) has the largest Japanese population in Germany (and Europe). It has the biggest Buddhist temple of Europe as well. The towns surrounding Düsseldorf (e.g. Meerbusch in the west of Düsseldorf) have significant Japanese population as well.

The Netherlands

• Amstelveen
• Buitenveldert

Oceania

Australia

• Little Tokyo, Adelaide
• Japantown, Darwin

Gold Coast, Australia has a big Japanese population which is still rising.

See also

• List of named ethnic enclaves in North American cities

External links

• Japantown Atlas The Japantown Atlas maps nearly two dozen communities in California where Japanese Americans lived and worked prior to World War II.
• California Japantowns
• Sawtelle Blvd. (West L.A.)
• Nijiya Market Locations (may give a hint as to the locations of Japanese populations in California)