Japantown, Urban Renewal and Fillmore Jazz

Neighborhood: Japantown/ Fillmore Jazz District

San Francisco’s Japantown, one of only three remaining in the United States, dates from the great earthquake and fire of 1906, when the Japanese population united west of the fire line. Uprooted by World War II, the Japanese were replaced mostly by African-Americans, who brought their vibrant musical heritage with them. The area was one of the first to experience the dramatic changes of 1950s urban renewal programs – which continue. In recent years the area has seen a wealth of Japanese architecture next to the classic Victorians and a rebirth of African-American culture in the Fillmore Jazz Preservation District.

Offered All Year

November through April Schedule:
1st & 3rd Saturdays of the month at 2:00 PM

Next Tour:
Saturday, February 20 2:00 given by Dan Calamuci

Meet at the Japantown Peace Pagoda at Buchanan between Post and Geary. Public transportation: MUNI lines, 2, 22, 38.

• Tour Coordinator: Don Langley • Tour Guides: Dan Calamuci, Mary Eckstein, Marian Halley, Martha Johanson, Don Langley, Alan Sable, Blaine Waterman, Robert Wrisley •