Japantown

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Merge arrows
 It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Nihonmachi. (Discuss)
Japantown in San Francisco
Japantown in San Francisco
For historical Japanese communities in early modern Southeast and East Asia, see Nihonmachi.

Japantown is a common name for official Japanese communities in big cities outside Japan. Alternatively, a Japantown may be called J-town, Little Tokyo, and Nihonmachi (日本町 or 日本街), the latter two being common names of Los Angeles and San Francisco's Japantown, respectively. In the Philippines, concentrations of Japanese and Japanese Filipinos in big cities are called Japantown, or Little Japan.

Contents

[edit] 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. Slowly they began to make small communities all across the United States[citation needed] and some parts of Canada.

At one time, there were 43 different Japantowns in California[1], 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, Buddhist and Christian churches, and sometimes Japanese hospitals.[2] 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, and dwindling Japanese populations.[3]

[edit] Official Japantowns in North America

[edit] Concentrated and historical Japanese populations

[edit] Outside North America

[edit] Official Japantowns in South America

[edit] Official Japantowns in Asia

[edit] Concentrated and historical Japanese populations

  • 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 may be owned by Thais), and there are Japanese grocery shops, restaurants, bars, dry cleaning, clubs, etc. in and around Phrompong.
  • About 7,000 Japanese lived in Jakarta, Indonesia, mainly concentrated in Blok M district and the rest lived by surrounding area. This number decreased drastically as the Jakarta Riots of May 1998 happened.

[edit] Europe

  • 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.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Donna Graves; Gail Dubrow. Preserving California's Japantowns. Preserving California's Japantowns. Retrieved on 2006-11-04.
  2. ^ Isami Arifuku Waugh, Ph.D.; Alex Yamato, Raymond Y. Okamura (2004-11-17). A History of Japanese Americans in California HISTORIC SITES. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2006-11-03.
  3. ^ Kori-Kai Yoshida (2006-06-24). Community Leaders Discuss State of California’s J-Towns. Nichi Bei Times, reprinted at Rafu Shimpo Online. Los Angeles News Publishing Co.. Retrieved on 2006-11-03. “high costs make it difficult for J-Town entities to get any opportunities”

[edit] See also

[edit] External links