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J-Town Redux
Jazz, indie cinema, new restaurants and hip hotels light up Japantown.
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by Robin Rinaldi
posted on January 28, 2008
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In its 101-year history, the swath of the Western Addition known as Japantown has seen its share of ups and downs. Formed when Japanese-owned businesses fled Chinatown following the 1906 earthquake, the neighborhood was hit hard by internment during WWII and a subsequent redevelopment plan that leveled housing, leaving behind a mostly commercial corridor. Though many of its offerings are contained within the Japantown Center complex—consisting of the Kinokuniya Building, the Kintetsu Mall and the Miyako Mall—don’t let the bland exteriors fool you. There is authentic culture and incredible food to be found inside. And the most recent round of redevelopment aims to expand the cultural appeal. Within the past year, the SF outpost of Oakland jazz club Yoshi’s opened; Robert Redford’s Sundance Cinemas took over the Kabuki Cinema; and Joie de Vivre Hotels re-created the Miyako Inn (it’s now Hotel Tomo) and the Miyako Hotel (now the Kabuki). Next year will see more change: The J-Pop Center will open, featuring a theater, bookstore, cafe and several Tokyo-headquartered boutiques; and the Kintetsu and Miyako malls will be torn down and redeveloped. That makes now the perfect time to visit a neighborhood poised delicately between its past and future.
LEFT: The Peace Pagoda, donated to SF by its sister city Osaka in 1968, anchors Peace Plaza between the KIntetsu and Miyako malls.
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| photography by Stefanie Michejda |
| EAT & DRINK |
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TOP RIGHT: living proof that Sapporo-Ya’s noodles are fresh; TOP LEFT: persimmon salad at O Izakaya in the new Hotel Kabuki; BOTTOM LEFT: Bushi - Tei
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| Adjacent to Yoshi’s, the equally new 1300 on Fillmore serves updated versions of such soul-food classics as fried chicken and BBQ shrimp with grits (see p. 135), while Yoshi’s itself features sushi and small bites, like its Oakland counterpart. In the hip, modern Hotel Kabuki, O Izakaya is patterned after Japan’s after-work watering holes. Dip into bar food, such as tempura onion rings and french fries spiced with peppery shichimi, or share plates of such Japanese staples as saba (cured mackerel). At Hotel Tomo—a primary-colored, mod-pop outfit that debuted last summer—Café Mums continues to do down-home shabu-shabu: You cook thinly sliced rib eye and veggies in your own hotpot at the table and eat them with noodles and condiments. Arrive hungry. Why does Japan’s consul general frequently dine at tiny Maki in the Kinokuniya Building? Well, for one, because he can afford it, but also because of its wappa meshi, traditional and rarely found rice dinners steamed in bamboo and topped with meat or fish. The other diamond in the fluorescent rough of the Kinokuniya Building is Sapporo-Ya—where diners slurp bowls of ramen, soba and udon handmade that very day. Omakase (chef’s choice) is the way to go at Kiss Seafood, a one-man show headed up by the talented chef-owner known only as Naka-San, boasting beautifully prepared sushi accompanied by a stellar sake list. And of course there’s Bushi-Tei, where the Japanese-influenced French menu is equaled by the candlelit communal table, the huge window to look through on a rainy night and the Japanese-style. |
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"BETWEEN THE SHABU-SHABU, the 24-hour Denny’s and the karaoke rooms, Japantown is SF’s most underrated district."
——Japantown resident Mark Stott
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| SHOP |
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The joy of shopping in Japantown is stumbling upon items not easily found anywhere else in the city. For instance, those heated Japanese toilet seats—you can pick one up in Mikado in the Kintetsu Mall. In the Miyako Mall next door, Genji Antiques carries a wide selection of antique Japanese dressers made of teak and birch, and Boutique Harajuku offers scads of hip and hard-to-find Euro designers such as Cop.Copine, Save the Queen and Custo. Super 7 is another find; what started as a toy zine has grown into an eye-tempting design space carrying supercool tees, prints and a wealth of Japanese monster figurines. Ichiban Kan is the Japanese version of the dollar store: Pick up pretty bowls, every size of storage box and cute slippers that cost less than a latte. If you’re planning a Japanese dinner party or craving those sweet bean cakes you had on your last trip to Osaka, stop by Nijiya Market: Everything you could find in a supermarket in Japan, you’ll find here. Across the street, Soko Hardware is more than a typical hardware store—it also carries goza mats, paper lanterns, serving trays, kites, woks and the chains used in Japan in place of rain gutters. Paper Tree is the place to go for origami, handmade papers and unique gift wrapping. And just next door, relive your last Hawaiian vacation at Aloha Warehouse, which, as a bonus, smells like coconut oil. The shelves are stocked with fresh leis, CDs of Hawaiian music, imported fruits and nuts and even ukuleles. Finally, there’s Kinokuniya Bookstore: a warehouse of Japanese books and magazines that also has a worthy English-language section of Asian fiction, nonfiction, cookbooks, travel books and maps.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: a figurine at Genji Antiques; cop.copine’s eye-catching dresses are just one of the designs on hand at Boutique Harajuku; Paper Tree owner Vicky Mihara avery displays her origami-making skills; magazines and artwork on display at Super 7
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| ETC. |
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At Playground, the karaoke takes place in private rooms where you can limit your embarrassing display to your friends while munching on Korean food and sipping soju cocktails. Next day, cure that hangover at Kabuki Springs & Spa, where the facials, massages and acupuncture are good but the real draw is the communal bathing ritual: Take hot and cold plunges, sit in the steam room, bake in the sauna and then sip tea and read magazines to your heart’s content—all for just $20 ($25 on weekends). Tuesdays are co-ed; the rest of the week is split into men’s and women’s days.
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|
In its 101-year history, the swath of the Western Addition known as Japantown has seen its share of ups and downs. Formed when Japanese-owned businesses fled Chinatown following the 1906 earthquake, the neighborhood was hit hard by internment during WWII and a subsequent redevelopment plan that leveled housing, leaving behind a mostly commercial corridor. Though many of its offerings are contained within the Japantown Center complex—consisting of the Kinokuniya Building, the Kintetsu Mall and the Miyako Mall—don’t let the bland exteriors fool you. There is authentic culture and incredible food to be found inside. And the most recent round of redevelopment aims to expand the cultural appeal. Within the past year, the SF outpost of Oakland jazz club Yoshi’s opened; Robert Redford’s Sundance Cinemas took over the Kabuki Cinema; and Joie de Vivre Hotels re-created the Miyako Inn (it’s now Hotel Tomo) and the Miyako Hotel (now the Kabuki). Next year will see more change: The J-Pop Center will open, featuring a theater, bookstore, cafe and several Tokyo-headquartered boutiques; and the Kintetsu and Miyako malls will be torn down and redeveloped. That makes now the perfect time to visit a neighborhood poised delicately between its past and future.
LEFT: The Peace Pagoda, donated to SF by its sister city Osaka in 1968, anchors Peace Plaza between the KIntetsu and Miyako malls.
|
| photography by Stefanie Michejda |
| EAT & DRINK |
|
|
TOP RIGHT: living proof that Sapporo-Ya’s noodles are fresh; TOP LEFT: persimmon salad at O Izakaya in the new Hotel Kabuki; BOTTOM LEFT: Bushi - Tei
|
|
|
| Adjacent to Yoshi’s, the equally new 1300 on Fillmore serves updated versions of such soul-food classics as fried chicken and BBQ shrimp with grits (see p. 135), while Yoshi’s itself features sushi and small bites, like its Oakland counterpart. In the hip, modern Hotel Kabuki, O Izakaya is patterned after Japan’s after-work watering holes. Dip into bar food, such as tempura onion rings and french fries spiced with peppery shichimi, or share plates of such Japanese staples as saba (cured mackerel). At Hotel Tomo—a primary-colored, mod-pop outfit that debuted last summer—Café Mums continues to do down-home shabu-shabu: You cook thinly sliced rib eye and veggies in your own hotpot at the table and eat them with noodles and condiments. Arrive hungry. Why does Japan’s consul general frequently dine at tiny Maki in the Kinokuniya Building? Well, for one, because he can afford it, but also because of its wappa meshi, traditional and rarely found rice dinners steamed in bamboo and topped with meat or fish. The other diamond in the fluorescent rough of the Kinokuniya Building is Sapporo-Ya—where diners slurp bowls of ramen, soba and udon handmade that very day. Omakase (chef’s choice) is the way to go at Kiss Seafood, a one-man show headed up by the talented chef-owner known only as Naka-San, boasting beautifully prepared sushi accompanied by a stellar sake list. And of course there’s Bushi-Tei, where the Japanese-influenced French menu is equaled by the candlelit communal table, the huge window to look through on a rainy night and the Japanese-style. |
|
|
"BETWEEN THE SHABU-SHABU, the 24-hour Denny’s and the karaoke rooms, Japantown is SF’s most underrated district."
——Japantown resident Mark Stott
|
| SHOP |
|
The joy of shopping in Japantown is stumbling upon items not easily found anywhere else in the city. For instance, those heated Japanese toilet seats—you can pick one up in Mikado in the Kintetsu Mall. In the Miyako Mall next door, Genji Antiques carries a wide selection of antique Japanese dressers made of teak and birch, and Boutique Harajuku offers scads of hip and hard-to-find Euro designers such as Cop.Copine, Save the Queen and Custo. Super 7 is another find; what started as a toy zine has grown into an eye-tempting design space carrying supercool tees, prints and a wealth of Japanese monster figurines. Ichiban Kan is the Japanese version of the dollar store: Pick up pretty bowls, every size of storage box and cute slippers that cost less than a latte. If you’re planning a Japanese dinner party or craving those sweet bean cakes you had on your last trip to Osaka, stop by Nijiya Market: Everything you could find in a supermarket in Japan, you’ll find here. Across the street, Soko Hardware is more than a typical hardware store—it also carries goza mats, paper lanterns, serving trays, kites, woks and the chains used in Japan in place of rain gutters. Paper Tree is the place to go for origami, handmade papers and unique gift wrapping. And just next door, relive your last Hawaiian vacation at Aloha Warehouse, which, as a bonus, smells like coconut oil. The shelves are stocked with fresh leis, CDs of Hawaiian music, imported fruits and nuts and even ukuleles. Finally, there’s Kinokuniya Bookstore: a warehouse of Japanese books and magazines that also has a worthy English-language section of Asian fiction, nonfiction, cookbooks, travel books and maps.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: a figurine at Genji Antiques; cop.copine’s eye-catching dresses are just one of the designs on hand at Boutique Harajuku; Paper Tree owner Vicky Mihara avery displays her origami-making skills; magazines and artwork on display at Super 7
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|
|
|
|
| ETC. |
|
At Playground, the karaoke takes place in private rooms where you can limit your embarrassing display to your friends while munching on Korean food and sipping soju cocktails. Next day, cure that hangover at Kabuki Springs & Spa, where the facials, massages and acupuncture are good but the real draw is the communal bathing ritual: Take hot and cold plunges, sit in the steam room, bake in the sauna and then sip tea and read magazines to your heart’s content—all for just $20 ($25 on weekends). Tuesdays are co-ed; the rest of the week is split into men’s and women’s days.
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|
email page
|
print page
|
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|
