Did you know that besides collecting historical artifacts, creating and displaying exhibits, and organizing community events, the Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj) also publishes books? We don’t publish books often, but they’ve been well-received by the community and historians alike. JAMsj is proud to announce the second printing of San Jose Japantown: A Journey, a book that chronicles Japantown from its 19th century beginnings adjacent to Heinleinville (the former San Jose Chinatown) to the present day. Written by Curt Fukuda and Ralph M. Pearce, the book was originally published in 2014 and quickly sold out within its first year. Thanks to a generous donation from Mie Barbara Nagareda, JAMsj is printing 1,000 copies of the book, which includes corrections by the authors.
The beautiful hardcover book features Images from all eras, maps, and reminisces from people whose lives were involved with San Jose Japantown. The book is available for Pre-order with Early Bird Pricing of $65 until July 4.
Learn more about the book and Japantown itself in our Q&A with the authors below.
Q. What do you hope that readers will gain by reading the book?
Ralph: I hope that readers will gain a sense of appreciation for not only the uniqueness of our historic and ethnically diverse Japantown, but for the life stories of individuals who lived and persevered through racism, the Depression, and war.
Curt: I hope the readers will enjoy learning about the culturally rich and diverse Japantown. There are amazing stories, photos and maps that tell the story of a community that was a sanctuary to the early Asians and now provides a home to a multicultural neighborhood. Ralph and I made sure that this was not a yearbook that only a handful of locals could appreciate. The book was written as a journey through history that anyone can pick up and appreciate, even if you never heard of San Jose or of Japantown.
Q. What updates have you made to the book?
Ralph: Our team is grateful that relatively few errors have come to our attention over the years since the publication of the book in 2014. We’ve taken the opportunity of this second printing to correct those, and include just a few updates here and there. Perhaps the most significant relates to the new construction on the old Heinlenville property adjacent to Japantown.
Curt: The updates are not extensive. This book is essentially a reprint. We have corrected the errors that were found in the first book. Thank goodness, there weren’t many and nearly all were minor. We also added a few new photos, a land acknowledgement and some new information, especially mentioning the huge development on the former Heinlenville property.
Q. How has San Jose Japantown changed since you wrote the first edition of the book?
Ralph: Our Japantown is a living, breathing community, and has been changing and evolving since its inception as an outgrowth of our 1887 Heinlenville Chinatown. The community is currently struggling with the difficult issues of crime, homelessness and the shortage of affordable housing in San Jose. These issues affect all communities in San Jose, of course, though some, like Japantown, are particularly vulnerable. Japantown has certainly dealt with adversity in the past, and one can only be hopeful that it will endure.
Curt: As Ralph mentioned, the community continues to evolve and faces many of the issues that other neighborhoods in San Jose face. Since the first printing of the book, we lost San Jose Tofu and Wing’s Restaurant, two longtime businesses that were essential destinations for many residents. We lost a few other businesses that were popular with the locals. This is not to say that Japantown is disappearing because as one business closes, another one opens in its place.
Q. What do you think is needed to keep San Jose Japantown a vibrant community for decades to come?
Ralph: Within the three remaining Japantowns, ours has continued its organic evolution relatively undisrupted. This uniqueness has infused our Japantown with its own spirit, and I believe that the retention of that spirit within the community will be an essential ingredient to the survival of our Japantown.
Curt: San Jose Japantown has evolved throughout its over 130 years in existence. Businesses and people come and go. The community has gone through cycles of growth and decline several times. Throughout the changes, the neighborhood has remained vital and of service to the residents. The Asian cultures have been the dominant communities in this area with the Chinese, Japanese and Filipinos being the majority during the first century.
With the influx of people during the 1990s and 2000s, the demographics have changed and Japantown is more of a Pan-Asian community. With even more people moving into the huge development on the former Heinlenville property, it’s anyone’s guess as to how the neighborhood will evolve and grow. But change is necessary if a community isn’t going to stagnate and wither away.
Q. Anything else you’d like to add?
Ralph: I would just like to thank JAMsj and the generosity of Jim Nagareda’s aunt, Mie Barbara Nagareda, for reprinting our book. It’s the team’s hope that anyone interested has access to a copy. We’re also very grateful for the exceptional efforts of our designer/producer Janice Oda, who has played an instrumental role in this second printing.
Curt: In addition to what Ralph wrote, I would like to also thank Jim Nagareda, who oversaw both the first and second versions of the book. Jim was the essential connection to the Japantown community and handled all the issues and affairs to make the book a reality.
Don’t miss your chance to get this valuable historic book. Pre-order your copy by July 4 for Early Bird pricing!
By Michelle Yakura