Wednesday, June 13, 2012
San Jose Japantown Photos
We had a great field trip to Japantown today. We look forward to repeating it for the rest of the group later in the coming months.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Leis for Colton Promotion
You are all FANTASTIC! The candy and orchid leis for the Colton 8th Grade promotion were a big hit and virtually all of them were sold! Minus expenses the effort brought in another $763 for the program. A great big thanks to Kim Campbell for coordinating the effort and for doing all of the running around to make it happen, but an additional thanks to all of you who helped wrap, tie, string, and sell!
La Mesa Bargain Fair
Great job everyone! Yes, we all had to get up early, but we did well: we added $629.45 to the program. Very nice indeed. thank you all for your effort. A big thanks goes to Julie Monroy for coordinating the effort.
San Jose Japantown Fieldtrip
Before we go, please read up on where we're going: San Jose Japantown History
Here is our schedule for the day:
Here is our schedule for the day:
- 9:00AM - Meet at the Colton upper parking lot.
- 9:15 - Depart for San Jose
- 10:30 - Arrive in Japantown (Drivers: if you have a GPS, set it to 565 North 6th St, San Jose. This is the address for the Okayama Restaurant. There is a free 2-hr parking lot immediately next door.)
- 10:30-12:00 - Tour Japantown (Nijiya Market, Nichibei Trading, Buddhist temple, San Jose Tofu, Shuei-Do Manju Shop, Nikkei Traditions Gift Shop, Roy's Coffee Shop, and so on).
- 12:00 - 1:30 Mitsuwa Marketplace (Mitsuwa Grocery, Kinokuniya Bookstore, Clover Bakery) (Drivers: 675 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose).
- 1:30 - 2:30 Lunch at Ringer Hut (Drivers: 1072 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose)
- 2:30 - 3:45PM Drive back to Colton
- Meet with Ms. Rincon to begin Welcome Banner
History of San Jose Japantown
Information for this page from Japantown Business Association and The Preservation Action Council of San Jose, 1994. Photos courtesy Nagareda Studios.
Businesses sought to accommodate their customers by staying open in the evening and on weekends. The Japanese merchants lived behind their places of business with their families.
In December of 1944 the Japanese internment policy was revoked. By 1947, 40 businesses and 100 families had re-established themselves in this area.
If you walk down Jackson Street today you will no longer see families living behind their stores, but you will experience the increasingly rare feeling of a neighborhood where history and heritage reside in the keepers of the shops and the people walking along the streets. Restaurants, specialty stores and gift shops, reflect Chinese and Japanese heritage which is carefully preserved by nearby residents and shopkeepers alike. Professional services, doctors, dentists, lawyers, non-profit organizations and churches flourish. Every Sunday morning there is a Japantown Farmers' Market on Jackson Street east of Japantown where both locals an out-of-towners come to buy fresh vegetables, baked goods, or flowers. In this country, where most other Japanese-American neighborhoods were lost after the internments of World War II, San Jose's Japantown is a rare treasure.
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| Yamato Bath House 1911 |
San Jose's Japantown began as did many other communities with the need to combine comradeship and resources to survive as immigrants in a new country. It began near what was known as Heinlenville Chinatown between Jackson and Taylor east of Sixth Street. After the city's second Chinatown burned to the ground under mysterious circumstances, John Heinlen offered his own property for the new location. Mr Heinlen built a new Chinatown entirely of brick despite outrage from the general public. He then rented these buildings to the Chinese at very low rates.
Japanese, new to the country, eventually chose to build their wooden buildings next to Chinatown. Because the Chinese had already settled there, the environment was more familiar to them
Most of Japantown was comprised of single men who found employment in the fruit orchards. Living in the barest of accommodations and having left family and friends at home, their lives were harsh and lonely.
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| Issei Memorial Building |
With as many as 3,000 seasonal workers finding shelter during the spring and summer growing and picking seasons, Japantown , by 1902 had a community of Japanese businesses catering to the society of the single men. The Gentlemen's Agreement of 1907 changed the fortunes of the men when wives and children were finally allowed to emigrate from Japan. The nature of the town changed also along with the advent of families and grocery and clothing stores made their appearances.
Misfortune struck again when the U.S. Government forbade female immigration in 1921. Marriage between Caucasians and Asians was illegal in California. With 42 percent of the male population yet single, the problems of community were profound. However, this also caused people to form clubs based upon prefectures from which the people immigrated. These clubs were called “kenjinkai” and helped to form Nihonmachi (Japantown) into a community.
Businesses sought to accommodate their customers by staying open in the evening and on weekends. The Japanese merchants lived behind their places of business with their families.
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| Buddhist Church Betsuin |
December 7, 1941, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, saw the evacuation and relocation of the Japanese community on the West Coast of the United States. This would errevocably change the face of the nation and cause a legacy for Japanese Americans that is reflected in the lives of the community today. Most of Santa Clara's 3,000 Japanese-American residents were interned at Heart Mountain, Wyoming from the relocation centers. Almost all of Japantown's fifty-three businesses closed during internment. Since little time was given to dispose of property and belongings and only a limited amount (150lbs) per person which no one could carry, was allowed to be taken along on the buses and trains to the relocation centers, people sought to store their belongings in the Buddhist and Methodist Churches. As can be imagined, property and personal losses were staggering.
In December of 1944 the Japanese internment policy was revoked. By 1947, 40 businesses and 100 families had re-established themselves in this area.
If you walk down Jackson Street today you will no longer see families living behind their stores, but you will experience the increasingly rare feeling of a neighborhood where history and heritage reside in the keepers of the shops and the people walking along the streets. Restaurants, specialty stores and gift shops, reflect Chinese and Japanese heritage which is carefully preserved by nearby residents and shopkeepers alike. Professional services, doctors, dentists, lawyers, non-profit organizations and churches flourish. Every Sunday morning there is a Japantown Farmers' Market on Jackson Street east of Japantown where both locals an out-of-towners come to buy fresh vegetables, baked goods, or flowers. In this country, where most other Japanese-American neighborhoods were lost after the internments of World War II, San Jose's Japantown is a rare treasure.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Homework for June 5 Meeting
Research and turn in the following:
- What does “Jomon” refer to and why was it important?
- Who was Queen Himiko?
- What is a “kofun”? Where did they come from?
- What was Yamato?
Practice writing your name!
Leila Braganza レイラ・ブラガン
Omar Abukishk オマー・アブキシュク
Sid Ganapathiraju シド・ガナパシラジュ
Rachael Sammet レイチェル・サメット
Allie Monroy アリー・モンロイ
Sarah Pacania サラ・パカニア
Lucas Roberts ルカス・ロバーツ
Alexandra Gong アレキサンドラ・ゴング
Annabelle Cole アナベル・コール
AJ Bolado エイジェー・ボラード
Janaya Olis ジャネイヤ・オリス
Jacob Frese ジェイコブ・フリーズ
Nina Hodgson ニナ・ホジソン
George Velasquez ジョージ・ベラスケス
Danny Rimmer ダニー・リマー
Jennifer Rincon ジェニファー・リンコン
June 2 Dishwashing Party!
There is going to be between 300-400 guest at the event so that is a lot of dishes, we would like to have as many people as possible go to custom house plaza Memory Garden (near round fountain) to help load up trucks, then drive to Monterey fairgrounds to help wash dishes. You need to be at custom house plaza at 2:00pm.
Jacob's mom and Rachel's dad will have their trucks there to load up the tubs of dishes. (the loading zone is at end of custom house plaza outside Bennihanna Resturant). Danny will meet you at fairgrounds, if you cannot go to custom house plaza first, please plan to meet Danny at fairgrounds at 2:00pm.
What we need to bring:
- Dish gloves
- Sponges
- Pot scrubbers
- Towels for drying dishes
What we are to do:
- Take all tubs from the event with silverware, glasses, mugs, utensils, pots and pans and paper. Load them into vehicles, trucks preferably, and take them to the Fairgrounds to the assigned kitchen. Expect enough items for 300-500 people.
- Wash and dry everything.
- The cleaned mugs and glasses must be wrapped in paper. They are placed back in the tubs. The clean silverware is placed in the appropriate bullet boxes.
- The pots and pans are stacked with the utensils inside them.
Sunday
The Memory Garden closes at 5:00 pm on Saturday. Everything must be returned no later than Sunday between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm to Memory Garden barbecue area. It would be unusual to be finished in time to return everything wrapped and boxed back to Memory Garden by Saturday. It has been done when there have been many volunteers and several kitchens.
If you have questions please contact Danny at:
831-901-8794 or 818-687-4077
Yoroshiku!
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