California Japantowns - Exploring the preservation of history, culture, and community...


Berkeley

Berkeley's Japanese American community numbered over 1,300 at the start of WWII, with over 70 Nikkei-owned businesses scattered throughout the city. Japanese American residences were mostly restricted to Berkeley’s Southwest neighborhoods, where a mix of African Americans and recent European immigrants lived alongside other working-class families. In addition to many small businesses and cultural organizations, Berkeley’s Nihonmachi featured a variety of places associated with the University of California, including several student dormitories and rooming houses, and a Japanese Students Club that was active by 1910.

The three East Bay communities in the Preserving California's Japantowns survey— Berkeley, Oakland and Alameda — have a remarkably high number of extant historic structures. More than half of the 100+ listings in Berkeley we surveyed are still in place, although many have been altered.

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Free Methodist Church - 1521 Derby Street

UC Students Club - 1777 Euclid Avenue

Obata Studio - 2525 Telegraph Avenue

University Laundry - 2530 Shattuck Avenue

Berkeley Methodist United Church - 1705 Carleton Street

Japanese Women's Herald - 2811 Grant Street

San Pablo Florist - 1806 San Pablo Avenue

Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple - 1524 Oregon Street

 

 

 

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