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City Council to Discuss Japantown Hub, Transportation Taxes

The Great Recession quashed plans to build a massive apartment and retail center in Japantown, as developers shied away from investing given the global credit crunch. But now the deal’s back and up for discussion at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Other items on the council agenda include tax proposals to help fund San Jose road repairs, and incentives for Samsung, downtown high-rises and affordable housing.

Chinatown, Japantown and the Road to Little Saigon

The naming of places and the honoring of icons is an often confusing and sometimes treacherous country to enter. Walking by the empty lot on Jackson between Sixth and Seventh Streets that was once the city corporation yard led me to a number of thoughts about that problem, our government, and local history. For many years this was site of the city-owned garage and maintenance facility. Its acquisition is shrouded in a bit of mystery from the sordid days of the forced internment of Japanese Americans. It is alive in the memories of many members of that community who believed their area and property were seized during that tragic time. But the story goes back even further than the recent focus on the World War Two chapter. As L. A. Chung pointed out in the Mercury News, it goes back to the destruction of our old Chinatown in the area of the Fairmont Hotel.

Single Gal and Japantown

The single best hidden gem in San Jose has to be Japantown, our cluster of authentic Japanese restaurants and culture located right outside of downtown on Jackson Street.  I know the area well because I grew up downtown, but most residents of San Jose still haven’t discovered all that is great about this area.