Japantown

I really dig coming here. It's literally one of my favorite things to do. When I am in San Francisco, I always make it a point to come to shop and eat.

There is so much food and shopping with interesting and fun options.

Here are a few of my favorite spots:
Kinokuniya Bookstore
Paper Tree
Soko Hardware
Suki Boutique
Yumi Boutique
Doobu (their Kimchi Bibimbap is SO GOOD)

If you are a tourist, make it a point to stop by and give yourself a few hours to explore the many shops, have a bite, and just immerse yourself. It is worth it.

It's been about 17 years since the last time we visited San Francisco's Japantown and needless to say a lot has changed. There used to be a variety of shops inside this mall but now practically all the stores are trinket shops specializing in stationary, pens, plushies and what-not. There's still plenty of eateries: ramen, sushi takoyaki, bubble tea and mochis, but I couldn't find the old restaurant that had the okinomiyaki. It just seems like this, like many mall-esque establishments have been gutted out; so many things that was once there are now missing. It's definitely not tge Japantown I fondly remembered in my youth.

Japantown in San Francisco is a place where one could spend anywhere from a few hours to several days, indoors or outside discovering all the shops, sites, and eateries. We spent a 1/2 day at West Mall and in Peace Plaza, and absolutely loved it!

Dang, I gott say that NorCal weebs have it hard.

I'll be honest, maybe I'm too car brained or Little Tokyo biased, but it's not the easiest getting here especially if you're coming in from the cities surrounding SF. I mean there is BART and if you really want to you can drive (can be a hit or miss with parking especially with timing, validating, paying for it, etc.). Pair that with the fact that some of the pop up events and anime related gatherings occur here, its rough!

However, as a tourist, weeb or not, it's definitely worth a stop and there have been so many changes (anyone remember the J-rock/visual kei station, iyky) including no more physical h. Naoto shop, the taiyaki place that did chocolate banana flavor, as well as the small arcade with that giant chubby Pikachu statue they'd sometimes decorate.

It's not all bad though and you can definitely spend the majority of the day here. My favs to stop by are the Nippon-ya shop to get some omiyage (vacation gifts to friends, families, co-workers) of imported Japanese sweets and other goods, Belly Good Crepes (thus far NOWHERE else I've been to in California makes crepes as cute as their's), Kinokuniya (of course), and lots of quick serve places for some good eats like takoyaki, mocha donuts, ice cream, baked goods, and boba. There's a purikura place there for some photos and you can also get something from Nijiya as well.

There's also an uptick of cute shops with cute character merchandise and blind boxes, as well as clothing, make up and other accessories. Of course with the hallyu wave, there's K-pop related/adjacent businesses (yes, even in Jtown). One of the shop allows you to decorate a mirror, phone case, etc. with resin charms and much more. It's very popular and busy when we visited.

There's the main mall/shopping area with a bridge connecting over the street (with a restaurant and businesses on that bridge, the New People building, and another plaza nearby. The main mall area has another part separated by a plaza where people and pigeons gather and where the tower is for pictures. In the separated area is a Daiso and some other eateries. The main mall itself has 2 floors on one side and the other side leads into a food alley with multiple restaurants.

A must stop at least once if you're visiting SF and I guess each time you visit if you're a weeaboo lol. My only gripe is that many businesses close SUPER early even on the weekends.

Merely drove by Japantown while in San Francisco.

Wish I had had more time to stop there and explore. My sightseeing was limited to the beautiful fan that greets you and seeing shop after shop of Japanese goodies.

Bookstores, restaurants, and the like encompass two measly streets, but what impressive streets they are. It isn't everyday you see a Japanese community outside of Japan, and well, how fortunate to have one in San Francisco.

I love JapenTown deffently coming back some places are scams most of them are not be careful though but please go the food if great and San Francisco is great, this is a great family thing to do I went with my family.

NEW PHOTOBOOTH!

Has the popular Seventeen frames that is in LA's Little Tokyo shown on Tiktok (iykyk)

- $6 for a vertical layout and I believe $8 for a bigger postcard layout
- EXACT CASH ONLY (no change)
- 10 second count-down or you can use a clicker
- The clicker glitched out a bit on us but we still had fun!
- Takes 8 photos but you choose 4 for your final
- Digital photo & video for FREE (qr code printed on photo)

Location is on the bottom floor, near Kinokuniya's manga store. Right by the staircase :)

PARKING TIP (Two block walk at most): Free street parking on Gough street, right across Cathedral of Saint Mary of Assumption. I ALWAYS find parking there and I think it's mainly because parking in SF is overwhelming and people are scared to enter the red taxi lane, but there is definitely street parking next to that lane!! So keep your eyes peeled for parking there, save your money, and have fun in Japantown!

San Francisco is very fortunate to have one of the largest concentrated areas of a "Japantown" in the entire United States. And when you factor in the deep rich culture, endless amount of Japanese restaurants and bakeries, indoor shopping, arts & crafts, a supermarket, the largest Japanese bookstore, "Kinokuniya", then you have a very impressive center that is great for the entire family. This Japantown that all of us are familiar with opened in the late 1960s and has been a strong presence for the tourism in San Francisco.

Having been born and raised in San Francisco, I am no stranger to Japantown also known as "Nihonmachi" or "日本町" in Japanese. Located in the heart of the Western Addition neighborhood, it spans roughly 6 city blocks and runs parallel to Geary Blvd. The one striking feature of this center is the beautifully designed concrete Peace Pagoda stupa that stands proudly in the heart of Japantown. Additionally, you can spot a ton of cherry blossom flowers, Origami displays, and a lot of Japanese history of when the first immigrants arrived in the early 20th century.

I am particularly a food fanatic so seeing an abundance of sushi restaurants really makes this experience a special one. And of course all the Japanese favorites including beef teriyaki and tempura, There is even a Benihana to those that want that full experience with the chefs using the knife-wielding, joke-telling at a traditional teppanyaki table. Aside from that, there are at least two dozen restaurants here; not just Japanese but also Chinese, Korean, Thai, and Ramen/noodle houses. There's even a ton of mochi shops and places to get a boba drink.

During the "Cherry Blossom Festival" which is held annually every April, they have traditional Japanese music, dancing, and a variety of various cultural activities. If you really want that full Japanese experience, I would recommend staying at the "Hotel Kabuki" which focuses on Japanese decor inside and out. The concept is great but the hotel itself is a bit on the pricey side as I would much rather spend money on something like this in Japan.

All in all, "Japantown" is a must-visit destination if you are looking to take a trip to San Francisco. Getting here is fairly simple as many of the retailers will validate your parking for a decent price. And the parking garage (for being a very dense area) is actually quite generous. If you wish to take public transit, the 38 Geary and 22 Fillmore Muni buses stop directly here. When you factor in the hospitality and above average customer service that I experienced as well as the vibe of Japantown, I am giving this a unanimous five-star Yelp rating.

Arigatō!

I had such a fun visit exploring all the shops! I stocked up in dog toys in Daiso and it only cost me $7 for everything in the cart! One of the small shops in the mall had the cutest pup at the counter. I almost thought he was a doll! He was definitely the best part of my visit. I managed to find a couple other shops with dog supplies and a lot of cute accessories. Great way to spend a few hours when in the area

Love this spot it's actually Cherry Blossom Festival throughout this weekend and next weekend me and a couple of my friends were very fortunate and be able to check it out

There is a bunch of food and vendors so make sure to check them