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In a Nutshell...

Japantown is a commercial district covering about 4 blocks in the Western Addition neighborhood, one mile west of Union Square. It is dominated by the Japan Center, a late 1960's shopping center filled with more than 50 Japanese theme stores and restaurants as well as an eight screen cinema. The center has three main mall buildings and a plaza with the Peace Pagoda, a 75 foot tall, five tiered pagoda that is a neighborhood land mark.

 

Each year Japantown hosts the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival over two weekends, in April.

 

The Japan Center is on the north side of Geary Boulevard between Laguna and Fillmore Streets. The district continues across Post Street to the north where there is a outdoor mall flanked by more shops and restaurants.

 

 

Something always worth noting in San Francisco is that the Japan Center shopping complex has excellent parking garages. The parking rate is only $2 per hour with a $16 daily maximum. Some people find it to be a good place to park the car for the day and after getting their fill of sushi, taking city transportation into the city center. The garages' addresses are give below for GPS navigators.

 

 

While the Japan Center has an inauthentic feel to it – it is after all a 1960's shopping mall – the area does have a legitimate historic claim to being called Japantown. After the 1906 big quake shook things up, the Japanese community reformed in this area and made it their own.

 

Japan Center Parking Garage Locations:

Neighborhood: Western Addition

 

Japan Center Main Garage
1610 Geary Boulevard
San Francisco, CA 94115

 

Fillmore Street Annex Garage
1650 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94115

 

Parking Rates

SFJapantown.org

 

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