San Jose’s authentic Japantown is 119 years old and rich with history. During the early 20th century, Japanese immigrants flocked to the Bay Area in search of the American dream. It offers many dining opportunities for Japanese food lovers, including a weekly farmer’s market on Sundays selling fresh local produce. Visitors can stroll around the small area and tour establishments that supported early Japanese settlers in the Bay Area, including the Japantown Bathhouse, a sumo wrestling ring. During World War II, Okida Hall functioned as a community center and a theater with wooden seats, where families would watch movies and eat bento. The Tahei Building, a former hotel built in the early 1920s, was more prosperous and prestigious than traditional boarding houses of its day. The San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin has served worshippers since 1902.
