Hidden Histories of San Jose Japantown

Get in the spirit for Saturday's "Hidden Histories of Gambling in SJ Japantown" program with an informal workshop on how to play Hanafuda (Japanese "flower cards"). Hear the history of Hanafuda, and learn about the different playing styles and card symbols. Hidden Histories Hanafuda Workshop Friday, March 26th, 7:00 PM No Registration Necessary... Click Here to Join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83967165851 Passcode: 252288 See more

Enjoy this sneak peek at our next program, Hidden Histories of Gambling in San Jose Japantown, coming up this Saturday, March 27th at 1pm! Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_c-_CGMkrSOmvIpzc6FZveQ There was a house on a farm where First Street intersected with the Bayshore Highway (101). You could only go there at night and you could only enter if you were Asian and passed the approval of the bouncer. This place was known as the Cabbage Patch, where worker...s could go for gambling and "entertainment." In this video, Isidoro Izzy Arevalo, Leo Escalante Jr., Sally Regala, Ben Villarruz, Helen Ragsac Sanchez, and Albert Corky Bueno share memories of the infamous Cabbage Patch. https://youtu.be/8WtgG3aBjSM

By spring 1942, the Japanese Americans were sent to camps due to the distrust and suspicion that all Japanese were spies and loyal to the Emperor. Yet, despite the Anti-Asian furor, the U.S. Government recruited the Japanese Americans to serve in the armed forces and even work in places like the Tooele Army Depot, that stored ammunition. Phil Matsumura, who was the San Jose JACL executive secretary during the Resettlement, recalled working at Tooele. This is an excerpt from a... 1990 interview with Phil Matsumura by the Nihonmachi Outreach Committee. Click the image below to view the video on the Hidden Histories of San Jose Japantown YouTube channel. Opening in mid-2021, Hidden Histories of San Jose Japantown is an augmented reality art project of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose funded by the Immersive Technology in the Arts grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in collaboration with Microsoft with support from the California History Center Foundation, De Anza College, the Chinese Historical & Cultural Project, and the Filipino American National Historical Society - Santa Clara Valley. Project directors: Susan Hayase and Tom Izu. AR artistic advisor: Tamiko Thiel. Project manager: Sue Kanegawa Yuen. Supervising community artist: Corinne Takara Okada. Archivist and video creator: Curt Fukuda. For more information: www.hiddenhistoriesjtown.org/

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Enjoy this sneak preview of our upcoming program, "Hidden Histories of San Jose's Day of Remembrance." Join us on Feb 6th to learn about the origins of this important community observation and hear stories from original organizations on what it meant to them and how it continues to resonate with our community today. Just in time to help you prepare for NOC’s annual Day of Remembrance later in the month! https://youtu.be/azosIaqjdPA More Info: https://hiddenhistoriesjtown.org/hidden-histories-of-san-j/

Check out "Kodomo no Tame Ni," a craft activity created by Corinne Okada Takara to accompany our Feb 6th program, "Hidden Histories of San Jose's Day of Remembrance." Don't forget to register for the webinar. More information here: https://hiddenhistoriesjtown.org/hidden-histories-of-san-j/

Meet the Hidden Histories Artists: Kelly Nishmura Following the internment camps, many in the Japanese American community were divided in how to respond to this act of racism and injustice. Sine believed it was more appropriate to stay quiet and tolerate the pain. Through the activism of the 1970s and 1980s, events like the Day of Remembrance gave the Issei and Nisei a forum to share their stories, to speak out against their incarceration. Part-Yonsei (fourth generation) and ...Part-Gosei (fifth generation), Kelly Nishimura experiments with new platforms and ways of expression to communicate stories that tell us of where we have been and what brought us to where we are now. Her proposed Walk of Remembrance is evidence that the younger generation is invested in their heritage. This is the fifth in a series about the nine commissioned artists for the Hidden Histories of San Jose Japantown project. Opening in mid-2021, Hidden Histories of San Jose Japantown is an augmented reality art project of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose funded by the Immersive Technology in the Arts grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in collaboration with Microsoft with support from the California History Center Foundation, De Anza College. Project directors: Susan Hayase and Tom Izu. AR artistic advisor: Tamiko Thiel. Project manager: Sue Kanegawa Yuen. Supervising community artist: Corinne Takara Okada. Archivist and video creator: Curt Fukuda. For more information: www.hiddenhistoriesjtown.org/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYFTiRdxEOg

After weeks of reviewing the many wonderful proposals from all the pool artists, the Hidden Histories Advisors made the difficult decision of choosing the nine commissioned artists for the project. In this video, Susan Hayase and Tom Izu give a brief update on the Hidden Histories project, followed by the announcement of the nine artists. They will be creating the augmented reality art to be unveiled in 2021. For more information on the artists, visit https://hiddenhistoriesj...town.org/ Hidden Histories of San Jose Japantown is a project of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose funded by the Immersive Technology in the Arts grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in collaboration with Microsoft with support from the California History Center Foundation, De Anza College. Project directors: Susan Hayase and Tom Izu. Project manager: Sue Kanegawa Yuen. Supervising community artist: Corinne Takara Okada. Archivist and video by Curt Fukuda.

Walking tours of SJ Pinoytown!

Don't miss Hidden Histories Episode 4, featuring Pastor Paul Bates and his daughter Jacqueline, talking about the history of the Prayer Garden Church on 6th Street. It's happening TOMORROW, Oct 10th, 1:00-2:00pm, livestreamed from the JAMsj facebook page. Click on this link to get there: https://www.facebook.com/JAMsjOfficial

For eight decades, Prayer Garden Church of God in Christ has been an important presence in a predominantly Asian American neighborhood. This is the second of a two-part series on the church. In this episode, we learn the story of Pastor Paul D. Bates, who succeed the founder, Pastor Milton Mathis. Pastor Bates talks about the church’s relationship with a predominantly Asian American community. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4rYfRKly2w Click the above link to view the video ...on the Hidden Histories of San Jose Japantown YouTube channel. Hidden Histories of San Jose Japantown is a project of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose funded by the Immersive Technology in the Arts grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in collaboration with Microsoft with support from the California History Center Foundation, De Anza College. Project directors: Susan Hayase and Tom Izu. Project manager: Sue Kanegawa Yuen. Supervising community artist: Corinne Takara Okada. Archivist and video by Curt Fukuda.

Do you know any ghost stories that take place in San Jose J-town? We're thinking of putting together a Hidden Histories Halloween program! Please comment below or send us a direct message if you have a story to share!

A senseless act of violence: 442 Veteran George Yoshioka from San Jose was murdered shortly after returning from serving in the U.S. military. Moffet Ishikawa, a Japantown native, remembered attending Yoshioka’s funeral only two days after returning from military duty himself. Click the image below to view the video on the Hidden Histories of San Jose Japantown YouTube channel. Hidden Histories of San Jose Japantown is a project of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose fun...ded by the Immersive Technology in the Arts grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in collaboration with Microsoft with support from the California History Center Foundation, De Anza College. Project directors: Susan Hayase and Tom Izu. Project manager: Sue Kanegawa Yuen. Supervising community artist: Corinne Takara Okada. Archivist and video by Curt Fukuda. See more

It’s horrible how many people go hungry on a daily basis. During the Great Depression (1929 to the mid-1930s), feeding people was an immense challenge due to the rampant poverty affecting most Americans. In this brief video, the Filipino Americans, who grew up in San Jose Japantown, talk about what they ate during the Great Depression. The group in this video includes: Isidoro Izzy Arevalo, Leo Escalante Jr., Sally Regala, Ben Villarruz, Helen Ragsac Sanchez, and Albert Co...rky Bueno. Click the image to view the video on the Hidden Histories of San Jose Japantown YouTube channel. Hidden Histories of San Jose Japantown is a project of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose funded by the Immersive Technology in the Arts grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in collaboration with Microsoft with support from the California History Center Foundation, De Anza College. Project directors: Susan Hayase and Tom Izu. Project manager: Sue Kanegawa Yuen. Supervising community artist: Corinne Takara Okada. Archivist and video by Curt Fukuda.

What is Hidden Histories of San Jose Japantown? It's an exciting Augmented Reality (AR) art project that will be installed in San Jose Japantown in the early part of 2021 (if the Shelter-In-Place has been lifted). The project is also to inform the public about the rich culture and history of an important community whose origins are not well-known, even by people who have lived around it. This video documents the first nine months of the Hidden Histories project, leading up to... September 2020, when the community Advisory Panel will choose the final nine AR proposals for artworks to be installed next year. In this video, you will see the Hidden Histories team members, advisory panel members, and the artists in the pool who will be submitting their proposals. You will learn about the milestones and challenges that project has faced. Click the image to view the video on YouTube. Hidden Histories of San Jose Japantown is a project of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose funded by the Immersive Technology in the Arts grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in collaboration with Microsoft with support from the California History Center Foundation, De Anza College. Project directors: Susan Hayase and Tom Izu. Project manager: Sue Kanegawa Yuen. Supervising community artist: Corinne Takara Okada. Archivist and video by Curt Fukuda.

Ever wonder why the word Shanghai is prominently displayed on one of the larger buildings in San Jose Japantown? Seventy years ago, the Shanghai Restaurant occupied the top floor of the building. It was owned by William Bill Dair, one of the leaders of the Chinese community from the 1940s to 1960s. Besides old-timers like Charles Moy, Dair was the most important Chinese in San Jose Japantown of the post-Heinlenville era. And more than half a century after his death, Bill ...Dair still has a presence in today’s Japantown. Click the image to view the video on YouTube. Hidden Histories of San Jose Japantown is a project of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose funded by the Immersive Technology in the Arts grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in collaboration with Microsoft. Project directors: Susan Hayase and Tom Izu. Project manager: Sue Kanegawa Yuen. Supervising community artist: Corinne Takara Okada. Archivist and video by Curt Fukuda.

Filipino Immigrants and Citizenship How important is it to become a U.S. citizen? The right to live and work in this country? The right to vote? Back in the post-World War II era, Filipino immigrants, mostly veterans, were given the opportunity to become citizens. The Japanese would not have that opportunity until 1953. Leo Escalante Jr. (whose father operated the first Filipino business in San Jose Japantown) tells a story about Filipino immigrants anxious to become citizen...s. Listening in are Filipino Americans who grew up in San Jose Japantown: Isidoro Izzy Arevalo, Sally Regala, Ben Villarruz, Helen Ragsac Sanchez, and Albert Corky Bueno. Hidden Histories of San Jose Japantown is a project of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose funded by the Immersive Technology in the Arts grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in collaboration with Microsoft. Project directors: Susan Hayase and Tom Izu. Project manager: Sue Kanegawa Yuen. Supervising community artist: Corinne Takara Okada. Archivist and video by Curt Fukuda.