Fact Brief: Is San Jose’s Japantown one of only three left in the U.S.?

Yes.

San Jose is home to one of three surviving Japantowns in the country. The other remaining Japanese communities are also in California cities: San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Japanese immigrants came to San Jose in the late 1890s in search of farm work, originally settling in Chinatown before establishing their own cultural community in the region. The neighborhood’s development halted during World War II, when the U.S. forcibly removed more than 120,000 Japanese Americans from their homes and placed them into internment camps in response to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. 

After being released from internment, many Japanese Americans discovered their properties had been sold or vandalized, which wiped out entire Japanese neighborhoods. However, San Jose’s Japantown reemerged and grew after the war, attracting Japanese Americans looking to rebuild their lives in the region. 

In 2025, San Jose’s Japantown received statewide recognition as a cultural district.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

San José Spotlight partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Sources

• National Geographic There are 3 Japantowns left in the U.S. Here’s how to visit them.
• Japanese American Museum of San Jose Pioneers of San Jose Japantown
• KQED San Jose's Japantown Stayed the Same for More Than 70 Years. Now, Change Is Coming.
• California Arts Council California Designates 10 New Cultural Districts