Japan Center’s 50th Anniversary to Be Celebrated

SAN FRANCISCO — Japantown’s business community will celebrate the 50th anniversary of San Francisco’s Japan Center on Wednesday, March 28, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The event will take place at Japantown Peace Plaza, Post and Buchanan streets, where the Japan Center, originally called the Japanese Cultural and Trade Center, was formally dedicated in 1968.

The East and West Malls are centered between the Japantown Peace Pagoda, a five-tiered concrete stupa designed by architect Yoshiro Taniguchi donated to Japantown as a gesture of goodwill in 1968 by Osaka, San Francisco’s sister city in Japan. It has since become one of Japantown’s main landmarks.

The malls are home to diverse shops and restaurants. From the abundant shelves of Daiso to the exports of Okinawa at Akabanaa to cutting-edge anime at Japan Video and Media, a trip to the Japan Center will allow you to see, taste and experience things that no other neighborhood in the area can provide.

The program is free; details will be announced soon. For more information, go to: https://japancentersf.com/