(Updated 7/5/2024) Description and review of a Japantown to Chinatown Walk, part of the Jane Jacobs Walk series held each May in Sacramento and nationwide.
On a recent Sunday morning in mid-May I joined approximately 40 others for a Japantown to Chinatown Walk. Our tour guide was William Burg of Preservation Sacramento. Burg is an historian whose work focuses on Sacramento history. He is also the author of a series of interesting books on Sacramento.
SacramentoRevealed.com – All Things Sacramento (from a personal perspective)
I know a bit about how “redevelopment” destroyed what had been vibrant neighborhoods in Sacramento’s West End, and I was interested in learning more. Burg is a most knowledgeable and entertaining tour guide, and I learned a lot during the approximately two-hour tour.
See related blog post: Broadway Jane Jacobs Walk
Japantown to Chinatown Walk Overview
Japantown
Our group met at the Nisei VFW Post 8995 located at 1515 4th Street in Downtown Sacramento. The building is listed on both the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Places and on the National Register of Historic Places.
In front of the building is the Japanese American Civil Liberties Monument. The monument features interpretative panels, text and photographs describing Sacramento’s Japantown and the internment period.
The VFW building, and the one to the right of it housing a Nisei Barbershop, are the only two buildings in Downtown Sacramento that survived the redevelopment of Sacramento’s Japantown.
After a brief talk, we walked up 4th Street, stopping on Capitol Mall across the street from the 2.39- acre site purchased by the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians in April 2024. Capitol Mall and 4th Street was once the heart of Japantown.
The fencing surrounding the site will serve as the temporary home of a mural commemorating Sacramento’s lost Japantown. The mural, by local artist Karen Tsugawa, is being designed so that the mural panels can be removed when the site is ready to be developed.
See related blog post: Sacramento Japantown Mural
Royal Chicano Air Force
Continuing on 4th Street we made our way to K Street, visiting two murals painted by members of the Royal Chicano Air Force (RCAF) to commemorate the Latino barrio once located on L Street.
I was familiar with the RCAF murals on the walls of the underpass connecting DOCO and the Old Sacramento Waterfront. However, I did not realize that the mural on the side of DOCO West Parking Garage (across from Macy’s) was also the work of the RCAF!
See related blog post: Ricardo Favela Park Dedication
Chinatown
Our last stop was Sacramento’s Mid-Century Chinatown, made up of buildings dating from 1959 to the 1970’s, mostly designed by Chinese-American architects. The existing Chinatown is not the site of the original Chinatown (aka Yee Fow or Second Town), which was once the 2nd largest Chinatown in California.
We walked through the Sacramento Chinatown gate and down the steps to what had been Sacramento’s original street level. The neighborhood includes China Square, a sunken public gathering space, as well as the Imperial Tower (formerly the Wong Center) that houses seniors, among other notable buildings.
To Sum Up
To sum up, it was a most interesting way to spend a beautiful Sunday morning, and I am inspired to do some further research. Stay tuned for more detailed blog posts!
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