I’ve been mostly incommunicado for the past 5 days, not adding blog posts, not really tweeting on Twitter, and definitely not answering my phone. So where have I been? I have been in what is as close to an otaku’s/Japanophile’s paradise as you can get in the U.S. – Japantown, San Francisco, California.
The Japantown in San Francisco is one of only three free-standing Japantown (Nihonmachi) enclaves in the United States, which also includes Chicago, IL and San Jose, CA. It is made up of roughly 6 city blocks along Geary Expressway, just about 2 miles west of Union Square. Its sister city is Osaka, Japan, so it is also called Little Osaka.
Loaded with plenty of excellent Japanese restaurants and specialty shops, Japantown is a great place to stop through while visiting San Francisco for an evening out. However, just like Japan itself, Japantown also has a lot of subtle points of interest and events to keep you occupied for a lot longer.
I have plenty of dining recommendations for a later blog post, but for now, enjoy these pictures of Japantown.
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