SALT LAKE CITY — Walk a block behind the Salt Palace Convention Center and you’ll find the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple and the Japanese Church of Christ, the two remnants of what was once a thriving Japanese American oasis in the city.
The two establishments were once part of the beloved Japantown, which grew as Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States in the 1880s to work in the mining, agriculture, and railroad industries.
With a presence going back to at least 1907, Japantown, bounded by State Street and 700 West between South Temple and 300 South, once spanned nearly 10 city blocks and grew to be home to almost 8,000 people.
“Well, to me, Japantown was a gathering place of people, of Japanese race, and we could identify with that because it was our own place that we felt comfortable with," said Ron Nishijima, a Salt Lake City resident who remembers going to Japantown with his parents.
At the height of Japantown’s life during World War II, it was home to a variety of businesses that Nishijima remembers as a colorful place.
“We had the Sunrise Fish Market as a place where we could get ocean fish, fresh brought in almost daily,” Nishijima recalled. “ We were so landlocked here, and we're so far away from the ocean, it was a real treat to be able to get fresh fish.
“And then we also had Dawn Noodles, it was a pagoda restaurant.”
Other institutions included Utah Nippo, Japanese American Newspaper, and Japantown staple, the Aloha Cafe.
For Rolen Yoshinaga, a member of the board of directors for the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple, visiting Japantown was a chance to get items that weren’t readily available in their Ogden neighborhood.
“We were coming up here for things we needed, food items,” Yoshinaga recalled. “We would always go to the fish market here. There were also grocery stores and we would come in and we'd buy rice, buy some of the dried goods, like dried shiitake mushrooms…”
Yoshinaga also recalled a familiar sound that brought him comfort during his visits with family.
“Japanese was spoken on the street,” Yoshinaga said. “Just people walking up, some of the older folks, everybody's speaking Japanese, most of the businesses were bilingual there, and so they're speaking English and Japanese at the same time, which was something familiar to me.”
Saying goodbye to Japantown
But it wasn’t all happy memories. Japantown changed forever during and after World War II.
In 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, relocating more than 120,000 West Coast Japanese Americans to internment camps, including the Topaz War Relocation Center near Delta.
A couple decades later, parts of Japantown were taken by eminent domain in the sixties to build what would become the Salt Palace Arena. As a result, many businesses closed or moved to other parts of Salt Lake City.
“I think some of the people that moved out, I don't think they did real well because, you know, they were kind of isolated by themselves,” said Nishijima, whose family was sent to an internment camp in Colorado.
Revitalizing Japantown for future generations
Now, decades later, plans are in the works for a new downtown experience,with Japanese Americans looking to bring back the vibrant traditions of Japantown.
Kristine Aramaki is Nishijima’s granddaughter, and also a member of SLC NextGen JA, a new generation of Japanese Americans advocating for a revitalization of Japantown as the city and possibly the Smith Entertainment Group develop the area around the Delta Center with a new NHL team calling Utah home.
“It’s more sustainable for this whole redevelopment to invest in groups that are connected to downtown. So that wouldn't just be the Japanese American community, but like Abravanel Hall, the Greek Church,” Aramaki explained. “We would like to see somewhere where people can come to experience Japanese culture, learn about the history and experience diversity.”
Aramaki and Yoshinaga hope Japanese Americans have a seat at the table when development plans of the downtown area come to fruition.
“You want this street to commemorate what was here,” Yoshinaga said. “You know, Salt Lake City really has a story of diversity in its history, and a lot of people don't understand that. And so it's, it's always important, wherever we can, to show the contributions of all the people of this area that had a part in creating what's here and whether it's a diversity of religion or diversity of ethnic, racial identity.”
Japantown’s original businesses may have been one part of its success, but Nishijima believes it was the people that made the difference; and while the area may never thrive as it did in the last century, he hopes to see a revitalized Japantown in his lifetime… one for the next generation to call their own.
“The people in Japantown were warm people, great people,” Nishijima shared. “They just wanted to have the togetherness and have a place that they call their own, you know. And for so many people, that is very important to them. You know, it's like we were one great big family.”
