Returning to the "Harlem of the West"
Migrant Footsteps Audio Walk: San Francisco Japantown
It’s 1945, and Japanese Americans like Daisy Satoday have just endured 3 years of incarceration as “enemy aliens.” Now they’re returning to San Francisco, but in their absence, the old neighborhood has transformed into the “Harlem of the West.”
Can this new place feel like home again?
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To get started, download the CalMigration App and this tour, grab your headphones, and meet us in Japantown. This tour starts outside Stuart Hall High School, 1715 Octavia Street.
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For the best experience, fully charge your phone or tablet, bring headphones, and download the tour on wifi in advance.
Augmented reality scenes appear throughout the tour. When prompted by the narrator, activate the scene by selecting the [Start AR] button on your screen.
RESTROOMS
Restrooms are available inside Hotel Kabuki and the Japan Center buildings on Post Street, both locations we visit near the end of the tour.
TIMING & ACCESS
This audio portion of this tour lasts about 45 minutes. The distance traveled is approximately 0.7 miles, and is mostly flat (descending a total of 150ft). There are up to 3 steps up or down to enter landmarks.
All Japantown tour exhibits are accessible in person from 8am to 10 pm.
Consider allowing an additional 30 minutes to an hour to explore suggested stops, shops and landmarks along the way.
Audio transcripts and a virtual 360 video of this tour with closed captions are available here.
This tour was created in October 2023. While we make an effort to keep things current, you are walking through a living neighborhood and sometimes things change. Be curious, and embrace the unexpected.
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Learn more about the history of Japanese Incarceration, the Great Migration and the redevelopment of San Francisco’s Fillmore District through our learning guide and lesson plans.
This tour is part of Migrant Footsteps, a series of free immersive audio walks developed by the California Migration Museum that break through the traditional museum walls to tell the living stories of immigration, one neighborhood at a time.
Get the App
Download the CalMigration app, select your tour and get started.
Don’t forget to fully charge your phone or tablet, and consider downloading the tour on wi-fi in advance.
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