Returning to the Harlem of the West
This self-guided walking tour begins outside Stuart Hall High School at 1715 Octavia Street in San Francisco. Use the map, tour stops and accessibility information below. When you are ready to begin, tap [Start Tour] below.
Tour Stops
- 1715 Octavia Street / The Story Begins
- The Buddhist Church of San Francisco / Return from Topaz
- 410 Austin Street / Daisy’s House
- Octavia Restaurant / Wartime Rationing
- 2006 Bush Street / Internment
- Benches on Pedestrianized Buchanan Street / The Making of the ‘Mo
- Hotel Kabuki / King Café
- Japan Peace Pagoda Plaza / Endings
Tips & Accessibility
This tour is free.
For the best experience, fully charge your phone or tablet and bring headphones. The tour requires access to cellular phone data or an internet connection. WiFi may not be available. Alternatively, you can download a version of the tour before heading out.
Augmented Reality
Augmented reality scenes appear throughout the tour. When prompted by the narrator, activate the scene by tapping [View in 360].
Timing & Access
- This tour runs approximately 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.
- Consider allowing an additional 30 minutes to an hour to explore suggested stops, shops and landmarks along the way.
- Audio transcripts for this tour are available as a PDF download.
- An interactive 360 video of this tour with closed captions is available on the experiences page.
- 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.
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.
Credits
NARRATORS
Caroline Satoda
Katy Long
ACTORS
Daisy Satoda Heidi Tabing
Daisy’s Younger Sister Maddie Matsumoto
Daisy’s Mama Mariko B.
Marguerite Johnson Maresha Robinson
Reiko Yuuki Luna
Harry John Eleby
Saburo Kido (President of JACL) Michael Sun Lee
Newspaper Man Jeff Detrow
Military Announcer Joe P. Morgan
Soldier Devon Ireland
Background voices John Eleby, Devon Irelan, Yuuki Luna, Joe P Morgan
Shades of Blue for a Blue Bridge Read by Quincy Trope
AUDIO PRODUCTION
Script Gabby Santas & Katy Long
Producer Cathy Edwards
Sound Engineering WAM Studio
Research Gabby Santas & Katy Long
Explore More
Returning to the Harlem of the West
It’s 1945. Japanese Americans like Daisy Uyeda have just endured 3 years of incarceration in the desert and are returning to San Francisco. In their absence, newly arrived Black families transform the old Japantown into the “Harlem of the West.” Can this neighborhood feel like home again?
Look Up
When the devastating 1906 earthquake and fire leaves Chinatown in ruins, the City seizes its chance to erase the neighborhood altogether. Can the Chinese American community reimagine the neighborhood and ensure its survival? Musician Alex Wong explores this history and Asian American identity today.
