. , held annually in Japantown. . Japantown is the site of the
Japanese American Museum of San Jose, which moved into a new building in 2010;
San Jose Taiko, Shuei-do Manju Shop, and a variety of restaurants, professional services, community organizations (for example Yu-Ai Kai Senior Center, and the
Japanese American Citizens League) and small retail shops. Japantown had two hand-made
tofu shops, the last closing in 2017. Two churches founded by Japanese over 100 years ago, Wesley United Methodist Church and San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin, thrive on the same street, Fifth Street. They are home to many of the local community organizations including active Girl and Boy Scout organizations, and host several of Japantown's largest cultural festivals. Japantown's Fifth Street now also leads to the new
San Jose City Hall. Indeed, the Fifth and Jackson Landmark was designed to be seen from City Hall as a beacon and reminder of the people that have helped build the city. The Fifth and Jackson Landmark is part of a larger California Japantown Landmarks Project to create powerful and emotional permanent outdoor exhibits, including monuments in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Japantown is also home to a number of non-Japanese businesses, including Mexican, Hawaiian and Korean restaurants. A number of organizations, including the Japantown Neighborhood Association, have joined to form the Japantown Community Congress of San Jose, which is a community partner to the City of San Jose (represented by the
San Jose Redevelopment Agency) that looks after cultural preservation of the area (begun with CA SB 307). Major festivals include
Obon (every July), Nikkei Matsuri (every spring) and Aki Matsuri (every fall) and a newer festival, The Spirit of Japantown Festival (also in the fall). In addition there are events that are open to the public at Art Object Gallery and various street venues, including a year-round Certified Farmers Market run by the Japantown Business Association. On March 22, 2021, the Japantown community formally started citizen foot patrols to increase security and prevent attacks on
Asian Americans. ==Geography==