Japantown, Vancouver
49°16′59″N 123°05′43″W / 49.28312°N 123.09530°W
Japantown, Little Tokyo[1] or Paueru-gai (パウエル街, lit. "Powell Street") is an old neighbourhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, located east of Gastown and north of Chinatown, that once had a concentration of Japanese immigrants.
Japantown ceased to be a distinct Japanese ethnic area during
History
Japantown was attacked on 7 September 1907 by the Asiatic Exclusion League, which smashed many windows in parts of Chinatown, and then moved on to Japantown. Four waves of attacks ensued, with the rioters being repulsed by the armed Japanese residents who had received warning of the attacks in Chinatown. In spite of inflicting a number of injuries upon the mob, more than 50 stores and businesses on Powell Street had their windows broken resulting in thousands of dollars of damage.[2] The centenary of the attacks were marked by a Riot Walk through Chinatown and Japantown on 7 September 2007.[3][4]
In the days prior to World War II, in addition to having many restaurants, hotels and businesses, the Japanese district had three Japanese daily papers (Tiriku Nippo, Canada Shimbun, and Minshu), three Buddhist churches, several sentō (Chitose, Tokiwa, Kotobuki, and Matsunoyu), and its language school supported as many as one thousand students.[5] By 1921, the number of Japanese stores and businesses on the street had reached 578.[6] There also existed the kenjinkai (prefecture association) which the community used for mutual aid mitigating the need for welfare during the Great Depression.[6]
During World War II,
Along Powell Street, a few remnants of the former Japanese neighbourhood still exist. The Vancouver Buddhist Church, formerly the Japanese Methodist Church, still exists at 220 Jackson Avenue at Powell,
Oppenheimer Park
Oppenheimer Park (Powell Street Grounds) in this area was the home for Asahi baseball team and it is the site for the annual two-day Powell Street Festival, which began in 1977.[9] It is held every August, in the first weekend of the month, and is a community celebration of Japanese heritage as well as the alternative and street culture of the Downtown Eastside.
See also
Notes
- ^ Powell Street (Japantown), Historical Review, report prepared for the City of Vancouver by Birmingham & Wood et al., pp. 21, 28]
- ASIN B000IXEZ4G.
- ^ 100th Anniversary of Anti-Asian Riots Archived 2007-08-24 at the Wayback Machine, 2007 Anniversaries of Change.
- ^ 7 September 2007 Riot Walk Archived 27 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine, 2007 Anniversaries of Change.
- ASIN B000IXEZ4G.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-9730913-4-2.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link - ^ "Vancouver Buddhist Church". Archived from the original on 2007-08-21. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
- ^ Vancouver Japanese Language School and Japanese Hall.
- ^ Powell Street Festival, Powell Street Festival Society.
External links
- Japanese Canadian Timeline from arrival of first Japanese person in 1877 (Japanese Canadian National Museum).
- History of Vancouver Japanese Language School and Japanese Hall, established 1906.
- History of Vancouver Buddhist Church, established 1906.
- 100th Anniversary of Anti-Asian Riots, 7 September 1907 (2007 Anniversaries of Change).
- 2007 Riot Walk map guide: First and second (last) page (2007 Anniversaries of Change).
- Powell Street Festival, established 1977 (Powell Street Festival Society).
- Japantown and Powell Street Archived 2006-05-02 at the Wayback Machine (Virtual Vancouver).