Bay Area

JAPAN IN THE BAY AREA

Feeling nostalgic about Japan? Luckily, we live in a place where there are Japanese things all around us! Whether it’s Japanese social groups, gardens, stores, restaurants, or hot springs, there are lots of ways to get your Japanese “fix” right in your own neighborhood. Click on the following links to see just some of what’s out there.

Japanese Government

• Japanese Consulate General in San Francisco
• Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), San Francisco
• Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Berkeley

Japantowns

• San Francisco Japantown – one of three remaining Japantowns in the U.S.
• San Jose Japantown – one of three remaining Japantowns in the U.S.

Cultural and Arts

• JETAANC Kabuki Club – events related to Kabuki and other Japanese performing arts
• Japan Society of Northern California – sponsor of a lot of Japan-related events in Bay Area. They also offer a wide variety of Japanese classes.
• Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) - one of the main Japanese cultural centers in San Francisco and a partner of JETAANC. Offers classes in Japanese arts.
• Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC) – a partner of JETAANC, OACC sponsors a wide range of Asian (including Japanese) cultural and artistic programming, Oakland
• Oakland-Fukuoka Sister City Association – a partner of JETAANC, OFSCA is an active group that sponsors student exchange programs between Oakland and Fukuoka, as well as a very popular Otsukimi Moon Viewing Festival every Fall, among other Japan-related activities throughout the year.
• San Mateo Japanese-American Community Center (JACC) – Hosts a number of Japan-related events, including a monthly Kabuki film screening, San Mateo
• Pacific Film Archives – one of the largest collections of Japanese film in the world; often screens Japanese films, Berkeley
• Asian Museum of Art – Features a large collection of Japanese art, as well as Japan-related events and classes, San Francisco
• Bay Anime – website for anime and J-Pop in the Bay Area
• Japanese-American Museum – San Jose
• Ikebana International – San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, flower arranging
• Chanoyu Tea Ceremony
• Urasenke Tea Ceremony
• Daiku Dojo – Japanese Carpentry

Social/Business Networking

• JETAANC Yahoo Group – JETAANC’s main message board; join to learn about upcoming events and other things of interest to alumni.
• JETAANC Facebook Group – One of the main social networking nodes for alumni, this is also where many events are posted.
• JETAANC LinkedIn Group – The main business networking node for alumni.
• JETAANC Job Bank – Main listing for jobs and opportunities of interest to alumni.
• JetWIT.com – A large online community for JET alumni, especially those involved in writing, interpreting, or translating. Also features current job opportunities.
• Mixi – The main Japanese social networking site that most Japanese in the Bay Area use for everything.
• Japanese-English Toastmasters (or “JETS”) – Japanese and American members meet to improve their Japanese/English speaking skills and to network.
• Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California – a major Japanese business networking group in northern California.
• Keizai Society – A San Francisco Bay Area based business and professional networking organization. One of its primary purposes is to provide a venue of programs that showcase specialists with expertise on issues critical for the success of entrepreneurs and companies doing business with Japan and the U.S.

Academic Institutes

• Center for Japanese Studies, UC Berkeley
• Japan Policy Research Center, USF
• Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE)

News/Media

• BaySpo, the local weekly Japanese entertainment newspaper – hard copies in Japantown and elsewhere, online version here.
• Ejan – another popular directory/info source for Japanese things in the Bay Area, including apartment listings.
• Hokubei Times – another well-respected Bay Area Japanese newspaper
• Nichibei Times – a well respected Bay Area Japanese newspaper
• NikkeiWest – oriented toward Japanese-Americans and recent Japanese immigrants, this newspaper lists a lot of Bay Area and Japan-related news, including an Obon and summer festival schedule for the Bay Area.
• Sports J, local weekly Japanese entertainment and sports newspaper
• KTSF – TV channel with Japanese programming
• TV Japan – 24-hour Japanese cable channel with programming from all major networks (majority is NHK)
• crunchyroll.com – streaming videos, including many Japanese programs
• mysoju.com – another streaming video site with many Japanese programs
• JDorama.com – forum for Japanese drama fans
• DAddicts.com – another forum for Asian drama fans with a lot of Japanese content

Note: These links are for informational purposes only. JETAANC does not necessarily endorse any of the entities listed. Please send any additions or corrections to communications@jetaanc.org