Good afternoon everyone,

The Japantown Community Benefit District is grateful for the many opportunities that have come our way to show how Japantown is thriving. We are also excited about the innovative project by Adobe Aero that is putting Japantown on the map when it comes to augmented reality.

Included in this edition of Keeping Japantown Connected is a recent article from the SF Examiner that highlights the great things that are happening in our community/district.

If you have any events happening in Japantown that you would like our readers to know about, please do email a photo/graphic accompanied by a short info (75 words or less). Please include date/time/location of your event.

Thank you and have a wonderful weekend!

JCBD Staff
415-265-5207 or email us at info@jtowncbd.org
Don’t forget to follow the JCBD @jtowncbd and @sf_japantown

The JCBD is grateful to Rodney Fong of the SF Chamber of Commerce who forwarded our info to the SF Examiner’s Owen Thomas! Please click on the image to read the full article. Photo courtesy of SF Examiner.

New Openings in Japantown!!

Japantown is definitely seeing an increase in foot traffic. The SF Chronicle reported that Japantown saw the second highest increase in sales tax revenue since 2019, at 9%. Click here to read the full article.

We have 36 restaurants within the Japantown district and now 2 more have opened.

Matsuyama Shabu House is located at 1726 Buchanan Street (Osaka Way/Buchanan Mall), opened mid-June and just had their grand opening on August 18th. Matsuyama Shabu House features top-notch cuts like A5 Wagyu Brisket, A5 Wagyu Chuck Roll, and A5 Ribeye Cap. Come and welcome Karsten Tze and his staff!

They are open Sunday, Monday & Thursday (from 5pm - 10pm. Friday & Saturday from 5pm - 11pm.

Fermentation Lab is no stranger to the dining scene here in San Francisco. Jeannie Kim, partner Jakub Przybyszewski and the crew’s original Fermentation Lab is located in Mid Market with their sister restaurant Sam’s American Eatery (next door) and have been welcoming diners for 15+ years.

Fermentation Lab’s second location in the heart of Japantown (1700 A Post Street), San Francisco offers a unique fusion of flavors, a full liquor bar, and a commitment to fostering community connections. Currently they are open Tuesday through Sunday from 4pm - 11pm. Please stop by and welcome Jeannie, Jakub and the Lab’s crew!

Soon to Come inside the Kinokuniya Building!

Japantown is excited about Edomasa, the legendary restaurant from Japan that will soon come to the Kinokuniya Building late September. Via The San Francisco Standard "A legendary restaurant from Japan will soon be reborn in America." Thank you to EK Food Service for continually bringing great Japanese restaurants to Japantown! You can read more by clicking here!

Edomasa will be located on the 2nd floor of the Kinokuniya Building.

Adobe Aero Paper Tree 3D Experience

In May the Japantown Community Benefit District was approached by Adobe to discuss an exciting new project that they wanted to bring to Japantown. They introduced us to Adobe Aero, a new augmented reality platform that gives users an interactive immersive 3D experience in the real world.

Adobe wanted to connect with a local business, focusing on the Osaka Way/Buchanan Mall area that would be a good fit. We connected them with Linda Mihara of Paper Tree. Fast forward and we are happy to share with you all that the Paper Tree 3D Experience has launched and is attracting many users. Next time you are in Japantown, please go to the Paper Tree store, scan the QR code on the front window and be amazed as Llinda’s origami creations come to life! Here’s a peek!

The JCBD is grateful to Adobe for selecting Japantown as their first 3D Experience in a neighborhood. Shout out to Bonfire Lab for their work to create a promo video that will air soon and for providing photos from the video shoot which included Linda Mihara, JCBD’s Grace Horikiri, JCBD Interns Emi Thomas and Sumiko Fong.