A group of younger Japanese Americans in Utah, SLC NextGen JA, wants to get in on the discussions surrounding downtown Salt Lake City's entertainment district — and what might happen to the city's Japantown, a once-thriving neighborhood that was made smaller when the Salt Palace was built nearly 60 years ago.
The Salt Palace encroached on the once-thriving Japantown . Now members of SLC NextGen JA want to join discussions on downtown’s entertainment district.
That intergenerational collaboration stems from the history of Japantown. Nearly 60 years ago, Japantown was a sprawling hub of commerce, culture and community. It was home to 90 businesses and organizations, according to Imamura, and a refuge for those displaced by incarceration camps of World War II.“People remember that vividly, the change in the community,” Imamura said. “There’s so many people who have vivid memories of an active and live Japantown.
For almost 60 years, the Japanese American community in Utah has not had a nonreligious place to gather in Japantown — no restaurants, no markets, no coffee shops. But the sense of community has not wavered. “I don’t think in any of our lifetimes here on the street, we can ever remember associating the words ‘active’ and ‘live’ outside of Obon,” Imamura added. The Obon Festival is a festival that celebrates joy in Buddhism, Imamura, who teaches the dances at the event.
Marisa Eng, another NextGen member, said these experiences are why they are all so passionate about keeping the community preserved. Obon, she said, is often their favorite time of the year because it “brings the whole community together.” “Bet we’re in the background of each other’s photos,” one member said. Many of them are standing next to each other in the photos, younger and with bright smiles.
“Growing up, it was more than just festivals,” Eng said, recalling classes they took in Japanese and in shodo, the art of calligraphy. They’d also like to come up with their own plan for the revitalization of the Japantown properties that they can all work on together, Kyed said. The group also said this has taught them all how to be more involved in the government and city functions.
Smith Entertainment Group Downtown SLC
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