Lakeview history - Japanese American community, 1960s-1990s (Chicago, Washington: 2015, apartment)

[sydlee]

Lakeview is mentioned often in this forum. Here's an interesting article about the history of the place.
30 Years of Lakeview: Chicago’s Japanese American Community 1960s-1990s | Nikkei Chicago /

[Drover]

My best friend is Japanese; his dad grew up there. His uncle still lives there because his apartment is insanely cheap, apparently due to a Japanese cultural custom that frowns on anything but small incremental rent increases or at least has that net effect. I'll have to ask him to explain it to me in more detail.

I still remember when Clark was lined with sushi and noodle joints from Belmont to Sheffield or so. My friend took me to Shiroi Hana a couple times as he was particularly fond of the place. It held out until fairly recently -- n fact I had forgotten it was closed until I looked at your link.

[sydlee]

Originally Posted by Drover

My best friend is Japanese; his dad grew up there. His uncle still lives there because his apartment is insanely cheap, apparently due to a Japanese cultural custom that frowns on anything but small incremental rent increases or at least has that net effect. I'll have to ask him to explain it to me in more detail.

I still remember when Clark was lined with sushi and noodle joints from Belmont to Sheffield or so. My friend took me to Shiroi Hana a couple times as he was particularly fond of the place. It held out until fairly recently -- n fact I had forgotten it was closed until I looked at your link.

That must've been something else. Will have to take a look around the area the next time I'm in town. Lakeview is often mentioned here as a possible place to live for newcomers, but the descriptions of the neighborhood don't provide any clue to this history, and I found it quite interesting. Topic came up recently with the passing of a civil rights activist who used to teach shamisen in Chicago:

Lillian Nakano dies; helped Japanese Americans get redress for internment - The Washington Post

[Drover]

Originally Posted by sydlee

That must've been something else. Will have to take a look around the area the next time I'm in town. Lakeview is often mentioned here as a possible place to live for newcomers, but the descriptions of the neighborhood don't provide any clue to this history, and I found it quite interesting. Topic came up recently with the passing of a civil rights activist who used to teach shamisen in Chicago:

Lillian Nakano dies; helped Japanese Americans get redress for internment - The Washington Post

To be sure, there are very few signs of "Japantown" left. As your link shows, the vast majority of the visible Japanese busisnesses have closed. There appears to still be quite a few Japanese-owned rental properties in the area (I presume my friend's uncle lives in one of those buildings), but as far as a visible storefront presence, it's almost all gone. About all that's left is a dojo on Belmont, Yoshi's Cafe on Halsted, and Nisei Lounge on Sheffield. An import/gift shop on Belmont owned by Tokyo Rose held out until 2013 (she died in 2006). I guess her dad owned it first, and then she moved here when she got out of prison to work for her dad.

Even though I knew about the sushi/noodle shops on Clark, I wasn't aware they were the remnants of Japantown until my friend told me about it. Sushi had become the next big culinary trend by then and the neighborhood was in the throes of gentrifying at the time, so I thought the sushi joints were related to the gentrification rather than the neighborhood's then-fading, now nearly-gone past.

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by Drover

To be sure, there are very few signs of "Japantown" left. As your link shows, the vast majority of the visible Japanese busisnesses have closed. There appears to still be quite a few Japanese-owned rental properties in the area (I presume my friend's uncle lives in one of those buildings), but as far as a visible storefront presence, it's almost all gone. About all that's left is a dojo on Belmont, Yoshi's Cafe on Halsted, and Nisei Lounge on Sheffield. An import/gift shop on Belmont owned by Tokyo Rose held out until 2013 (she died in 2006). I guess her dad owned it first, and then she moved here when she got out of prison to work for her dad.

Even though I knew about the sushi/noodle shops on Clark, I wasn't aware they were the remnants of Japantown until my friend told me about it. Sushi had become the next big culinary trend by then and the neighborhood was in the throes of gentrifying at the time, so I thought the sushi joints were related to the gentrification rather than the neighborhood's then-fading, now nearly-gone past.

Yes, the Tokyo Rose story is pretty fascinating...

Unless you know you local history, someone might make the assumption that these old-line sushi joints are just part of the current sushi phenomenon. And they most likely aren't. Anyone who migrated out of the WW2 internment camps to Chicago who's still alive would be well into their 70s, and most eventually migrated back to the West Coast. There are some who stayed, and there are some good books on the subject...

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by Drover

I still remember when Clark was lined with sushi and noodle joints from Belmont to Sheffield or so. My friend took me to Shiroi Hana a couple times as he was particularly fond of the place. It held out until fairly recently -- n fact I had forgotten it was closed until I looked at your link.

Too bad, I used to go to Shiroi Hana and Matsuya all the time back in the 90s.

[sydlee]

Originally Posted by Drover

To be sure, there are very few signs of "Japantown" left. As your link shows, the vast majority of the visible Japanese busisnesses have closed. There appears to still be quite a few Japanese-owned rental properties in the area (I presume my friend's uncle lives in one of those buildings), but as far as a visible storefront presence, it's almost all gone. About all that's left is a dojo on Belmont, Yoshi's Cafe on Halsted, and Nisei Lounge on Sheffield. An import/gift shop on Belmont owned by Tokyo Rose held out until 2013 (she died in 2006). I guess her dad owned it first, and then she moved here when she got out of prison to work for her dad.

Even though I knew about the sushi/noodle shops on Clark, I wasn't aware they were the remnants of Japantown until my friend told me about it. Sushi had become the next big culinary trend by then and the neighborhood was in the throes of gentrifying at the time, so I thought the sushi joints were related to the gentrification rather than the neighborhood's then-fading, now nearly-gone past.

Good point about the sushi trend. Even though most of it's gone, it still would be interesting to check it out. I myself am from a similar neighborhood -- a once thriving ethnic enclave that has, for the most part, disappeared. Gentrification is heading its way, and I'm sure people now think nothing important or thriving was ever there. Sometimes I go back and try to remember how it was, specific places, and contrast it with what I see today. It would be cool to check out what's left of this part of Lakeview -- even if little is left. Sometimes it's just nice to stand on the sidewalk and imagine how it used to be.

[sydlee]

Originally Posted by MassVt

Yes, the Tokyo Rose story is pretty fascinating...

Unless you know you local history, someone might make the assumption that these old-line sushi joints are just part of the current sushi phenomenon. And they most likely aren't. Anyone who migrated out of the WW2 internment camps to Chicago who's still alive would be well into their 70s, and most eventually migrated back to the West Coast. There are some who stayed, and there are some good books on the subject...

I do remember hearing about Tokyo Rose. Fascinating, indeed.

Yes, most of the folks who were in the camps as young people are pretty old now, and a lot have passed on. As you said, there were some people who stayed in Chicago and also other cities in the region, raised families and such. I think this kind of history -- if you don't stop to look, you can think a place is devoid of it. But there's a lot going on, a lot of layers to the city's neighborhoods.

[MassVt]

A very good paperbook--pictures w/some text:

Japanese Americans in Chicago, by Alice Murata ( Images of America)

A very good pictorial essay, with explanations, of the internment camp movement to Chicago. You get the sense that this was a very closely-knit group, with many shared experiences.

[sydlee]

Originally Posted by MassVt

A very good paperbook--pictures w/some text:

Japanese Americans in Chicago, by Alice Murata ( Images of America)

A very good pictorial essay, with explanations, of the internment camp movement to Chicago. You get the sense that this was a very closely-knit group, with many shared experiences.

Oh cool! Thanks!! Yes, close-knit for sure.