High-concentration Japanese areas? (San Diego, Vista, Linda: school, living, restaurants)

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Japanese concentration? Hrm, that might be a stretch to nail down as easily as the Chinese or South Korean population, all of which have a presence in the Clairemont Mesa area (as mentioned already).

Mitsuwa is great!
One thing that is great at Mitsuwa, is they DO have Japanese sweets and treats sometimes when there is a road show (of sorts). There are tables lined up right in the front of the store where you can get some really yummy and traditional sweets and cakes (eg. wagashi, manju, sakura sweets).
The food there is very good and they try to replicate a Tokyo style cafe (presentation and food preparation).

[Bakeneko]

Originally Posted by Tedsterman

The relocation and questioning of the loyalty of Japanese-Americans during WWII stung the community and would have a lasting effect on subsequent generations. Following the war, most Japanese-Americans attempted to assimilate with their respective American communities. Prior to the war, there was a J-Town (Japan Town) in downtown San Diego, but it never materialized again even decades after the war (although there are presently plans for a Asian Historical District). So the answer to your question: there are no Japanese enclaves in San Diego, you find Japanese and Japanese-Americans in almost every community in San Diego (Chula Vista, Kearny Mesa, Rancho Bernardo, Coronado, La Jolla, etc.) Their average household income tends to exceed the average for San Diego, so you will find them mostly in good neighborhoods (there are good neighborhoods in south county as well). Many service men married Japanese nationals, but you will find them throughout the city within 30 minutes of major military installations. When major Japanese manufacturers set up operations in Mexican maquiladoras across the border, there use to be a concentration of Japanese executives in Bonita and East Chula Vista, but those operations are slowly disappearing to China.

I live in East Chula Vista (Otay Ranch) and I don't think I've seen a large concentration of Japanese here. I have a young daughter who is enrolled in alot of "enrichment" activities (classes, camps, special activties) and we run into more Japanese there than "out and about".

[sinbadx81]

Okay, sounds like the general consensus is that it's relatively spread out - good to know. I think we'll try earlyretirement's strategy of just picking a place good for us and maybe get connections at the markets or schools. Thanks a lot everyone!

[jeffrow1]

I used to live in Bonita. The Japanese living there were primarily executives at the maquiladoras in Tijuana.

[supac]

Originally Posted by sinbadx81

We're thinking of moving to the San Diego area. My wife is Japanese and we're trying to keep the kids bilingual so looking for areas with Japanese families so we can set up play dates, etc. I've heard eastern Chula Vista has a fairly sizable number of Japanese and a Japanese school is in that area. Any other areas like that?

Thanks in advance!

I just moved here in san diego, witht he same exact situation as you. Where my wife wants to keep our kids bilingual. I heard about Chula Vista, and also heard that it is a not so nice place.

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[Jenkay]

Originally Posted by echo42

What part of Chula Vista is Japanese. It would be nice to go to a traditional Japanese restaurant instead of Bento and Noodles.

I thought Kearny Mesa and Clairemont were Korean.

There's a bunch of different styles of Japanese restaurants in the Convoy area, what do you mean by "traditional"? Izakaya, Yakiniku, Noodle houses, Yakitori, what are you looking for?

[RD5050]

Convoy St. in Kearney Mesa has a huge number of Asian stores. I think many of them are Korean.

Another large Asian population can be found in Mira Mesa.

You might just try calling this school and ask them for advice:

San Diego Japanese School

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by RD5050

Convoy St. in Kearney Mesa has a huge number of Asian stores. I think many of them are Korean.

Another large Asian population can be found in Mira Mesa.

You might just try calling this school and ask them for advice:

San Diego Japanese School

Convoy also has both Japanese and Korean markets, with plenty of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai and Japanese restaurants scattered throughout.

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by sinbadx81

We're thinking of moving to the San Diego area. My wife is Japanese and we're trying to keep the kids bilingual so looking for areas with Japanese families so we can set up play dates, etc. I've heard eastern Chula Vista has a fairly sizable number of Japanese and a Japanese school is in that area. Any other areas like that?

Thanks in advance!

As others have said, there really isn't a Japanese area in SD, but something to consider is that Metro San Diego Metro has the eigth largest Japanese population in the country. Below is a great interactive table using data from the Census.

America's Asian Population Patterns 2000-2010

[hedstrong15]

Kearny Mesa an Linda Vista are pretty good areas for anything in that realm but it's a good mix of Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese. You will also find some more authentic eats there as well. I'm a big fan of the Chopstix and the Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot. There also is a really dense section off El Cajon between the 15 Free Entrance and 57th Streets. You will find many Asian markets, an tons of places that don't even advertise there buildings in English. I think that area is more Vietnamese though then anything else.