A Story Map Tour of Portland’s Lost Japanese American Community

The interactive digital Story Map, accessible online, highlights 20 different locations that were core to the establishment of Portland’s Japanese community, especially in the area of Northwest Portland known as Japantown—Nihonmachi, in Japanese—in the early 1900s. This area was home to hundreds of Japanese-owned shops, restaurants, hotels and services until the Japanese community was imprisoned during World War II. These 20 stories include key people and buildings that helped anchor Nihonmachi, some of which still exist today elsewhere in Portland. A companion walking tour includes the sites that are currently accessible in Old Town.