Japantown Kintetsu Mall and Cultural Walkway: The Covered Bazaars

Why is it significant?

Step into the bustling indoor arcades of the Japan Center complex along Post Street, connecting the Kinokuniya and Kintetsu buildings.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Step into the bustling indoor arcades of the Japan Center complex along Post Street, connecting the Kinokuniya and Kintetsu buildings. Opened in 1968, this five-acre commercial complex was designed by prominent architect Minoru Yamasaki—who famously designed the original World Trade Center towers in New York City. Yamasaki envisioned the center as a bridge between Eastern and Western cultures, linking department stores, traditional artisan workshops, and authentic regional restaurants across climate-controlled pedestrian skyways.

Walk across the indoor pedestrian bridge connecting the buildings and look down at the bustling retail bazaar below. In the Kinokuniya building, the historic San Francisco branch of the famous Tokyo bookseller has anchored the community since 1969, offering thousands of volumes of Japanese literature, manga, art books, and exquisite imported stationery. The lower concourses hum with the steam and savory aromas of authentic ramen shops, matcha dessert parlors, and specialty grocery markets stocked with fresh Japanese ingredients.

Yamasaki incorporated subtle traditional Japanese architectural motifs throughout the modern concrete structure, including wooden shoji-inspired screens, exposed timber ceiling trusses, and tranquil indoor rock gardens that invite contemplation amidst shopping activity. Generations of travelers, artists, and neighborhood residents have gathered at this very location, inspired by the unforgettable harmony where vibrant community memory meets bold architectural innovation. Generations of travelers, artists, and neighborhood residents have gathered at this very location, inspired by the unforgettable harmony where vibrant community memory meets bold architectural innovation. Generations of travelers, artists, and neighborhood residents have gathered at this very location, inspired by the unforgettable harmony where vibrant community memory meets bold architectural innovation. Generations of travelers, artists, and neighborhood residents have gathered at this very location, inspired by the unforgettable harmony where vibrant community memory meets bold architectural innovation.

If you listen closely, the clatter of ceramic ramen bowls and the polite bows of shopkeepers welcome visitors into an authentic slice of contemporary Tokyo in the middle of California.

Exit the building onto Webster Street and walk north for one block to Sutter Street, discovering the quiet haven of Cottage Row.