Pictured is the formal dance kimono worn by Japanese singer Agnes Yoshiko Miyakawa. Photo courtesy of the California Museum

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) – When you think of downtown Sacramento today, you might think of DoCo or the Capitol Mall. But did you know that downtown Sacramento was once home to a thriving Japantown?

“Kokoro: The Story of Sacramento’s Lost Japantown” is now on display at the California Museum located at 1020 O St. in Sacramento, through March 29. The exhibit first appeared at the California Museum in 2017 and has remained one of the museum’s “most beloved and impactful”, according to the museum’s website.

The exhibition takes museum visitors on a journey through the rise and downfall of the once bustling neighborhood which offered nearly 200 businesses serving the needs of its residents with grocery stores, sporting events, religious services and more. At one point in time, the neighborhood was the fourth-largest Japantown in the U.S.  

The “Kokoro” exhibit includes an interactive, fictional grocery store display selling fresh fish and hanami dango, a traditional Japanese sweet made of rice flour. Photo by Abbey Wicks

Various craft tables allow visitors to interact with the exhibit by creating a paper cherry blossom to add to a cherry blossom tree, or by helping stock the fictional “Hamamoto’s Mini Mart” with paper carp or hanami dango, a traditional Japanese sweet made of rice flour.

Sweet treats were an important part of the neighborhood, connecting residents with their culture and the taste of home.

Fish is another staple of Japanese culture. Grocery stores in Japantown sold fresh and preserved fish, often salmon and steelhead caught in the American and Sacramento rivers.

The exhibit’s visual timeline edcuates visitors on the impact of World War II, which displaced thousands of Japanese residents due to racial hysteria. By the time residents were able to return to their homes, the area had evolved into a mosaic of Mexican, Korean, Portuguese, Chinese and other cultures.

Museum visitors can interact with the exhibit by creating a paper cherry blossom to add to a cherry blossom tree. Photo by Abbey Wicks

Museum visuals include photos of businesses that were once located just five blocks from the downtown museum, wartime regalia, and symbols of the success of business owners including a vintage record player that belonged to the owner of the Asahi Garage at 5th and N Streets.

The exhibit also highlights notable figures and even music stars who came out of Japantown, including opera singer Agnes Yoshiko Miyakawa, displaying one of her formal dance kimonos.

The historic Japantown was restored for a period of time in the 1950s. During this time, people came from across the region to visit Japantown, traveling to visit doctors and dentists or just to dine and shop.

Things took a turn in 1954 when the City of Sacramento unveiled the Capitol Mall Project, which was billed as a clean, modern downtown and a gateway to the Capitol. This project ultimately destroyed Japantown and the surrounding multiethnic areas.

Museum visitors can color a paper carp to help stock the fictional “Hamamoto’s Mini Mart.” Photo by Abbey Wicks

Since then, Japantown has been entirely wiped from Sacramento’s urban landscape.

“Kokoro” takes visitors back in time to an entirely different downtown Sacramento to the one we know today, honoring an important, yet often forgotten part of Sacramento history.

“Kokoro: The Story of Sacramento’s Lost Japantown” was developed in partnership with former residents of Sacramento’s Japantown, the author of “Sacramento’s Historic Japantown: Legacy of a Lost Neighborhood“ Kevin Wildie and others. The exhibit runs through March 29.

The California Museum is located at 1020 O St. in Sacramento. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday and is closed on Monday. General admission tickets are $10, with discounts for students, seniors, military and youth. Children aged 5 and under are free.

To purchase tickets, visit: californiamuseum.org/visit/admission-hours-tickets/.

Japantown was once a thriving residential and business district, with businesses such as Sun Rise Laundry pictured. Photo courtesy of the California Museum