When you think of San Francisco's Japantown, oftentimes people think of the famous Peace Pagoda or a place to eat great food. But, it's also the oldest Japantown in the nation.

For decades, the community offers many festivals throughout the year to share the history of the area. 

But, there was a time where one of San Francisco's most vibrant and bustling neighborhoods turned into a ghost town due to the mass incarceration that occurred within the 1940s and 1950s. 

So, a group of journalists with the San Francisco Chronicle took a deep dive into the exile of Japantown to understand how this time period reshaped the neighborhood.  

For more, KCBS Radio news anchors Patti Reising and Bret Burkhart spoke with Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle pop culture critic. He is one of the reporters who put together the in-depth story.

When you think of San Francisco's Japantown, oftentimes people think of the famous Peace Pagoda or a place to eat great food. But, it's also the oldest Japantown in the nation.
For decades, the community offers many festivals throughout the year to share the history of the area. 
But, there was a time where one of San Francisco's most vibrant and bustling neighborhoods turned into a ghost town due to the mass incarceration that occurred within the 1940s and 1950s. 
So, a group of journalists with the San Francisco Chronicle took a deep dive into the exile of Japantown to understand how this time period reshaped the neighborhood.  
For more, KCBS Radio news anchors Patti Reising and Bret Burkhart spoke with Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle pop culture critic. He is one of the reporters who put together the in-depth story.

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