Preserving The Japantown Which Existed In Salt Lake City
It was an important part of Utah history
Little remains of the Japantown which once existed there.
Immigrants from Japan entered the United States of America in fairly large numbers in the early part of the 1900s. They were mostly young men who were seeking economic success in the USA. Later they married and started to have families.
As the immigrants grew in number, they often established Japantowns in various cities. These were places where businesses owned largely by the Japanese catered to people of their communities. There were many Japantowns formed, but there are only a few which remain today in the United States.
There had been a vibrant Japantown in Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as one in Ogden, Utah. They had stores, restaurants, barbershops, businesses, hotels, and churches which were patronized mostly by Japanese people. They were a place to gather and make friends.
The Salt Lake City Japantown was eliminated during the 1960s when the Salt Palace Convention Center was built in that area. The businesses all were required to leave. Most closed although a few may have relocated to other parts of the city. Only two churches remained, The Japanese Church of Christ and The Salt Lake Buddhist Temple.
