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SF’s Japantown is Getting a Huge Makeover w/ New Cherry Trees in 2025

The Japantown Peace Plaza is getting a big redo with a history walk, lighted “water” feature and more set to open late 2025 or early 2026.
By - posted 4/23/2024 No Comment

After years of planning, San Francisco’s Japantown Peace Plaza (1610 Geary Blvd.) is undergoing a big renovationstarting April 29, 2024 which will result in a more dynamic community plaza with new paving, plantings, and informal seating; a larger pagoda stage; an eternal flame; a Japantown History Walk; a new “water feature” expressed through lights and, most colorfully, new cherry trees.

This project will include the planting of 16 new trees and replanting of three existing culturally significant trees.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the project takes place Saturday, April 27, 2024 at 2pm. And although the Peace Plaza project isn’t scheduled to be completed until late 2025 or early 2026, Japantown Center will remain open throughout construction. All entrances will remain open to the public.

Project Design Goals

  • Make Post Street visually open and inviting while mitigating wind and providing seating and shade.
  • Provide a large permanent stage and seating to accommodate 200-300 people.
  • Make Peace Plaza an inviting and playful space for people of all ages to discover and explore.
  • Create an inviting visual expression along the Geary Boulevard edge that draws people into the plaza and mitigates noise levels from Geary Boulevard.
  • Incorporate significant cultural elements included in the original design for Japantown Peace Plaza.

See the proposed design.

The Japantown Peace Plaza (Peace Plaza) Renovation Project is vital to the Japanese American community, Asian American and Pacific Islander community. For over 110 years, over 5 generations, San Francisco’s Japantown is one of the last three remaining Japantowns in the United States. The Peace Plaza open space has been the cultural heart of the Japantown and is a key destination site for cultural festivals and community celebrations in Northern California. It is home to culturally significant community organizations, institutions, artists, businesses, and buildings.