So, you’ve read about how my week in Fog City ended–with a kooky Easter celebration in Golden Gate Park–now let’s go back to the very beginning, to the diminutive neighborhood of Japantown, San Francisco.
Even though my good friend Jordan (also a former English teacher in Chiang Mai) had offered me a couch to crash on during my visit, I couldn’t help but browse the HotelTonight listings as I sat waiting in the Seattle airport, still recovering from the rude 3:40 am wake-up I’d endured in order to catch my first flight, not to mention the horrific news of the bombings in Brussels that very same morning.
You might say I just needed a mindless activity to pass the time (and take my mind off bombings in airports).
And when a good deal popped up on a hotel in Japantown, a San Francisco neighborhood which had been all but unknown to me before then, I booked it on impulse. In case you had any doubts, my procrastinating and impulsive travel style is very much alive and well.
So, upon arrival in Oakland that afternoon, I made my way to Hotel Kabuki via public transit instead of my friend’s couch. It worked out better this way anyhow; I was arriving mid-week, he was busy working, and I also had some work that needed tending to before I could really enjoy any free time.
This was my first encounter with Oakland Airport’s new BART station as well, which was a very pleasant surprise. I’m accustomed to paying $3 cash to ride the bus to the Coliseum station, but the ride on this shiny new line is F-R-E-E. BART prices have risen in general, it seems, and I was taken aback by the $10+ price tag just to get to San Francisco’s Montgomery Street station, but the way my friends talk about the outrageous and rising cost of living in the city, I probably shouldn’t have been surprised.
For any San Francisco virgins reading this, BART is the city and surrounding area’s metro system (which you probably guessed); it stands for Bay Area Rapid Transit, but BART sounds way cooler. It’s really easy to navigate, but once you’re in San Francisco the lines are severely limited; buses pick up the slack and cost $2.25 per ride.
Anywho, back to Japantown.
The hotel was easy enough to find, and upon reporting my whereabouts to Jordan, he informed me that I was indeed in a pretty sick location (his words, not mine). Check-in was a breeze (as it always is when booking with HotelTonight, as everything is paid for in advance) and I was breezing through the beautiful lobby and past the outdoor zen garden shortly after.
The room at Hotel Kabuki had distinctive Japanese stylings, like sliding wooden screens over the glass door to my balcony and Japanese figures painted on either side. The view from my room on the 5th floor was impressive despite my ignorance of which buildings I was actually seeing. I could identify ramen shops and sushi restaurants across the street, and that was a pretty good start. The neighborhood felt clean, safe, and peaceful. The sun was shining, boding well for the week ahead of me.
My first order of business was to wash off the stress of such a long travel day and I was overjoyed to find exfoliating oatmeal soap that smelled of lemongrass in the shower. No need to splash out on the hotel’s spa services when I could give myself a scrub in my own room.
I cozied up in the oversized bathrobe before plodding away on some work-related tasks. I’d made plans with a handful of friends to meet for ramen that evening, a literal block away from where I sat. Unfortunately, my stomach complained a little earlier than planned, so I used it as an excuse to get out and check out the neighborhood.
I learned quite quickly just how small Japantown really is–the neighborhood covers an area of four city blocks, between Sutter and Geary and Fillmore and Laguna. The first thing I stumbled upon was the spacious Japantown Peace Plaza, featuring a towering five-tiered pagoda (the Peace Pagoda), plenty of blooming trees, and overflowing flowerbeds. 
A plaque near the sidewalk gives a brief history, including that San Francisco’s Japantown was the first established Japanese American community in the United States (in the 1870s and 80s) and its current location was permanently established following the quake of 1906.
I also later learned that this plaza is the site of the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival, the second-largest festival outside of DC! It’s happening this coming weekend and the next (April 9-10 and 16-17), so if you’re in San Francisco, don’t miss out!
Continuing on, I found what I was really looking for, a Japanese grocery store. By the time I wiggled my way out of the store’s narrow aisles, I was four rice cakes richer and about $6 poorer. That same mochi would serve as my breakfast the following morning when I learned the price of Hotel Kabuki’s breakfast buffet was $19. But hey, at least the coffee was free.
An hour or so later, I caught up with three of my old friends and one new friend across the street at the popular Ramen Yamadaya. I’m not terribly familiar with ramen, so when it came time to order, I made a decision on the fly, opting for a spicy variety called Tonkotsu Spicy. The levels of spice ranged from Level 1 (Spicy) to Level 6 (Death); I chose a sensible Level 2 (Hot). The massive bowl was topped with goodies including mushrooms, green onions, a boiled egg, and a slab of pork belly. Each of our meals came out to around $11 (excluding drinks).
As we ate and talked, talked and ate, I fell into a steady chopsticks-to-face rhythm. After a while, I looked down in horror realizing I’d smashed 90% of my meal. I’ll never understand how all that food fit in my belly at once. When our server asked if we’d be interested in dessert, we practically laughed in his face. We were more than satisfied, thank you.
And thus, my one day in Japantown, San Francisco came to an end. The next morning, I had time for little more than packing up and checking out, and then it was on to the next location. I left feeling grateful for the unforeseen opportunity to explore this little cultural enclave in a city I always think I know pretty well…until I remember I don’t.
Had you ever heard of Japantown, San Francisco?
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