Food, History, and Resistance: A Self-Guided Audio Tour
Explore San Francisco's historic Japantown at your own pace on this self-guided audio tour. Japanese-American local Kristin Eriko Posner will guide you through the neighborhood, sharing little-known stories on how history shaped the food, culture, and landscape of the oldest Japantown in the U.S. This geo-tagged audio tour is best between 10:30am - 3:30pm on Wednesday-Saturdays, when all of the businesses on the tour are open. However, it can be taken at any time, on any day. Most stops are open until 6pm.
The tour is ready whenever you are and the audio plays automatically at exactly the right time and place using your smartphone's GPS and the VoiceMap mobile app, which also works offline.
Non-refundable
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
Reserve now
Check a date here, then finish booking with our partner. Payment options are confirmed at checkout.
Duration 50 minutes – 1 hour
Check availability to see start times.
Guided experience
English
Key facts
What's included
Included
- VoiceMap Application
- Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata
- Lifetime access to 'Food, History and Resistance in Japantown' tour
Not included
- Smartphone
- Transportation
- Food/drinks
- Tickets or entrance fees to any museums or other attractions en route
Itinerary
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Stop 1
While there are many great restaurants, there’s just so much more to Japantown than ramen and sushi. There are stories here that so many don’t know - stories you might never know unless you were part of the community.
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Stop 2
Benkyodo is one of only three traditional Japanese manju makers remaining in the US. The others are in each of the other two remaining Japantowns in Los Angeles and San Jose. Manju is a traditional Japanese confection, traditionally filled with sweet bean paste and wrapped with mochi, a glutinous rice that is pounded down into a sticky, gooey, delicious mass.
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Stop 3
Bop City at 1712 Fillmore Street became the place to play after hours. Anyone who was anyone in jazz played here: John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis and Duke Ellington to name a few. In the 1940’s San Francisco’s black community grew immensely and Fillmore Street was dubbed the Harlem of the West.
Meeting point & pickup
Meet at the starting point
Under the red torii gate at Sutter and Buchanan Streets. Before arrival, install the VoiceMap app and use the code provided on your ticket. This is a self-guided audio tour that you can start, pause, or restart any time and complete at your own pace. Directions to the starting point are in the app.
Open in Google MapsCancellation & confirmation
Non-refundable
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
- 0% refund if cancelled at least 0 day(s) before
Instant confirmation
Your booking is confirmed immediately after checkout.
From $11.99 per person
- Secure checkout with our booking partner
