After serving the San Francisco community for over four decades, Japan Video, a longstanding feature of Japantown’s Japan Center, is shutting its doors for good. Takeshi Onishi, who opened Japan Video in 1984, has decided that the store will cease operations by the end of May, an announcement that brings an end to an era for many of its loyal customers. Onishi, a Japanese immigrant who came to the States for university and opted to make San Francisco his home, wanted to “open a store that introduced and promoted Japanese culture and allowed anyone the ability to learn the Japanese language,” as he recounted in the store’s legacy business application, SFGATE reports.
The shop, which offered a significant collection of Korean and Japanese videos with English subtitles, became a cultural nexus for its film inventory and its extensive selection of anime merchandise and collectibles. In the anime community, the store was famed for initiating the Anime Costume Parade at the Cherry Blossom Festival in 1999, a pioneering event of its kind in the nation. Signs posted in Japan Video’s window announced the closure, along with up to 50% off deals on its remaining stock. Notably, the store was frequented by San Francisco local and international celebrity Robin Williams, who continued his monthly visits until his passing in 2014. “We have served over a million people,” Onishi stated, acknowledging the role of his customers and staff in the business’s long-standing success, as cited by SFGATE.
The news of Japan Video’s closure rippled through the community, sparking reflections and testimonies from residents who had strong connections to the business. On Reddit, users shared their memories, with one recalling that it was “an institution to the Japantown mall” and another fondly remembering the store as the only place in Northern California where anime DVDs could be purchased in person rather than online. These comments give a glimpse into the tight-knit community for whom Japan Video was more than just a store, but a key part of their cultural and social experience. Reddit user @_RTan_ nostalgically mentioned trips from Daly City in the 90s and early 2000s to rent anime on VHS.
Japan Video in Japantown will be closing its doors at the end of the month
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