Beloved owner of Japan Video, shares memories with KTVU on final day of business Wednesday
Japan Videos owner Takeshi Onishi says he had tears in his eyes as he met customers for the final day Wednesday, before closing his beloved anime video shop in San Franciscos Japantown West Mall. The store was designated a legacy business by the city of San Francisco and was opened in 1984, surviving changes in technology as it shared Japanese anime culture through beta tapes, VHS, and DVDs. Onishi said his health and the fact his rent doubled recently, making it impossible to stay open.
SAN FRANCISCO – Japan Video & Media, a San Francisco business that, over the last forty years, has become a Japantown institution, announced it will be closing its doors for good at the end of the month.
Owner Takeshi Onishi made it his mission to bring Japanese culture to the Bay Area, both through his business and through organizing events, including the Summer Festival, the Cherry Blossom Parade’s first Anime Costume Parade and the first Japan Center Anime Fair in 2010.
The Japan Video & Media storefront. Photo courtesy of the Legacy Business Program
He announced the impending closure through a note posted to the store’s front window.
“We have managed to overcome many difficulties, changing market trend, recession and pandemic,” the notice reads. “However, the time has come. We are closing the store at the end of May.
We have served over a million people. We could not have done it without our loyal customers and our dedicated staff. We are grateful for each and every one of you.”
A long history
The backstory:
Japan Video opened on Sept. 1, 1984, and has operated out of its current location at 1137 Post Street since 1988. The store was named a Legacy Business in 2020.
The store’s application for the Legacy Business program states that Onishi’s goal was to “open a store that introduced and promoted Japanese culture, making it accessible to Americans, and allowed anyone the ability to learn the Japanese language.”
The business specialized in Japanese and Korean TV shows, films and anime, and carried a wide range of merchandise, including T-shirts, scrolls, posters, plush dolls, bags and collector’s items.
The business has advertised a closing sale, with discounts on most of its merchandise — except for a large stuffed Totoro figure that the shop has become known for. Photos of the business show the four-foot-tall plushie carrying a price tag of $7 million.
JapantownBusinessSan Francisco
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