Old Meets New as San Francisco`s Japantown Gets a Fresh Look for the 21st Century Author: Loren Portillo Source: VIZ Media Official Site: NewPeopleWorld.com

With San Francisco`s Japantown passing it`s 100th year milestone in 2006, many have been complaining that the area is falling into disrepair and not up to date with modern times. I remember as a kid in the 1970`s pestering my Dad in taking me down to Japantown in a quest for anything Godzilla related. The small J-town mall and Kinokuniya bookstore still remain and are frozen in time, the same way they were back then. I guess that is nostalgic for some, but for the young mallrats and the iPod generation it is considered prehistoric and in desperate need of a makeover. That makeover has arrived with the new VIZ Cinema located at the recently opened ``NEW PEOPLE`` building on Post St. The 143 seat underground theater boasts a state-of-the- art THX sound system and is equipped with a HD digital projection system. The cinema`s main focus is to bring the latest and hottest films directly from Japan, along with documentaries, anime, old school classics and filmmakers from the land of the rising sun. This makes this venue unique, because it is the only one in the United States that gives you this experience every day! I was able to attend a private screening of the new Toho action film K-20: THE FIEND WITH 20 FACES and was very impressed with the theater experience. Though the movie was shown digitally rather than in 35mm, it just showed that this theater can spectacularly present a film, regardless of format. But VIZ Cinema was just a small offering from the NEW PEOPLE building... they have 3 floors with all kinds of great Japanese goodies. The 1st floor represents a mini-cafe for the underground theater. The cafe features San Francisco`s own Blue Bottle Coffee along with organic roasts and many Japanese favorites. The main floor of the building is what really caught my attention, as it is the NEW PEOPLE Store with all things "kawaii (cute) and cool". This is a very large shop complete with exclusive products and limited edition goods, including books, DVDs, apparel, music, toys, and an assortment of hard to find items outside of Japan.

The 2nd floor boasts a few small clothing shops such as BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT (Lolita fashions), BLACK PEACE NOW (Japanese goth and punk), and SOU• SOU (designer shoes) that feature the latest pop culture trends sweeping Japan right now. I noticed many women shopping and was very surprised by all the different types of clothing that were represented. I am not an expert on anime or Japanese fashion, but there was certainly a lot of happy ladies present so NEW PEOPLE has definitely struck a nerve. The 3rd and last floor was a bit of a surprise. It is the SUPERFROG GALLERY with the latest exhibitions from artists who draw their inspiration from anime and pop culture. The Gallery is currently displaying the works of painter, designer, and illustrator Yoshitaka Amano, who is well known for his designs for the FINAL FANTASY video game series. Overall I was very impressed and excited that San Francisco`s Japantown has been making great strides in 2009 with new shops, and that business is doing better in this struggling economy. With the launch of NEW PEOPLE, J-Town once again has a bright future ahead of it... NEW PEOPLE 1746 Post St, San Francisco, CA 94115