Across the bay from San Francisco, Alameda's Japantown flourished, with 822 Japanese residents at its peak in the 1930s. In the charming neighborhood near the Park Street bridge, there were 2 churches, 2 Japanese schools, and numerous businesses to provide for the close-knit community. By the 1940s, the Japanese had established their niche serving the broader community with 4 florists, 4 nurseries, 8 cleaners & laundry services, and 6 shoe repair stores. Nearly three-quarters of the pre-war Japantown remains extant but hidden from public memory, unless a neighbor happens upon the annual obon or bazaar of the Buddhist or Methodist church.