Berkeley
Early Japanese students arrived to study at the university in the 1920s. Discriminatory policies created the need for Japanese student housing for the next several decades. By the 1940s, there were 7 student-housing facilities and 2 student clubs. While the early Japanese settled near Shattuck Ave and Channing Way, Japanese businesses soon scattered to commercial areas throughout the city with 12 markets, 9 laundries, 8 cleaners, 6 florists, 5 nurseries, and 6 shoe repairs. For the growing population that reached 1,320 by 1940, 8 churches, 6 Japanese schools, and numerous organizations were established. The Obata Studio, established by renown artist Chiura Obata, along with his wife and son, was recently designated a City of Berkeley landmark. Over 75 pre-war buildings remain and the post-war community continued its growth through the 60s,yet Nikkei history is unknown to most Berkeley residents.