Not everyone is happy about San Francisco’s Nihonmachi Street Fair

The Nichi Bei Times recently posted on their news website, “At the heart of the matter is a squabble over the cleaning up after the Nihonmachi Street Fair (NSF), and in particular around the 1600 Webster Street condominiums — which until the year 2000 was the site of the beloved Japantown Bowl. Due to budgetary constraints, Street Fair organizers informed the management of the condos that they would not be able to steam clean the sidewalks.”

“That set off what many have characterized as an insulting tirade by the president of the 1600 Webster Street Homeowners Association, in an e-mail to Nihonmachi Street Fair President Grace Horikiri.”

“As you are aware, this Association (along with other members of this neighborhood) must tolerate what seems to be an endless use of Post and Webster streets for a series of look-alike street fairs with the same purveyors of schlocky souvenirs, mediocre food stands and exhibitors who have absolutely no relationship to the community,” Zisser wrote. “There is no other neighborhood which is asked to put up with these sorts of disruptions, and that, of course, doesn’t include the disruption presented by the Fillmore Street Fair which is only one block away.”

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