This events requires tickets, which can be purchased here!

The Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj), Wesley United Methodist Church, and Contemporary Asian Theater Scene (CATS) proudly present the world premiere of Japantown Returnings, an original theatrical staged reading with live musical accompaniment, commemorating 135 years of San Jose Japantown. Written by Mark Teagle, directed by Tasi Alabastro, with musical direction by Wayne Adachi, this unique performance takes place on Saturday, May 31, 2025, with showings at 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM.

Japantown Returnings invites audiences on an evocative journey through time—beginning in present-day San Jose Japantown and traveling back through five pivotal moments in the community’s history. From its early roots in the Heinlenville Chinatown of the 1890s, to the forced incarceration and post-WWII resettlement of Japanese Americans, to the activism and redress efforts of the 1970s and 1980s, each scene reveals the enduring strength, identity, and spirit of one of the last three remaining Japantowns in the United States.

This original work, inspired by playwright Mark Teagle’s deep connection to the neighborhood, blends fictionalized vignettes and musical storytelling to illuminate Japantown’s legacy of resilience and its continued relevance today.

“People keep coming back to Japantown,” Teagle writes. “That’s why we chose the name Japantown Returnings. Its vitality and exuberance and inclusion are worth celebrating. My hope is that this play does just that.”

Japantown Returnings will feature a cast of local AANIPI actors and is co-produced by JAMsj, CATS and WUMC, funded by a Silicon Valley Community Foundation Local Impact Grant for Local Journalism and Community Storytelling. Tickets are required and can be reserved here: https://app.dvforms.net/api/dv/46z18l