(gavel) [meeting adjourn >> good morning, everyone. >> thank you for joining us on this beautiful thursday morning am my name is carl the interim director and delighted it

welcome you to the opening ceremony of the newly painted pedestrian bridge this links japantown and the fillmore community a couple of notes after the program invite everyone to go on the bridge and have a photo opportunity with the beautiful view and i utilize this color of the japantown bridge. so with that, i would love to introduce our mayor the leader of information who inspires us to think creatively and come up with beautiful projects and work with the community and really is the woman behind all of this like to introduce a mayor london breed (clapping.) i want to take this opportunity to restriction we have some wonderful community gifts and first start with our general of

thank you for joining us, we are honored by your presence. (clapping.) now you'll be hearing in the council generally and the amazing community members this is also great to come home everyone i get a chance to come to fillmore or japantown this is a homecoming for me so many of the people joining us are people who have been colors in this community for decades the ones whenever and a broaden challenge the first one to raise the hand and to assure that the quacks of 24 neighborhood when the city comes in and those impacts are positive for the people who live here and the welcome addition no japantown this is a a deep he rich history in challenges and

struggle and sneak before the redevelopment agency took hold to have neighborhood geary bridge is not the same it is a road but a highway divided our community in ways we couldn't have imaged it was really what started up afterthought advocacy to make sure the community is a part of this when we are proposing the give and take bus rapid transit are dedicated to the munching to make sure that muni is moving efficient and low as a fast as he came in the streets of san francisco we need the see with the community in mind and navenlt we worked with with the japantown community to make adjustments were not talked about. and initially the plan called for tearing down in

bridge behind us so many people felt this bridge was about bridging gaps and bridging community to the though not only proposed department since the last fire commission meeting, including budget, academies, special events, on to this wonderful bridge this seniors and kids use and elementary school but folks cross this bridge next year safety to get on give and take we didn't want to see that amazing bridge torn down and within the middle of block within laguna and western a crossway honest we crossed the street in the middle of the road putting our lives in our hands to get to japantown and walk under the plaza and then down to the bowl now it is safe passage and one of the creations of the folks from the community who saw is this was so many kids and

folks using this as a cross we wanted to make that satisfy that's what we need the and today 317 celebrating why are we celebrating the bridge but the symbolism of what it representatives the connections between folks farther part of western community and the people part of japantown those ties that bind us help to maintain that bond that is unbreakable because of the challenges of the past and so today as we celebrate the beauty of this bridge and the beauty of japantown and the western addition we reminded o communities are here because of people who 0 that live and struggle and the people that remainy silent despite the

brooks thank you, everyone for being here but thank you, department of public works and carl and her team to make that more beautiful a than i've ever seen and tenderloin one on our community members and steve and greg from the so many people and james from hud this is a community effort and i'm looking forward to not only continuing to walk across this bridge by it see it continued to be used for folks to be connected and with that, at this time, i want to introduce the council general of japantown. >> (clapping) good morning, everyone. thank you very much for inviting me today a block event i think the

theme today, this morning is the bridge. bridging the community with the japantown and western addition and reaching the bridging san francisco to japan bridging to to the world i came here 5 weeks ago but i have already heard the mayor brooedz so many times every time i'm excited 0 here that mayor breeding it is the enrollment of the bridging between the western addition and a japantown san francisco and japan and to the world. so in two weeks ago time will be a guy garlic event

gathering 21 applies here. i celebrate and i congratulate mayor breed and the people of san francisco to hold such an event introducing san francisco to the world and, and, and rendering tuned for that having that event possible in san francisco. and we hope that we can have this kind of mature bridge again in japan and in other parts of the world thank you, again, for today and congratulations. thank you. (clapping.) i also want to give a shout out to some of our community members of the squares deputy city attorney i can't and connie for the record and economic development want to shout out to

another one who works there and japan and i see patrick who is here. thank you very much for joining us really is a close comment community that work closely together and at this time, i want to ask is grace or steve. >> okay. we're to ask fire commissioner steve to come up and say a few words (clapping). >>. thank you very much. mayor breed and council germany want to give a real recognition to mayor breed in terms of our presence and support in the western addition yeah fillmore and japantown for our responsibility as mayor of the san francisco. i need to

recognize the repetitive of our community which are many folks behind me make up the mayor's office and support but the partnerships with dpw and michelle and carla and all the dpw team because without that combines and collaboration 24/7 us the mayor office and more importantly the fillmore community i am full of emotion standing in the stood shadow of japantown and can't stop thinking about all we didn't need in the old days to combine fillmore. we simply wobbled across the street so through the evidence of history and what

happened and highway and free with that beautiful rendition of the bridge and the colors with the aspirations of apec i feel that our journey is moving forward and time to heal japantown and the fillmore with that history and dedication we maintain that bridge and that relationship that goes beyond to japan as well thank you, mayor breed and department of public works. thank you. (clapping.) thank you so much steve i know that sandy is not here but shout out to all the work she's been doing over the years and at this time, i want to recognize andy to say a few words (clapping.)

thank you, ma'am mayor. and concrete before i've been a preacher all my life and to the consul generally i'm excited to be here preliminarily to illustrate to talk about how this bridge representatives our connections between two communities and time is trying to separate us and managed to stay today an example of this. the association and steve will do a great documentary between those two communities. many, many years ago, i was invited to be on panel of um, that commemoration of the japanese

when we were sent away to the camps i didn't know why i was invited but went because of japantown called they and i was so grateful there was a elder woman that talked about the day they were leaving she said of the only people that seem to miss they're leaving where black people in the philadelphia more today they left the only people that showed up to say goodbye were the black christian folks from the fillmore and brought brown patricia of chicken and that's the way we used to travel across country because of, of course, because of jim we didn't know we tried a restaurant would

serve us and fried chicken would last longer out of rerefrigerator and something that fits in a shoe box you know what i'm talking about that's the kind of relationship those communities have always had and notice that while our association location japantown you fillmore it is really more separated since this bridge than that was ever was in reality because our relationship was a relationship of location by of the heart. and while they can pit this in to separate us they couldn't separate our hearts from one another that's why we're still together and i see a lot of people in filling more

and japantown serving that and make sure that i let nothing happens we've always been together and determined to stay together no-brainier what happens in gearing boulevard i want to tell you and let you know that we are psa this relationship togetherness on to the next generation and on to the next generation every in san francisco, california learn how you be can be distinct in the community. >> be together contaminate what a beautiful lesson to thank you, everyone for giving us to chance to glover any in our friendship. thank you very much. >> thank you rendering attain

send and toy everybody for coming here we're going to do a ceremony i can't tell walk across this bridge and, yes. so we're going. >> here's what we do in a community coming together and hanging out one another and uplifting afternoon this is was it will be and also be. thank you very much for being here today. >> oh, wow, look at the colors i love it. and wow. >> i know; right? >> uh-huh. >> when i was a

chinatown. >> (music). >> welcome to san francisco japantown. >> san francisco japantown is the oddity downtown in the united states. >> it was founded in the late 1800s by japanese immigrants for construction over the jars japantown has become a home to a

japanese community with restaurants and shops and a popular tourism decision in the heart of san francisco. and san francisco and japantown is quite unique it is one of the three remaining chung's by the states and how i explain japantown we're a city within a city to taste and experience the japanese culture but really be a community what is all about and one of the best things about japantown is the food. there are dozens of shops in the neighborhood serving from modern deserts and go with friends. >> (speaking foreign language.) >> my name is t a leader of the japantown to we try to provide

something they creates like savory yummy favors we try to provide like japanese flavor as well as for the japanese customers. >> if you're foodie or looking for a quick and delicious meal you're sure to find something. >> it is a authentic japanese deter and drink shop special lists in we also offer a roasted green tea and we have flares and other flavors we're known for ice cream and sun disingenuous. >> japantown is a variety of

culture contributions with the community center the eight amendment association of north california. >> (speaking foreign language.) >> this tearoom is designed by the tearoom art (unintelligible) and then they built everything in jpa that is a a he ship it to the united states. with the carpenter and this is one of the public only two in the united states and the japantown takes you on journey sdlts neighborhoods and the history was a self guided tour you start by japantown center west mall and work your way and learn about the history what made japantown had say is today.

>> what as young people; right? what to make sure this stays here for the future. speaking of future you can enter the world of augmented reality created we adobe in a phone stand under which of the store we call that the tree ar experience a great opportunity to do something completely different that will take you to the future with a immersion of an experience? incredible. in addition to the culture and ar contribution japantown hosted festivities and events throughout the year some are the cheri blossom festival. and after dark japantown comes

life with night or joy serene moments through the illuminated part and san francisco is japantown an engaging community that likewise people to experience japanese culture with food and exciting events and japantown is a must see for any visitor to san

san francisco government television.