Portland Hanami 2000
Japanese American Historical Plaza
Portland, Oregon, USA
Japanese American Historical Plaza
Bill of Rights Memorial
| The Japanese American Historical Plaza is a simple monument to the Nikkei-jin (people of Japanese heritage) who were sent to internment camps during World War Two. This commemoration was a combined effort of the Oregon Nikkei Endowment, Portland Parks and Recreation, the Metropolitan Arts Commission, the Portland Development Commission, and the Portland-Sapporo Sister City Association. |
Japanese America Historical Plaza - Bill of Rights Memorial
(view from Naito Expressway (Front Street) )
| Its location, along the Waterfront Park near Burnside Street, is just a block from where Portland's pre-war Nihonmachi (Japantown) used to be. It was a 42-block area in the northwest part of the city, north of W Burnside and east of NW Broadway, home to 119 businesses, all gone now. When the uprooted Japanese Americans were freed from the internment camps, many did not return to their former homes. |