PAC*SJ

Step into preservation in action with Executive Director Vanessa Hatakeyama and San José City Councilmember of District 1 Rosemary Kamei 🏡 In celebration of AANHPI Heritage Month and National Preservation Month, your impact goes twice as far—every dollar donated is matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $50K. This matching initiative is supported by a generous grant from the K/T Foundation. 🏡 Become a part of preserving this significant piece of San José history for future generations. Learn more and support the project at our link in bio or /sakauye

For generations, our Japantown has been a cultural crossroads and place of belonging for immigrant communities across San Jose. Join us and PAC*SJ this AANHPI Heritage Month and National Preservation Month for a special walking tour through the historic neighborhood led by Vanessa Hatakeyama (JAMsj Executive Director), Ben Leech (PAC*SJ Executive Director), and community historians Robert Ragsac and Curt Fukuda. The tour starts at JAMsj and ends at JTown Pizza! 🍕 SJ Japantown Walking Tour (Morning) 🗓️ Sunday, 5/17 | 10AM-12PM SJ Japantown Walking Tour (Evening) 🗓️ Wednesday, 5/27 | 4PM-6PM 🌳 ALL proceeds support the restoration of the Sakauye Farmhouse. Come walk the neighborhood, hear the stories, and help preserve an important piece of San Jose history! Purchase tickets our link in bio 🔗 This post has been edited and reposted to make corrections on information made previously. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

This May is AANHPI Heritage Month AND National Preservation Month! We’ve got plenty of events and programs to put on your calendar to celebrate our AANHPI communities, art, and history. What’s on at JAMsj and beyond this May? Get your calendars open for: 📌 5/16 — South Bay AANHPI Festival @ History Park 📌 5/17 — JAMsj x PAC*SJ Japantown Walking Tour (Morning) 📌 5/23 — JAMsj Volunteer Info Session 📌 5/27 — JAMsj x PAC*SJ Japantown Walking Tour (Evening) 📌 5/29 — Screening and Panel: Object Biographies of Japanese Incarceration …and possibly even more! Check out our website or at our link in bio to keep up to date on how to celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month with us. Did we miss something? Leave us a comment to let us know about other events this month!

Step inside the story of the Sakauye Farmhouse with our Executive Director Vanessa Hatakeyama (and a special someone from History San José!) 🌳 Now relocated to History Park, the farmhouse represents the agricultural roots of the Santa Clara Valley and the Japanese American families who helped build it. In partnership with History San José, PAC*SJ, and District 1 Councilmember Rosemary Kamei, we hope to restore it into a place for continued learning for generations to come. Become a part of preserving this piece of San José history for the future. In honor of AANHPI Heritage Month and National Preservation Month, individual donations will be matched up to $50K! This matching initiative is supported by a generous grant from the K/T Foundation. 🏡 Learn more and support the project at our link in bio or /sakauye

The warehouse is all ready for tomorrow’s festivities! It’s #sanjoseday 8th annual celebration, We will be open with lots of new-to-us merchandise, as well as San Jose rare and special memorabilia! The store and the street festival will be open RAIN OR SHINE, so don’t miss out. Reminder : Barack Obama Blvd.will be closed for traffic! Free parking in the Creekside Customer lot at Cahill and San Fernando Streets. VTA Light Rail Green Line: San Fernando Station 2 blocks from Diridon Station (Amtrak, Caltrain, VTA buses). 💙. More details about the events at @sanjoseday @creeksidesocials @hapas_creekside @rfrd_canine_recreation_center @localcolorsj

The Sakauye Farmhouse has arrived at History Park SJ thanks to the leadership and support of our incredible community—but the journey isn’t over! 🏡 Significant restoration is still needed to transform the farmhouse into a place of learning, reflection, and remembrance that honors the legacy of Eiichi Sakauye and the broader Bay Area Japanese American community. ⭐ Donate and be part of preserving this story for future generations: /sakauye

San Jose has lost one of its greatest champions with passing of the great Rod Diridon, Sr. (1939-2026) last Friday. PAC*SJ was honored to count him as an ally, advisor, collaborator, supporter, and friend in his oft-exclaimed mission to "save the best of the past to help make a better future." He's pictured here, along with his inestimable wife, Dr. Gloria Duffy, 1) modeling our Diridon Station pin set, 2) as honored guests at PAC*SJ's 35th Anniversary gala, 3-4) leading PAC*SJ tours of Diridon Station, and 5) regaling Creekside shoppers with tales from his railroad days. Diridon Station could have no better namesake. RIP Rod 🚂 🚃 🚊 ❤️

The Sakauye Farmhouse has a new home at History Park SJ, and we’re so glad it’s here. But we’ve still got work to do! 🏡 Part of San José’s historic agricultural landscape built by Japanese immigrants, the Sakauye farm dates back to the early 1900s. Eiichi Sakauye built the house in the 1930s and lived there for the remainder of his life after returning from incarceration at Heart Mountain, where he had been forcibly removed from his home and land. A lifelong community leader, historian, and visionary, Eiichi dedicated himself to preserving Japanese American history and ensuring future generations could learn from it. When the site was at risk of demolition, community advocates came together to save this farmhouse and protect its legacy. Now in its new home at History Park SJ, this house remains a rare link to that history. Your support will help restore this house as a place where local Japanese American history can be shared and understood. ⭐️ Donate today to support the restoration of the Sakauye Farmhouse! /sakauye

Our first FOUND workshop is on the calendar!! STILL LIFE WITH STUFF
Watercolor Workshop with Suhita Shirodkar Sunday, April 26th 10am-1pm Found SJ Rummage & Reuse Hub 57 Barack Obama Blvd, San Jose CA 95110   $45 PAC*SJ Members $50 General Public Come join artist Suhita Shirodkar in a watercolor workshop designed for all levels and inspired by all the gorgeous treasures at Found SJ.
  In this workshop you will paint a small still life in watercolor while learning the basics of drawing from observation. The workshop focuses on using a technique called grisaille, which helps you understand form and create dimension.
  Bring your watercolor supplies if you have them, but if you don’t, there will be palettes and brushes you can borrow and pigments for your use. ABOUT THE ARTIST: Suhita Shirodkar is a mixed media artist and educator with a practice strongly rooted in drawing. Her work records the world around her, both the ordinary and the unfamiliar, through fresh eyes. You can see more of her work on instagram at @suhitasketch LINK FOR TICKETS in our bio

Our latest Legacy Business Happy Hour is happening this Thursday! To find out more information and to RSVP, please follow the link in our bio. #sanjose #santaclaracounty #california #history #legacybusiness

Progress report 📣 We are working day and night to get our gigantic warehouse ready for our GRAND OPENING on JANUARY 31st. We are unpacking, sorting, cleaning, planning, setting up, hanging, We are crawling, climbing and jumping through hoops, And we are making great progress 😍 SHARE SHARE SHARE with friends and family, there’s enough treasures and bargains for everyone! See you on Saturday, January 31st, 12-6, All the details on the previous post 🫶🏼

ITS FINALLY HERE 📣 What started years ago as neighborhood rummage sales in friends’ and neighbors’ front yards has grown into something much bigger. PAC*SJ is proud to announce the grand opening of FOUND*SJ, our new Rummage and Reuse Hub. This long anticipated space carries forward the spirit of those early community sales into a permanent home focused on reuse, creativity, and preservation. FOUND*SJ gives meaningful objects a second life while supporting PAC*SJ’s work to protect San Jose’s history and architectural heritage. Every purchase helps fund advocacy, education, and preservation efforts across the city. Event Details: Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026 Time: 12:00pm to 6:00pm Location: 57 Barack Obama Blvd, San Jose, CA 95110 The celebration begins at 12:00pm with a ribbon cutting ceremony featuring District 6 Council Member Michael Mulcahy. Explore our new 5,000 square foot warehouse filled with estate, vintage, and collectible treasures, San Jose memorabilia, PAC*SJ merchandise, and more. Join us to celebrate this milestone, explore our new warehouse, and give a few irresistible treasures a new home while supporting the future of San Jose’s past. Please bring your own bags or boxes. Free parking is available in the Creekside lot at Cahill and San Fernando Streets.