📌APIA Every Day (365) - The Honoka’a Hongwanji Buddhist Mission, established in 1904, is one branch of the larger Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawai'i. The Honoka’a congregation built its first temple in 1905, five years after the flagship Honpa Hongwanji Hawai’i Betsuin opened in Honolulu (APIA Every Day 309). Since its founding, the Honoka’a temple has remained a significant religious and social center for the town’s Japanese American community.

When the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawai’i first began garnering a following, Reverend Joei Abe initially led informal services across Honoka’a in 1904. The following year, a formal temple was constructed as Reverend Keigetsu Shibata became the town’s first resident minister. Initially known as the Hamakua Hongwanji at the time, the early temple featured a hondo (main hall) and was later expanded to include a minister’s residence, kitchen, and classrooms. In 1913, the site was renamed the Honoka’a Hongwanji and in 1929, the seventh resident minister, Reverend Kobun Araki, added a martial arts dojo to the site. During World War II, the congregation’s eighth minister, Reverend Giko Tsuge, was incarcerated and the temple remained closed for four years. 

When Reverend Tsuge returned in 1945, he oversaw various construction projects, including remodeling the dojo, adding a dining hall, and building a new social hall and gymnasium. In 1951, the fifty-year old hondo was also replaced, along with the minister's residence. The design for the new worship space took inspiration from Bishop Yemyo Imamura’s vision for the Honpa Hongwanji Hawai’i Betsuin, combining Indian architectural elements with a church-like interior layout. For the temple’s 65th anniversary in 1970, a modern two-story building replaced the old dojo and social hall, and a columbarium was added to the property.

In 2021, the Honoka’a Hongwanji Buddhist Temple was added to the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its importance to the local Japanese American population. Over the past century, the temple has remained a vital institution supporting in the social, spiritual, and economic well-being of its members. Today, the temple congregation continues to thrive and recently celebrated the 6th anniversary of its free meal program, “Feeding our Keiki and Kupuna.

📌APIA Every Day (364) - The Chew Yuen Company Building, constructed in 1910, is the last remaining historic structure from Red Bluff’s Gold Rush-era Chinatown. Operated by Dr. Chew Yuen post-1915, the property served as a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) commercial center and clinic. By offering treatments and cultivating medicinal herbs on site, the company provided vital healthcare services for Red Bluff’s early Chinese American residents. 

The initial history of the Chew Yuen Company begins with Dr. Bo Do Hong, a Chinese merchant who arrived in Red Bluff’s Chinatown in 1888. He leased a successful medical store at 838 Rio Street and established the Chinese American Annual Banquet at the nearby Chinese Masonic Lodge. In 1899, Dr. Hong invited his foster son, Dr. Chew Yuen, then working in a San Francisco herb shop, to assist with the business. Dr. Chew soon took over the store and following Bo Do Hong’s passing in 1909, later established the Chew Yuen Company at 202-204 Walnut Street in 1910. He eventually assumed sole proprietorship in 1915, a significant achievement in the face of exclusionary laws like the California Alien Land Law of 1913, which prevented Asian immigrants from owning land. 

The Chew Yuen Company property included a two-story building with a basement social hall and a backyard TCM herb garden. The building’s first floor was used for retail purposes, fitted with a storefront, X-ray room, and medical office. The basement was used for community events, continuing Bo Do Hong’s annual banquet tradition. The upper floor functioned as a multi-generational residence, complete with communal living, dining, and kitchen areas. Multiple generations of the Chew family lived there until the property was sold in 1996.

In 2022, the block between Main Street and Rio Street—containing the Chew Yuen Company Building—was officially designated the Historic Chinatown Alley district. In 2024, the building was in the process of being sold to the Resource Conservation District of Tehama County to be converted into office space. In response, Jessica Chew and the Chew Family Foundation launched a petition against the sale, seeking first refusal rights to prevent significant alterations to the building. While the sale prevailed, the Chew Family is now working with the new owners to honor the history through proposals like murals and interpretative displays. Additionally, APIAHiP is supporting a campaign for the property to be nominated to the State and National Historic Register in efforts to preserve the site’s long standing connection to the Red Bluff Chinese American community. 

📌APIA Every Day (363) - Founded in 1945, the Seabrook Buddhist Temple is one of the last remaining landmarks of Seabrook’s Japanese ethnic enclave that developed during World War II. Central to this community was Seabrook Farms, which offered employment to displaced Japanese Americans and Japanese Peruvians from West Coast incarceration camps. During times of social and economic hardship, the temple served as a vital source of community support and connection.

Seabrook Farms, a large food processing corporation operated by Charles “C.F.” Seabrook, was originally established in 1893 and thrived through the 1920s and ’30s. Amidst World War II labor shortages, C.F. Seabrook began recruiting detainees from incarceration camps to work in New Jersey. In 1944, he partnered with the War Relocation Authority to bring in an initial group of 300 workers; by December, more than 800 Japanese residents were employed at Seabrook Farms.

Work at the company plant was difficult, with employees spending long 12-hour shifts performing hard labor. Housing shortages for new arrivals also meant that company-provided residences in the Seabrook Farms Village were poor quality and for some, reminiscent of the barracks in the wartime incarceration camps. As these laborers adjusted to their new environment, Reverends Shosetsu Tsufura and Zaishin Mukushina began holding informal Buddhist services to uplift the community. In 1945, the Seabrook Buddhist Temple was formally established, with Kaoru Kamikawa serving as its first president. The early congregation then began to use a building owned by the Seabrook Housing Corporation as a dedicated temple.

By 1947, the local Japanese population numbered over 2,700, including laborers and their families. With greater freedom, however, many community members began relocating to cities like Chicago, New York, and back to the West Coast, contributing to the eventual decline of Seabrook Farms. By 1949, the Japanese population had dropped to 1,200, and by the 1970s, it had declined to the 500s. Despite the shrinking population, the Seabrook Buddhist Temple remained active. After gaining independent temple status in 1965, the congregation decided to construct their own building. In 1966, seven acres were purchased for the project, and construction began in 1968 under the leadership of Ray Bano and Kiyomi Nakamura, chairpersons of the Temple Building Committee. The new temple was dedicated in 1969, and later expanded in the 1980s to include a priest’s residence and a meditation garden.

For 80 years,the Seabrook Buddhist Temple has played a central role in preserving and supporting Seabrook’s Japanese American community. The congregation remains active today, continuing to hold services and celebrate Japanese culture through social and spiritual events. In 2024, the community hosted its 79th Annual Obon Festival, preserving Seabrook’s enduring Japanese American legacy.

📌APIA Every Day (362) - Puʻukoholā Heiau, located on the west coast of the Big Island, was one of the last major temples built in Hawai’i. Commissioned by Kamehameha the Great in 1790, the heiau (sacred temple) marked a turning point in his campaign to unify the islands under his rule. For more than two centuries, the site has remained a significant historic and spiritual center for Native Hawaiians.

In the 1780s, Hawai’i was undergoing political turmoil as different chiefs, including Kamehameha, vied for political control of the Big Island. A local kahuna (priest) named Kāpoūkahi prophesied that Kamehameha would win the conflict and succeed in uniting the islands if he built a heiau dedicated to the war god Kūkaʻilimoku at Puʻukoholā. Starting in 1790, thousands of workers transported lava rocks from the Pololū Valley, 25 miles away, to construct the temple. Within a year, they completed the final structure measuring 224 by 100 feet, with retaining walls up to 20 feet high. In 1791, Kāpoūkahi’s prophecy came true as Kamehameha’s rival and cousin, high chief Keōua Kūahu‘ula, became the principal sacrifice at the temple. Following this development, Kamehameha gained control of the Big Island, later conquering Maui in 1794, Oʻahu in 1795, and Kauaʻi in 1810, ultimately becoming the Hawaiian Kingdom’s  first king.

Recognizing its political and cultural significance, Puʻukoholā Heiau was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962 and a National Historic Site in 1972. Today, the Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site includes several significant areas tied to Kamehameha’s legacy, including Mailekini Heiau, Hale o Kapuni Heiau, Pelekane, and the John Young Homestead. In 2024, Hawaiian practitioners gathered at Puʻukoholā to celebrate the 52nd annual Hoʻokuʻikahi Establishment Day and Hawaiian Cultural Festival, honoring the heiau’s enduring legacy as a symbol of unification.

📌APIA Every Day (361) - Little Saigon, primarily encompassing the cities of Westminster, Fountain Valley, and Garden Grove in Orange County, first emerged in the 1970s following the Fall of Saigon in 1975. The heart of the district is centered along Bolsa Avenue in Westminster, home to over 700 Vietnamese-owned businesses, including the landmark Asian Garden Mall (APIA Every Day 274). Today, Orange County’s Little Saigon is home to the largest Vietnamese American enclave in the United States. 

In 1975, approximately 50,000 Vietnamese refugees arrived in Southern California and were temporarily housed at Camp Pendleton, a Marine Corps base. Eventually, the community began to disperse and settle in cities around Orange County, seeking employment in the computer, electronics, and defense industries. Back then, the semi-developed city of Westminster became a particularly attractive destination for refugees because of its affordability. By the late-1970s, early Vietnamese entrepreneurs began establishing businesses along Bolsa Avenue, creating a thriving economic corridor that helped revitalize the area. Some of these notable first establishments included Danh’s Pharmacy, Que Huong Grocery, Hoa Binh Market, and Thanh My Restaurant.

In 1988, a year after the construction of the Asian Garden Mall, Governor George Deukmejian officially designated the business district as “Little Saigon” and directional signs bearing the name were added to local freeways. Although the community was initially centered in Westminster, it gradually expanded into neighboring cities like Garden Grove, Fountain Valley, and Santa Ana. By 2000, Vietnamese Americans made up 4.8% of Orange County’s population; by 2022, this had increased to 6.8%, with more than 100,000 Vietnamese Americans residing specifically in Little Saigon.

Now, half a century after the end of the Vietnamese war, Little Saigon continues to flourish. To commemorate the district’s 50th anniversary in 2025, a stretch of the 405 freeway between Bolsa Avenue and Bolsa Chica Street was designated the “Little Saigon Freeway,” honoring the Vietnamese American community’s resilience and enduring legacy. 

📌APIA Every Day (360) - Founded in 1930 by Japanese immigrants, the Kamekichi and Mika Kotake Store is located in the commercial district of Honoka‘a, on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. In a town populated largely by immigrant laborers, small independent businesses provided economic alternatives to working on sugar plantations. For the Kotake family, their store represented a path to financial freedom and reflected broader experiences of early Japanese American entrepreneurs in Hawai‘i.

Kamekichi Kotake immigrated to Hawai‘i in 1900 at age 25 and initially worked as a ditch laborer for the Honoka‘a Sugar Company. By 1910, he had married his wife Mika, a fellow immigrant who had arrived from Japan in 1907. In the 1920s, with Mika working as a retailer and Kamekichi as a carpenter, their combined savings allowed them to purchase the Kotake Store property in 1930. Mika became the business’s main proprietor while Kamekichi continued to work in carpentry. The store functioned as a general retail shop, offering canned food, medicine, clothing, and pastries. 

In later years,  Kamekichi retired from carpentry due to health issues and began assisting Mika full-time. He also crafted small furniture pieces—tables, stools, and drawers—for sale in the shop. Although their children helped with the store, the Kotakes emphasized education, encouraging their children to pursue professional careers in teaching, healthcare, and administration. Following Kamekichi’s passing in 1949, Mika transferred the store to their sons Mamoru and Jitsuo in 1953, retaining a half interest on the property. The store later closed in 1958, and the building was sold to Douglas and Janet Matsuda, who operated an electronics shop there through the 1970s. 

In 2020, the Kamekichi and Mika Kotake Store Property was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Though no longer operating as a retail store, the building still displays the original name “K. and M. Kotake” on its exterior facade and continues to house various small businesses today.

📌APIA Every Day (359) - The Chinese Laundry Building, located in Wawona,is one of the few surviving structures that highlights the contributions of early Chinese Americans to the development of Yosemite National Park. During the Gold Rush era, many Chinese migrants arrived in the region seeking employment and filling essential roles as cooks, farmers, cleaners, and road builders. Constructed in 1917, the Chinese Laundry was just one key workplace where Chinese residents were employed by the nearby Wawona Hotel. 

In the 1850s, the Washburn family was a major employer of Chinese immigrants, hiring over 20 workers each summer at the Wawona Hotel. The staff lived in a nearby bunkhouse and were responsible for cultivating the hotel’s garden, preparing meals in the kitchen, and managing the laundry. One prominent employee was Ah You, head chef of the Wawona Hotel’s kitchen, who worked for the Washburns for 47 years from 1886 to 1933. In this five-decade period, Ah You and his staff prepared extravagant meals for hotel guests, including several presidents and celebrities. Other Chinese laborers, employed by Henry Washburn, also helped construct the 23 mile-long Wawona Road, connecting the hotel to Yosemite Valley.

After the Chinese Laundry Building was completed in 1917, two staff members of the Wawona Hotel, Ah Yee and Ah Wee, went on to become the facility’s head laundrymen. From 1918 to 1933, their team of employees washed linens, towels, and clothes for hotel guests. Up to five laborers worked in the laundry during Yosemite’s busy summers, operating in a heated environment with wood-burning stoves, steaming vats of cloth, and hot irons. The laundry later expanded its services to nearby hotels, but was eventually shut down when changing hotel ownership led to the dismissal of all Chinese employees. From the 1950s, the building was used mainly for storage.

In 2019, the National Park Service, with support from the Yosemite Conservancy, restored the structure. Key contributors included Park Ranger Yenyen Chan, who researched the site’s history, and Sandra Yee and her husband Franklin, who provided financial support. With a grand opening ceremony in 2022, the structure reopened as part of the Yosemite History Center, featuring an interactive exhibit that recreates elements of its original interior.

📌APIA Every Day (358) - Fugetsu-Do, a confectionary shop founded in 1903, is the oldest operating Japanese business in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo (APIA Every Day 27). Established and maintained by the Kito family for over 120 years, the enterprise witnessed several prominent developments in the district’s history: surviving the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II and various periods of economic decline. Symbolizing the resilience of the Japanese American community, the store continues to be celebrated as a Los Angeles city icon. 

Fugetsu-Do was first established and overseen by Seichi Kito, who immigrated to the U.S. from Gifu, Japan in 1903. For the next 25 years, he managed his business with the help of his wife Tei, their six children, and Tei’s brother, Sakuma. The busiest time of the year for the Kito family were the weeks leading up to January 1st, when local families would order large quantities of their mochi and manju for Japanese New Year celebrations.

In 1941, the Kito family was among the thousands of Japanese Americans forcibly removed from the West Coast under Executive Order 9066 and were incarcerated at Heart Mountain in Wyoming. While there, Seiichi and Tei’s son, Roy Kito, made mochi and manju for fellow detainees using donated sugar rations. It was also at this time that Roy met and married his wife, Kazuko. After the war, Roy and Kazuko returned to Los Angeles and struggled to reopen Fugetsu-Do, which was burdened with four years of backlogged rent. Eventually with support from the Tanahashi family, they successfully revived the business on East First Street. The store was temporarily moved to Second Street in the mid-1950s when the building was slated for demolition, but was moved back to its previous location in 1957, where it still operates today.

In 1980, Roy and Kazuko’s son, Brian Kito, took over the family shop and kept the business afloat through periods of economic hardship in Little Tokyo. With a declining Japanese American population in the neighborhood, much of Fugetsu-Do’s earnings at the time came from local Buddhist temples and local Japanese grocers. The year of the store’s centennial in 2003, Brian began offering new artisanal flavors of mochi to attract a younger clientele while also retaining traditional offerings for loyal customers. 

In 1995, the district of Little Tokyo including Fugetsu-Do was designated a National Historic Landmark. Later in 2023, the business celebrated its 120th anniversary and received a commemorative proclamation from Los Angeles Assemblyman Miguel Santiago honoring its long standing achievement. Currently, Brian continues to manage Fugetsu-Do, preparing to pass the legacy on to his son, Korey Kito, with hopes of keeping the family tradition alive for another century.

📌APIA Every Day (357) - China Camp State Park, located on the western edge of San Pablo Bay, is home to the best-preserved historic Chinese shrimping village in the Bay Area. Constructed in the mid-19th century, China Camp Village was one of many fishing communities established by early Chinese immigrants around San Francisco. These villages not only provided employment opportunities but also served as safe havens from the discrimination Chinese immigrants often faced in urban areas.

Chinese laborers first began settling at China Camp around the late-1860s, seeking new forms of employment after working on the transcontinental railroad. The emerging village’s location on the bay made it ideal for both accessing nearby shrimp beds and drying shrimp along the shore. Residents used traditional fishing methods, including bag nets to harvest shrimp in shallow waters, and navigated the bay in long wooden boats known as fishing junks. FInding success, the settlement grew quickly over the following decade.

By the late 1880s, China Camp Village had a population of 400 Chinese residents and 30 wooden buildings. These included residences, storage sheds, shrimp drying platforms, and a number of small businesses counting three general stores, a marine supply shop, and a barbershop. The structures were tightly clustered into parallel rows along the waterfront, and several piers extended into the bay. In total, the village produced about three million pounds of shrimp each year, most of which was exported to China, with a smaller portion sold to local restaurants.

In the early 20th century, however, the success of the shrimping village began to decline due to the introduction of several discriminatory laws. In 1905, shrimp exports were made illegal, and by 1911, the use of traditional bag nets was banned. Following these developments, the population of China Camp declined to only 79 individuals in 1900. By the 1920s, the remaining settlement had shifted from a large-scale shrimping operation to a small, family-run business that served local sport fishermen. Frank Quan, the grandson of early settler Quan Hung Quock, was the last of the original shrimp fishermen to live and work at China Camp—remaining at the site until his death in 2016. 

In 1972, development pressures threatening the China Camp area led to the California State Park Foundation purchasing the 1,640-acre site in 1976. Developer Chinn Ho donated the 35-acre village as part of the property, and in 1977, China Camp State Park was officially established. In 1979, recognizing the site’s significance to early Chinese American history in the region, the site was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the park and the village remain open to visitors.

📌APIA Every Day (356) - From 1837 to 1845, King Kamehameha III’s Royal Residential Complex in Lahaina, Maui, served as the home of one of Hawai‘i’s last reigning monarchs. Once situated on the sacred islet of Moku’ula within the fishpond of Mokuhinia, the site was not only a royal residence but also a significant spiritual center. During a particularly tumultuous era in Hawaiian history, Kamehameha III spent much of his reign in Lahaina, making the complex a symbolic capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Prior to King Kamehameha III, Moku’ula was home to Maui chief, King Pi’ilani, in the sixteenth century. Pi’ilani’s daughter, Princess Kihawahine, was later deified and became the guardian goddess of the Mokuhinia fishpond. In the 19th century, as Kamehameha I began the process of unifying all of the Hawaiian Islands, Lahaina quickly began a strategic port of control. At one point, Kamehameha I resided near Mokuhinia and adopted Kihawahine as a patron deity before relocating to the Big Island in 1812. It was likely during this time that the first developments of a royal compound began at the site.

Following his ascension to the throne, Kamehameha III eventually claimed Lahaina as his primary residence and began building his complex during the 1930s. To the west of the Mokuhinia fishpond, he built Hale Piula, a two-story, Western-style palace where the first Hawaiian legislature assembled. However, this structure was rarely used as the king and his family mainly resided on Moku’ula in private grass houses known as hale pili. The site also featured a large stone mausoleum, built in 1837, which held the remains of close family members, including the king’s sister, Princess Nahiʻenaʻena, his mother, and his children.

After King Kamehameha III’s death, Moku’ula fell into a state of disrepair. Strong winds destroyed Hale Piula in 1858 and coral blocks from its walls were used to construct the Lahaina Courthouse. The diversion of water from Mokuhinia for sugar plantations eventually transformed the site into a stagnant swamp. By the 1910s, the entirety of the royal complex and fishpond were covered by soil and coral for the creation of a city park. 

In 1992, Akoni Akana and other locals advocated for archaeological surveys to be performed at the site which resulted in the discovery of the complex’s remaining retaining walls, stone foundations, and a wooden dock. Three years later, in 1995, the Friends of Mokuʻula formed to restore the site, taking over ownership of the land. Their continued advocacy led to Kamehameha III’s Royal Residential Complex being added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. In the aftermath of the Maui wildfires of 2023, the restoration project of Moku'ula has regained attention, marking a renewed commitment to preserving the sacred site. 

📌APIA Every Day (355) - Belleville’s old Chinatown, established in the late-19th century, was the first Chinese American settlement on the East Coast. Drawn to New Jersey by job opportunities and the hope of refuge from discrimination, Chinese immigrants made up more than 10% of Belleville’s population by the 1880s. Although much of the city’s original Chinese community has since faded away, remnants of this early history remain—most notably at the Iglesia La Senda Antigua cemetery.

In the 1860s, many Chinese immigrants arrived in the U.S. to work on the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. As they settled on the West Coast, however, they encountered growing hostility and anti-Chinese sentiment. In 1870, Captain James Hervey invited a group of Chinese laborers to work at the Passaic Steam Laundry in Belleville. Seeking safety and stability, 68 Chinese men between the ages of 13 and 32 accepted the offer and arrived in Belleville on September 20.

The following year, in 1871, the town hosted the East Coast’s first Chinese New Year celebration. As the community continued to grow,Belleville became home to the region’s first Joss House, and three local churches helped found the Belleville Chinese Sabbath School. By 1882, the Chinese population in the city had reached over 300, with 32 families affiliated with the Dutch Reformed Church—now known as Iglesia La Senda Antigua. Several early Chinese residents were later buried in the church’s cemetery. Over the next five years, however, the community gradually declined as many relocated to Newark and New York City.

In the decades that followed, the Iglesia La Senda Antigua fell into a state of disrepair and was completely abandoned in 1999. It wasn’t until the 2010s, when Pastor Mike Ortiz and his congregation began to restore the church, that the remains of the early Chinese residents resurfaced and were resettled. Following this development in 2016, a memorial was installed at the cemetery to commemorate Belleville’s historic Chinese community. The dedication ceremony drew over 100 attendees, including Chinese American community members and leaders. While no records specifying the buried individuals remain, the United Chinese American Association of New Jersey continues to hold annual ceremonies such as Qingming, a traditional tomb-sweeping festival, to properly honor them. Today, Belleville residents also still celebrate Chinese New Year each year, carrying on a tradition and legacy that began more than 150 years ago.

📌APIA Every Day (354) - Kamakahonu, located on the western coast of the Big Island, was the royal compound of King Kamehameha I, the first ruler of the unified Kingdom of Hawai’i. With a documented history stretching back to 1812, the complex served as Kamehameha’s final residence and his initial resting place. Recognized as one the most important historic sites in Hawai’i, Kamakahonu once represented the center of political and social change on the Islands.

In 1813, Kamehameha I moved the capital of his kingdom from Honolulu to Kona on the Big Island. Local ali’i (chiefs) gifted him the land at Kamakahonu to establish a royal compound. During this period, several structures were constructed, including the king’s personal quarters—Hale Nana Mahina‘ai—alongside thatched houses for ali‘i, storehouses, work sheds, and an enclosing wall. The site also incorporated the Ahu‘ena Heiau, a preexisting temple that  Kamehameha restored to use as his personal place of worship and as a space to hold secret political meetings. 

After Kamehameha’s death in 1819, his son and heir, Liholiho, temporarily left Kamakahonu to allow for traditional purification rituals. A hale poki (mortuary house) was added to the complex to house the king’s bones and the kapu system—a strict code of laws governing Hawaiian society—was suspended for the mourning period. When Liholiho became ali'i 'ai moku (supreme chief) and returned to Kamakahonu, he attempted to reintroduce kapu, but faced opposition from his mother, Keopuolani, and Queen Ka'ahumanu. This development led to the end of kapu on the Islands and significantly altered Hawaiian society, bringing an end to much of the Native religion through the destruction of heiau. 

A few months after kapu was abolished, the first Christian missionaries to Hawai’i arrived at Kamakahonu, seeking the king’s approval to travel throughout the islands. Around the same time, Liholiho moved the kingdom’s capital to Lahaina, but retained Kamakahonu as the Big Island’s capital, governed by his advisor Kuakini. By 1855, the island’s administrative center was relocated to Hilo by Governor Ruth Ke‘elikolani, and Kamakahonu fell into decline. By the 1880s, most of its original structures had been demolished, and Kamehameha’s remains were moved to a secret location. In the decades that followed, the site was used as a sugar plantation warehouse in the 1910s and a lumberyard in the 1950s.

Recognizing Kamakahonu’s significance to Hawaiian political and social history, the complex was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962. Eventually, in the 1960s and ‘70s, restoration of Ahu‘ena Heiau and Hale Nana Mahina‘ai, along with recreations of several traditional structures including Hale Mana (spiritual house), Hale Pahu (drum house), and Hale Kia‘i (guard house). In 2019, the 200th anniversary of King Kamehameha I’s death was commemorated at Kamakahonu, honoring his enduring legacy in Hawaiian history.

📌APIA Every Day (353) - Tokio Florist, originally opened in 1929, was one of the many Japanese floriculture businesses that shaped the early flower-growing industry in Los Angeles. From 1960 to 2006, the Sakai-Kozawa family operated their enterprise from a residential property on Hyperion Avenue. Although Tokio Florist has since closed, the remaining building stands as a testament to the contributions of Japanese American entrepreneurs to California’s horticultural landscape.

Yuki Sakai, recently widowed in 1929, originally founded Tokio Florist as a small flower stand on Los Feliz Boulevard to support herself and her five young children. With help from her family and the neighboring Kuromi family—who operated nearby flower farms—Sakai’s business thrived into the following decades. During World War II, however, the Sakai family had to close their longstanding enterprise as they were forced into an incarceration camp. After the war, the family eventually reopened Tokio Florist but were displaced again in 1960 by developers constructing new apartment buildings in the neighborhood. 

Yuki, along with her daughter Sumi Kozawa, son-in-law Frank Kozawa, and grand-daughter Susie Kozawa, then moved into a home on Hyperion Boulevard. To reinstate their business, they converted the garage into a potting shed, constructed a greenhouse, and installed shop equipment under the port cochere. The rest of the property was dedicated for growing flowers and cultivating a Japanese garden. Customers continued to frequent Tokio Florist until 2006, when the family decided to close the shop, twelve years after Yuki’s passing. 

In 2019, with support from Susie Kozawa and members of the local community, Tokio Florist was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. That same year, the family sold the property to a developer for $3.4 million. In 2024, the building’s new owner, Chris Amendola, announced plans to adaptively reuse the space as a boutique hotel. The project is subject to ongoing approval from the city’s Office of Historic Resources to ensure that the site’s historic legacy is preserved.

📌APIA Every Day (352) - Honolulu’s Chinatown Historic District was first established in the 1840s and 1850s by early Chinese migrant workers in Hawai’i. The community continued to grow as these laborers completed their contracts on sugar plantations and settled in the neighborhood to open businesses. Chinatown eventually became a significant commercial and cultural center in Honolulu, providing Chinese immigrants with employment opportunities and a strong sense of community. 

Located along Honolulu Harbor, early Chinatown originally held economic ties to the Hawaiian whaling industry. However, as sugar plantations became the dominant economic force in the Islands, the district expanded in the 1850s to accommodate the influx of Chinese plantation workers. By 1882, Chinatown had become a booming commercial center, and its businesses were the second-largest employers of Chinese immigrants after the plantations. 

In 1886, a fire that ignited in a restaurant destroyed eight blocks of the neighborhood. Though the area was quickly rebuilt, the new wooden structures were densely packed and lacked fire safety standards. In 1899, a rat infestation from Honolulu Harbor led to an outbreak of the bubonic plague in the district. Around 7,000 of Chinatown’s residents were quarantined and eventually evacuated as the city’s health department began burning buildings that had housed infected individuals. One of these controlled burns unexpectedly spread, resulting in the destruction of 35 acres of the city in 1900. By May of that same year, Honolulu was declared plague-free and Chinatown reemerged as a prosperous commercial center by the 1920s. 

The neighborhood began to face issues of decline in the 1930s, partly due to the Chinese Exclusion Act, which reduced the area’s Chinese population. As the Chinese residents moved out, Japanese and Filipino immigrants began to move in, creating a multicultural business district. By the 1950s and ‘60s, however, these businesses struggled to remain open as local foot traffic decreased. Revitalization efforts led by the community and city government then began in the 1980s, including the construction of Maunakea Marketplace and Kekaulike Mall to draw greater commerce and tourism to Chinatown. 

In 1973, the Chinatown Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places and was later made a Preserve America Community in 2006. Today, it remains a lively multicultural neighborhood full of various East and Southeast Asian restaurants, markets, and stores. As a part of the Honolulu Arts District, Chinatown also represents the artistic heart of the city, featuring numerous art galleries and exhibition spaces. 

📌APIA Every Day (351) - Artesia’s Little India, located along a stretch of Pioneer Boulevard, first began emerging in the early 1980s. Through the decades, the community continued to develop as numerous South Asian businesses opened in the district, attracting customers from all over Los Angeles County. Today, the Little India neighborhood remains an important commercial center for South Asian Americans living in Southern California. 

The earliest roots of Artesia’s Indian community trace back to 1971, when Balkishan Lahoti began operating an informal grocery store out of a garage in the city. Although Lahoti later relocated his business to Bellflower, other South Asian establishments soon followed his precedent. Entrepreneurs started opening stores on Pioneer Boulevard, serving the growing Indian population in the neighboring city of Cerritos, which surrounds Artesia on three sides. By 1981, a thriving business corridor composed of places like Neema Sari Palace, Bombay Store, and the East Indian Market helped revitalize Pioneer Boulevard which was otherwise facing issues of economic decline. 

In response to this growth, Ramesh Mahajan, owner of Standard Sweets & Snacks, formed the Little India Chamber of Commerce in the 1990s and began efforts to officially recognize the neighborhood as “Little India.” By 1997, 120 South Asian businesses were operating on Pioneer Boulevard, making Artesia one of the largest Indian commercial enclaves in the U.S. That same year, the city hosted its first Indian Independence Day parade, further solidifying the district’s role as a cultural anchor.

In 2004, with support from Assemblyman Rudy Bermudez, community members lobbied for the creation of a Little India sign on the 91 Freeway. These efforts were opposed by city council members who disagreed with how the moniker would represent the diversity of the community. Taking matters of visibility into his own hands, Venkatesh Koka paid to feature the name of his family business, Krishna Koka’s Little India Village, on four freeway signs through the Adopt-A-Highway program. Eventually, although the area was officially designated the “International and Cultural Shopping District,” many locals and visitors alike continue to refer to it as Little India.

Today, Little India serves a combined Artesia and Cerritos Indian American population of over 5,000 and remains a center for South Asian cultural festivals. However, the lasting impacts of the 2020 pandemic have caused the existing businesses to struggle with reduced food traffic as they compete with online retailers and new Indian stores across L.A. Faced with the question of how to modernize their offerings while also catering to long-time customers, Little India’s business owners continue to work to preserve the district’s cultural identity. 

📌APIA Every Day (350) - The Danny Woo Community Garden, located in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (APIA Every Day 131), is the largest green space serving the surrounding neighborhood. Founded in 1975, the 1.5-acre garden was created to support elderly residents and encourage greater community involvement in the area. For nearly 50 years, the garden has remained a central gathering space where locals can connect with nature and grow affordable, healthy food.

The initial idea for a community vegetable garden emerged in the 1970s as senior citizens living in the Chinatown-International District (C-ID) expressed a need to grow their own food and be more physically active. Prominent Filipino community leader and activist Robert Santos—often called the unofficial mayor of the C-ID—led these efforts and began searching for a suitable plot of land. He eventually connected with Danny Woo, a local businessman who owned a nearby hillside property above Main Street. In 1975, Woo leased the plot to the InterIm Community Development Association for $1 a year and volunteers immediately began work on clearing the site of trash and weeds. 

After the property was readied, planning and construction on the project began. Natch and Yosh Ohno from the Ohno Landscaping Company volunteered to terrace the hillside, while local railroad companies contributed the 1,200 railroad ties used in the retaining walls. Other volunteers included individuals from the Alaska Cannery Workers Association and students from the University of Washington who helped set up the garden’s drainage and irrigation systems. The first phase of the project’s development concluded with the creation of 40 garden plots and was celebrated with a traditional Filipino pig roast.

 In 1980, the garden expanded into the lower portion of Kobe Terrace Park, providing an additional 60 garden lots to the community. Elderly residents meticulously attended to the space, growing vegetables from their home countries like bok choy, shiso, goji berries, and mustard greens among other plants. The garden’s overall design reflected the pan-Asian identity of the neighborhood and paid particular homage to the city’s Old Nihonmachi with features like a Japanese torii entryway and various art installations. Upon Danny Woo’s death in 1987, the garden was named in his honor. 

Today, the Danny Woo Community Garden remains a central space for residents to socialize, gain affordable access to food, and maintain cultural ties. Elderly gardeners, primarily from China, Taiwan, Korea, and Vietnam, continue to cultivate the site’s nearly 100 garden plots. Each year, InterIm hosts events such as a summer pig roast and an apple cider pressing party, continuing the garden’s mission of fostering greater community connection.

📌APIA Every Day (349) - San Jose’s Japantown (Nihonmachi) has its earliest roots around 1890 with the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants in the Bay Area. The Santa Clara Valley, with its abundance of agricultural jobs and the presence of an existing Chinatown, proved especially appealing to the new settlers. From the early 20th century onward, the city’s Japantown began to develop and quickly became a significant cultural center for Japanese Americans living in Northern California. 

Japanese immigrants began establishing businesses and homes in San Jose around 1900, settling alongside one of the city’s Chinese enclaves known as Heinlenville. Like other American Japantowns at the time, the district in its primary stages catered towards single migrant laborers with supply stores, barbershops, and hotels. Eventually, the Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1907 allowed Japanese women to move to the U.S. and form a more permanent community. As its population grew, Japantown continued to flourish into the 1930s. Many of the district’s most significant historic buildings—including the Kuwabara Hospital, Taihei Hotel, and Okida Hall—were constructed during this period.  

During World War II, the neighborhood’s progress was cut short as the city’s Japanese residents were forcibly incarcerated under E.O. 9066. Almost all of the existing Japanese businesses during this time were closed. After they were eventually able to return to San Jose in 1945, Japantown’s Japanese population nearly doubled by the 1950s. The district continued to thrive until the 1970s when it started facing issues of cultural decline with an aging first generation Japanese American community. Revitalization efforts began in the 1980s with the installation of historic markers and the restoration of existing buildings. 

Today, San Jose’s Nihonmachi is one of only three surviving historic Japantowns in the United States, alongside those in San Francisco (APIA Every Day 339) and Los Angeles (APIA Every Day 27). Like its counterparts, San Jose’s Japantown also struggles with the challenges of maintaining historic businesses amidst a declining Japanese American population. Despite these issues, residents continue to maintain the district’s cultural character by celebrating Japanese holidays and traditions through festivals like Obon and Nikkei Matsuri.

📌APIA Every Day (348) - Pi'ilanihale Heiau, located on Maui, is the largest heiau (sacred temple) in Polynesia and one of the best-preserved in Hawai’i. Construction on the building began as early as the 13th century and is believed to have been completed by prominent Maui chief, King Pi’ilani. While not much is known about the original history of the heiau, it’s recognized as one of Hawai‘i’s most significant archaeological sites and offers insight into traditional Native Hawaiian architecture.

The dimensions of Pi'ilanihale Heiau measure approximately 341 feet by 415 feet in length and 50 feet in height. Due to its size, anthropologists initially thought that the structure functioned as a luakini heiau: a sacrificial temple that served large communities and was managed by a high chief or ali'i 'ai moku. However, alternative theories have emerged stating the heiau may have primarily been used as a residence given that “Pi'ilanihale” translates to “house of Pi’ilani.” Operating as a royal compound in this case, the site would have encompassed the king’s  living quarters and personal temple. The last descendant of Pi’ilani historically associated with the heiau was likely Kahekili, an 18th-century Maui chief who unified some of the Hawaiian Islands under his rule.

The site remained largely untouched into the 21st century until 1974, when members of the Kahanu-Uaiwa-Matsuda-Kumaewa family donated the heiau and 61 acres of the surrounding land to the National Tropical Botanical Garden. Restoration efforts were then initiated with the goal of preserving and eventually opening the site to the public. Among those involved in the restoration was Francis Kikaha Lono, a direct descendant of King Pi‘ilani. In 1999, major stabilization work was done on the structure with stonemasons from Hana restacking the heiau’s terrace walls. That same year, local community members commemorated the completion of the restoration project that began nearly 3 decades prior. 

In 1964, Pi'ilanihale Heiau was designated a National Historic Landmark in recognition of its archeological significance. Today, it serves as the piko or cultural heart of the Kahanu Garden. Further research on Hawaiian heiau across the Islands could still reveal more information about Pi’ilanihale and the broader cultural practices of the early Maui Kings. 

📌APIA Every Day (347) - Houston’s large South Asian population began emerging in the 1960s following the passage of the 1965 Immigration Act, which allowed for new immigration from Asia. By the 1980s, part of this community began concentrating around Hillcroft Avenue in what would eventually become the Mahatma Gandhi District. Since then, the area has become a cultural and commercial landmark for local Indian and Pakistani residents and businesses.

In the early 1980s, the neighborhood around Hillcroft Avenue in Southwest Houston was primarily undeveloped farmland with the exception of a fast food restaurant and an auto shop. This began to change as three South Asian businesses opened in the area, including the Sari Sapne clothing store, Karat 22 jewelry shop, and Raja Sweets bakery. The families behind these establishments—the Lullas, Patels, and Gahunias—are considered to be the “founding fathers” of the Mahatma Gandhi District. As more Indian and Pakistani immigrants arrived in Houston, the businesses became a central gathering point for newcomers to find a taste of home.

Soon after, driven by cultural demand, more South Asian businesses moved into the burgeoning neighborhood, leading to an increase in grocery stores, restaurants, clothing boutiques, jewelry shops, and salons. Just a few of these notable establishments include the Himalaya Restaurant, Bombay Sweets, Subhlaxmi Grocers, and Bismillah Cafe. Religious institutions like mosques and Hindu temples also followed, providing space for worship and community events. Over time, the district became more multicultural and is also home to several Persian and Afghan-owned businesses like Saffron Kabob House.

In 2000, local community members and the India Culture Center began advocating for formal recognition of the neighborhood. Eventually, in 2010, the Hillcroft area was officially designated the Mahatma Gandhi District. To commemorate this development, a monument and several street signs bearing the new name were installed throughout the area.

Today, Sari Sapne, Karat 22, and Raja Sweets are still operated by the founding families, standing as some of the city’s oldest South Asian businesses. As a whole, the Gandhi District continues to serve Houston’s population of over 100,000 Indians and Pakistanis, offering a space for locals to enjoy traditional foods, purchase cultural goods, and attend community events.

📌 APIA Every Day (346) - The Waikīkī War Memorial Natatorium was built in 1927 to commemorate the 10,000 Hawai‘i residents who served in World War I, including 102 who died. Designed by architect Lewis Hobart in the Beaux-Arts style, it includes a monumental arch and a 100-meter ocean-fed saltwater pool, making it a rare example of this type of facility. The site functioned for decades as a public swimming venue and hosted notable athletes such as Duke Kahanamoku and members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. It also served as a key location for public swim instruction and local recreation until its closure in 1979 due to structural deterioration.

Following its closure, the site became the focus of a long-standing debate between preservation advocates and those favoring demolition. Mo Radke, a Navy veteran and president of the nonprofit Friends of the Natatorium, became involved in efforts to restore the structure after learning about its condition in the early 2000s. Advocates have cited its historical, cultural, and architectural value in making the case for rehabilitation. The site was listed among the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s “11 Most Endangered Historic Places” in 1995.

In 2019, the City and County of Honolulu released a final environmental impact statement supporting the restoration of the natatorium. The recommended “Perimeter Deck” alternative would preserve key architectural features, allow ocean water circulation, and address environmental concerns such as sea level rise and water quality. The estimated cost of the project exceeds $30 million, with funding to be raised in part by Friends of the Natatorium. The restoration is targeted for completion by 2027, aligning with the memorial’s 100th anniversary.