Abstract
Statement of Problem The history of Japantowns in Northern California is limited to a few organizations and books with very little digital content available for the general public to access. Japanese communities throughout Northern California aided in the development of many towns and cities through their contributions in agriculture and labor. The internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and redevelopment projects in many cities in the 1950s and 1960s devastated many Japantowns throughout the state. Today, only Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Jose have their Japantowns intact. The Nihonmachi digital exhibit is an online exhibit that presents the history of the initial creation of the Japantowns, their growth and contributions to their local communities, the challenges they faced from discriminatory practices, and the effects that the internment and redevelopment had on them. The exhibit will provide materials on the history of Japantowns in Northern California to the general public while following exhibition practices and standards. Sources of Data Many sources were used in the creation of this project including the Center for Sacramento History, the California State Library History Room, the Japanese American Archival Collection at California State University, Sacramento, in addition to articles, books, and museum exhibition publications. Conclusion Reached The Nihonmachi digital exhibition seeks to provide access to primary sources on Japantowns in Northern California and seeks to explain why some Japantowns survived the effects of the internment during World War II and the encroachment of redevelopment in the 1950s and 60s. The exhibit is available for all to view at: http://japantowns.omeka.net/