Reasonable area + Japanese culture? (Garden Grove, Irvine: rent, low crime, get credit)

[Saiko]

Just in case you haven't made your decision yet.

I lived in Tokyo for several years and my wife is Japanese. We ended up landing in the Torrance area after stops up and down the coast. We've been here 10 years now. There is a strong Japanese community in and around the Torrance area. This area has excellent schools and quite a few Japanese companies in the area.

I find it to be an excellent balance between the two cultures. My mother in law (from Sasebo) is here every weekend from San Diego shopping in the area. We have friends from Tokyo that have settled here and are settling here now, which is how I came across your thread.

Rents are going up because of the stressed real estate market but you can get a decent place between 1400-2000 in good, safe neighborhoods.

Here are a couple of links and I'd be more than happy to answer any additional questions about the area for you.

[url=http://www.greatschools.net/search/search.page?state=CA&q=Torrance&type=school]Greatschools.net Search: Torrance[/url]
[url=http://www.southbayjacl.org/]South Bay JACL[/url]
[url=http://www.nikkeifederation.org/commcenters/gardena.html]Nikkei Federation: Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute[/url]
[url=http://www.marukai.com/]MARUKAI CORPORATION[/url]


Gambatte!

[chuck22b]

Originally Posted by movingforward11

As far as affordable, let's say a 2 bedroom apartment for $1400.

So it seems that looking at the research on these areas, it comes down to a choice between:

- San Jose area (Sunnyvale / Cupertino)
- Torrance / Gardena
- Irvine / Costa Mesa
- San Diego

Which would be the most affordable and highest quality of life for a family (safety, traffic, crime, community, people)?

I'd say Torrance has a fairly large Japanese presence... you can include Marukai in the list of Japanese stores in the Southern California area.

MARUKAI CORPORATION

My wife's brother's wife is Japanese (Okinawan) and she grew up in the Torrance area. I grew up around that area as well and on Western Ave and Carson there is a ton of Japanese stores and boutiques.

Living expenses in Torrance should be less than Irvine/Costa Mesa... and from my experience the Los Angeles area in general has a higher Asian population than San Jose or San Diego.

Hope this helps,
chuck22b

[movingforward11]

Thanks for the great info. We haven't decided yet.

Torrance looks fantastic, but we were wondering about both the expense and if it is family-friendly. LA is famous for gangs and Hollywood and such, so it can be a little intimidating.

Is there good Japanese language education as well?

Is the Japanese community pretty open and welcoming? Is it mostly Japanese-American or Japanese expat?

Sorry for all the questions. Thanks again.

[sonarrat]

I don't think of anywhere in the Bay Area as having a particularly large Japanese population. San Jose has the largest Vietnamese population (for a single city) outside of Vietnam, and Milpitas has an overall Asian majority, as does Daly City. They are close-in suburbs of San Jose and San Francisco, respectively.

The only other Asian majority city in the USA is Monterey Park, which is - once again - a close-in suburb of Los Angeles.

[veganwriter]

How many Japanese will you need to feel comfortable?

The South Bay (south of San Francisco) Area has a fairly large Japanese population. Japanese stores and markets. And close to San Francisco where your wife will find everything she needs.

Sacramento. Remember that if it wasn't for Japanese farmers who dug deeper than anyone else in the Central Valley, California would never have had the agricultural boom that it had. It would have never become (or it would have taken much longer) to become the great economic power that it is.

But seeing as we're all riding around in Honda's and Toyota's ... I don't see why she'd encounter any "problems" any where.

[Huckleberry3911948]

Originally Posted by the city

Japantown in San Francisco?

ditto
know it and know many members
dont know how it works but it does

[murlough23]

Originally Posted by movingforward11

San Gabriel 515 W. Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel, CA 91776

I live within walking distance of that Mitsuwa... my wife is part Japanese and she loves that store because it reminds her of Hawaii, where she grew up. (That and Marukai, but we don't have Marukai in the immediate area.) I had no idea it was a chain!

Though it should be noted that the San Gabriel/Monterey Park/Alhambra area is much more Chinese than Japanese. I've lived here in Asian-ville for long enough that I forget to differentiate between the different flavors of "Asian", and I also forget that not every community in L.A. has sushi bars, boba/bubble tea shops, and Pinkberry knock-offs as ubiquitously as we do.

[movingforward11]

Thanks for the info. Do you or does anyone know if rents have come down recently?

[urano]

Originally Posted by movingforward11

Hi, we are a family looking for an area to live that 1) has Japanese culture, including bilingual or supplemental schools, preschools, etc., and 2) that is affordable. We've looked around quite a bit but it seems difficult to find a place that fits both criteria. Any ideas?

Are you related to japanese citizens w/ children living in SoCal?

I am Engineer living in OC. I just married a Japanese lady; her son is 8 yrs., they currently live in Japan and will relocate here soon this year.

I would appreciate knowing the outcome of your search for japanese schools and safe area to live (as per japanese standards) as I am not familiar with Asian or japanese neighboorhoods.

There are plenty of saturday japanese schools but his family look for a full time japanese elementary school as the kid does not know english and thinking in the future taking College here in US or in Japan he would need the japanese system certificate.

So far we found only one private elementary school in Torrance, their fees make our budget tight, my job is in Orange county and commuting is killer. I used to commute ( 1+ hrs) between Huntington beach and Torrance for months.
Although it's obvious I would have to make the sacrifice for their sake and lesser impact in their lives.
The critical issues for us:
- Clean air (the kid already suffers by the polluted air in Japan)
- Safe and kids friendly area.
- Good reputation japanese elementary school.
- Reasonable driving time from Home-school , Home-job.

Budget for renting a house or 3 bdr. apartment would be $2,300 top
Thanks for your advice.

[Latchkey Kid]

• Sawtelle Store 2130 Sawtelle Blvd., #105, West L.A., CA 90025

Sawtelle has a lot of Japanese businesses since it is what was once a Japanese neighborhood. But while there are some folks (mostly older from what I recall) still about, I think mostly the reputation for Japanese restaurants and stores in the area has kept the business area active but its no longer an affordable place for families. I guess what I'm trying to say is the fact that are stores in an area might refer more to its past than to its present. I think that makes sense...