It's a quiet weekday morning. Mr. Nunome is rolling and cutting long sheets of ramen noodles on the ramen machine in his restaurant, Sapporo-Ya. Two blocks away, at Benkyo-Do, they're making manju, sweet rice cakes, in the same way they've been made for over one hundred years. Members of the older Nisei (first U.S.-born) generation are meeting for a watercolor painting class at the community center, while pedestrians stroll past the origami fountains on Buchanan Street, designed by famous Japanese American artist Ruth Asawa.

For most San Franciscans, these Japantown treasures are hidden in plain view. In the last ten years, the rising popularity of anime, manga, and all things kawaii (cute) have brought about a renaissance in purikura photo booths, Harajuku-themed boutiques, imported candies, and Hello Kitty merchandise. These days, Japantown is a neighborhood of contrasts. Senior centers and old-time coffee shops coexist with trendy boutiques selling overpriced cell phone charms. Despite its newer, flashier side, San Francisco's J-town is one of only three historic Japantowns remaining in the U.S. Many things have changed in the last ten years, but the community centers and historic shops remain, representing one hundred-plus years of Japanese American history.

Kinokuniya Bookstore, a neighborhood pillar since 1969, recently renovated to include a separate floor for manga. Cutesy gifts, tomes on Asian American history, fashion magazines, books of Japanese tattoo and street art--it's all here. The bookstore is located in one of the three malls that make up most of Japantown. Between the three, you can get anything from crêpes to shave ice to spam musubi--and maybe even some sushi. Ichiban Kan in the Miyako Mall is one of J-town's newer neighbors, but that's okay--you can get all kinds of housewares and other Japanese goodies for cheap there, including bento boxes to pack your lunch in.

Outside the malls, the three supermarkets (Nijiya, Uoki K. Sakai, and Super-Mira) are good for more than just sweets--they also carry Japanese specialties and tasty prepared foods that other Asian supermarkets don't stock. And don't miss the pedestrian-only block of Buchanan Street between Post and Sutter, which houses many of Japantown's older shops and restaurants.

This year, the ever-popular Cherry Blossom Festival falls on April 11, 12, 18, and 19. With larger crowds, fewer vendors, and an anime costume parade along with the Cherry Blossom Queen Pageant, it, like everything in Japantown, has changed. But if you can brave the crowds, check out the food vendors on Webster Street and the Japanese culture exhibits in Hotel Kabuki.

It's easy to think you've seen everything there is to see in Japantown's five blocks. If you've seen one cutesy boutique, you've seen them all, but it's well worth it to take an afternoon and explore the areas that are ignored by Naruto-obsessed teenagers. You'll find that the local culture hasn't vanished--it's simply hiding behind the recent burst of Japanese pop culture. So get yourself some manju or a spam musubi and celebrate San Francisco's rich Japanese American history.

Sapporo-Ya
Kinokuniya Building, 2nd floor
Every week, Sapporo-Ya makes its own ramen noodles from scratch on the ramen machine displayed in the front of the restaurant. Do yourself a favor and forget those ten-cent packages that are a favorite of starving students--this tasty ramen, served with boiled egg, vegetables, and chashu, is the real deal.

Soko Hardware
Post and Buchanan
Like many old-time hardware stores in San Francisco, Soko Hardware sells more than just hardware supplies. In addition to the many tools imported from Japan, Soko boasts Japanese dishes, housewares, vegetable seeds, incense, origami paper, and more. Most days, you can find the owner's poodle napping in the front of the store.

On the Bridge
Webster Street Bridge
This offbeat restaurant, lined with shelves of Japanese manga, serves up a combination of homestyle and fusion Japanese dishes, including a delicious curry with an intricate spiciness ranking system (anything above 2X is suicide). The chef, Mitsu Nakamura, is as quirky as the food he serves up, and will likely come over to your table for a chat.

DoReMI Music Studio
Post and Laguna
Good times can be had for all at this neighborhood karaoke box, which boasts up-to-date song lists in English, Japanese, and Korean. The rooms start at $80 an hour, which isn't bad when divided by ten or more people. One caveat: Get your drink on before you arrive, as alcohol isn't allowed in the rooms.

Benkyo-Do
Sutter and Buchanan
This neighborhood hub, first opened in 1906, is the last place in San Francisco where the many varieties of manju (a Japanese treat made of pounded rice flour) are still made in the traditional way. Try the peanut butter manju or the plain, pink-and-green-striped suama. They also offer coffee and American-style sandwiches.

NJAHS Peace Gallery
1684 Post St
The National Japanese American Historical Society houses rotating exhibits on Japanese American history in its gallery on Post Street. Past exhibits have explored everything from mixed-race issues to Japanese art forms. The current exhibit, "The Many Faces of Manga," runs until June 30.