Japan Center Malls

The Japan Center Malls are defined by their low-slung, boxy geometry and the extensive use of concrete panels, a mid-century design choice meant to echo traditional Japanese aesthetics through a modernist lens. This five-acre complex, which opened in March nineteen sixty-eight, occupies a space bounded by Geary Boulevard, Post, Fillmore, and Laguna Streets. The interior corridors are intentionally narrow, designed to evoke the scale and feel of traditional Japanese streets, lined with independent shops and restaurants.