Paris Tokyo

[Deleted]

It is rather difficult to find the precise number of Japanese residents in Paris, but I'm quite sure that there are a lot. The latest statistics seem to indicate that there are at least 25,000, split into 3 distinct groups -- Japanese expat employees and their families, who usually stay from 2 to 5 years, students whose numbers remain relatively stable at around 3000 a year, and the mysterious "others" -- Japanese who have chosen to live in France due to marriage, people who love France, and a category of "adventurers" who want to discover life in a foreign country, sometimes by accident. Quite a few of these have few qualifications and end up as waiters in restaurants or as office workers for Japanese companies in Paris, but a number of them are also artists. Victims of the infamous Paris Syndrome should also be mentioned. Many of them, in spite of their condition, are incapable of leaving Paris.

Anyway, I just wanted to mention that there is an official Japanese district in Paris in the 1st arrondissement and over the years, it has become very much a sort of "Little Tokyo."

Today, I happened to pass through there and realised just how Japanese these few blocks have become. The main Japanese street is rue Sainte Anne, and the main intersection is at rue des Petits Champs.

So here are a few photos, I'll admit, mostly of restaurants.















Even though Koreans and Japanese rarely like each other, they group together on the other side of the planet.



I love looking at menus.

[Deleted]

There is of course a Japanese grocery store (one of several).



I didn't go in but I took a couple of pictures through the window.





Some places do not respect the law that any sign in a foreign language must also be in French.



Some of these places are mysterious Japanese nightclubs. Japanese only!



Therefore the price list is only in Japanese as well. It is not cheap.

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The Japanese grocery store also has a butcher shop!











One of the chefs was making fresh noodles in the window!


Here is a Japanese travel agency in a courtyard.

[Deleted]

For any Japanese or Koreans seeking exotic dishes, there is this restaurant in their midst.









The Japanese bakery was closed today.











There was also a Korean supermarket, Gangnam style.



A Japanese hairdresser is also at your disposal.

Frankly, the weather was not great so I jumped in the metro right at the corner of rue Sainte Anne. This is on avenue de l'Opéra, which is the main Japanese shopping street in Paris. Even though the majority of the shops are not Japanese, every single one of them has one or more Japanese salespeople to serve customers. And of course that's how it should be in our commercial world.

[htmb]

Your photos are wonderful, and the thread is very interesting, but the blowing snow adds even more interest to your story!

[mich64]

I enjoy how these restaurants add pictures to their menu boards. There is no doubt what you are getting, even if you were having difficulty with the language, the photo is self explanatory.

I would have spent some time in that grocery store, there must be some unique products to go through.

Enjoyed your adventure today Kerouac!

I had many family members posting photos of the road conditions and amounts of snow they were getting in the Normandy region. My friends just outside of Paris commented that this is the most amount of snow at once at this time of the year that they can ever remember.

[lagatta]

That is fascinating. There were a few Japanese businesses in that area the last time I was there, but nothing like an "ethnic" shopping area. Isn't it a bit expensive real estate for that kind of area? I know the educational level of Japanese migrants is very high, but as you say I don't think all of them are working in executive positions.

[Deleted]

Google Maps also shows how concentrated the Japanese places are.

[mossie]

You are a real hero to take these pictures IN a snowstorm. There has been more snow in Paris than we have had in Ipswich ;D
A new slant on ethnicity in this very cosmopolitan city. The shop breaking the law by not translating its signs had me intrigued. We need a translation, it could be lap dancing, or something even more exotic . We can live in hope

[tod2]

Thanks for the comprehensive exposure of Japanese and other oriental places to try something different.
This past May we ventured up rue St.Anne and went in search of the highly recommended Sapporo of which you have a photo. We loved the noodle dish and pot stickers we ordered.
I will print out your map for future reference as we will definitely be back in the area on next visit!

[patricklondon]

Mar 13, 2013 8:22:33 GMT mossie said:

We need a translation, it could be lap dancing, or something even more exotic . We can live in hope

Or it might be "Tea like Mama-san makes it!"

[woody77]

Was it snowing in Paris in March? And many thanks for this writeup as well, we'll be headed that way soon, I think.

[Deleted]

Indeed, we had a very interesting spring this year.

[woody77]

Apparently it was quite interesting...

[bixaorellana]

I was horrified looking at this thread, thinking that Paris got snow at the end of August. Then I realized it's from March, but that I missed seeing it.

Better late than never, as the pics and info about Japanese in Paris are great. I particularly love the way the snow gives a Japanese woodblock print effect to some of the photos. Look at the man with the umbrella & a purple bag on the left side of pic #4, for instance, or the second photo in reply #1, or the travel agency picture in reply #2 ~~

Mar 12, 2013 20:56:30 GMT kerouac2 said:

Frankly, the weather was not great ...

Understatement! Can't believe you were out in that wet-looking stuff taking pictures, but more power to you.