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Posted on July 25, 2025September 30, 2025 by The Time Traveler — Leave a comment

San Jose Japantown: A Hub of History (feat. Manju & More)

San Jose’s Japantown

When “Japantown” is mentioned, I think most people immediately think of the one in San Francisco. Well, at least that’s how Google seems to think according to search results. And honestly, that’s how I thought. But there’s actually another Japantown in the Bay Area, one in San Jose. Albeit smaller, it’s a town of Japanese American history, with its oldest store dating back to the 1920s. For those who aren’t familiar with San Jose Japantown, here’s a full review of the little hub of history, great sweets, and more!

The Beginning

Photo of *Taiyo Maru,* one of the five ships that traveled from Japan to San Francisco in 1920, from the Japanese American Museum of San Jose.

Also known as “Nihonmachi” or “J Town,” San Jose Japantown sits just north of Downtown San Jose. It’s one of the last remaining historical Japantowns in the U.S. (the other two being SF’s Japantown and LA’s Little Tokyo). Its origins go back to the 1890s when the first-generation Japanese (“Issei”) single men immigrated to the Santa Clara Valley for farm and labor work. When these men first arrived, they found refuge in San Jose Chinatown (aka “Heinlenville”) that was already established nearby in 1887.

It was only years later in the early 1900s that the Nihonmachi was established, providing boarding houses, bathhouses and more for single migrant workers.

Map of old Chinatown and Japantown before 1939, displayed in the Japanese American Museum.

Arrival of Japanese Women

But after the Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1907 limited immigrant male workers from Japan but allowed family immigration of Japanese residents in the U.S., more Japanese women began to arrive. Many came as picture brides, and second-generation Japanese children (“Nisei”) were born, changing the landscape of the town to be more family-oriented.

From the Japanese American Museum in San Jose.

Chinatown & Pinoytown

While San Jose Japantown was growing, its neighbor Chinatown faced its demise. Due to the anti-Chinese immigration laws and the Great Depression of the 30s, Chinatown became bankrupt and was destroyed when the City of San Jose seized the land and razed it to the ground.

Heinlenville Park commemorates the San Jose Chinatown (aka “Heinlenville”) that once existed at its location.

*Sheltering Wing* (2021), sculpture by Roger W. Stoller.

There’s a timeline display explaining the history of San Jose’s Chinatowns and the role Mr. John Heinlen played in the formation of the last Chinatown (Heinlenville), along with commemorative plaques honoring San Jose’s Chinatowns that had existed.

As such, Japantown became the major Asian town center for the next wave of immigrants, the Filipinos, as San Jose Chinatown had once been for the first Japanese immigrants. And just as Japantown was formed near Chinatown, Pinoytown was formed near both ethnic towns.

Pinoytown mural in Japantown, by artists Jordan Gabriel and Analyn (Ana) Bones. Pinoytown thrived from the 1930s to the 1950s. Though it no longer exists, its history and memories are being shared by Filipino Americans and groups like the Filipino American National Historical Society of Santa Clara Valley.

The Filipino Community of Santa Clara County at Japantown.

From a Ghost Town to a Historical Site

But after the Imperial Japanese Navy’s infamous bombing of Pearl Harbor, all Japanese residents, including Japanese American citizens, were forced to leave their homes. About 120,000 Nikkei (people of Japanese descent) were evicted and sent to internment camps from 1942 to 1945. During this time, San Jose Japantown became a ghost town with most buildings empty.

After World War II, when everyone was allowed to return home to the West Coast, many had to begin their lives all over again after losing their lands, properties, and everything they had worked for. Through the resilience of the Japanese Americans, San Jose Japantown became, once again, the Asian town center it once was, where three generations of Japanese Americans preserved their culture and history. The town has seen ups and downs through the decades: thriving during the 50s and 60s, declining in the 70s with the passing of the Isseis, and once again seeing revivals led by the politically active third-generation Japanese Americans (“Sansei”).

San Jose Japantown Today

Today, San Jose Japantown stands strong with a history of over a hundred years. As mentioned in the beginning, it truly is a hub of history and is well-maintained so, with historical plaques and markers explaining its story through the decades since the late 1800s.

You can find these signages throughout Japantown that explain the town’s history during various decades.

And there are commemorative plaques and sculptures, like this rock sculpture erected in honor of the “Issei Pioneers”:

Plaque accompanying the rock sculpture above.

Not to mention this ingenious “historical landmarks of San Jose’s Japantown” QR project by a girl scout troop! When you scan the QR code on certain benches in J Town, you can learn more about the history behind each location.

For instance, when you scan the QR code on this bench in front of this home called the “Hori Building” with your phone, you can read more about what was once a midwifery and home of a Japanese midwife named Mito Hori.

Japanese American Museum of San Jose

But if you, like me, are not satisfied with historical signages and markers, then I highly recommend visiting the Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj).

Look at these koi fish going up the steps to the museum – brilliant!

And this beautiful artwork at the entrance!

It was such a well-maintained museum detailing the history of Japanese Americans:

Through historical photographs, artifacts, replicas, and more, you can see how they first arrived in the Bay and grew a community and town in their new homeland through hard work.

Display area showing how the first-generation Japanese Americans arrived in the Bay.

Photos and artifacts of the bachelor migrants who arrived as farmers and laborers in the Santa Clara Valley, aka the Valley of Heart’s Delight.

Hardships & Injustice

The museum also shows the devastating effects Imperial Japan’s attack on the United States during World War II had on these hardworking Japanese American residents and citizens and the ensuing injustice they faced when the U.S. government failed to see and treat them as citizens and forced them into internment camps.

“WWII Incarceration” display area showing details of 10 “War Relocation Authority (WRA)” camps plus the Crystal City Interment Camp.

Miniature display of an internment camp.

Resilience

What was inspiring was just how these Japanese American residents and citizens, despite the devastation, hardship, and injustice they faced, never gave up. They never stopped working hard for their survival, for their loved ones, and for their honor. Just looking at the paintings and artworks drawn by those trapped at the internment camps and seeing their woodwork (handmade with extremely limited resources) was truly moving:

Chest of Drawers handmade by Mr. George Takeda.

Beautiful artworks created by Japanese Americans at internment camps.

Simulation Room

Another memorable part of the museum was the Barrack, a simulation of a WWII American Barrack room at an internment camp. It was constructed by Jimi Yamaichi, carpenter, construction foreman at the Tule Lake camp, and co-founder of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose who was sent to the Tule Lake Segregation Center with his family. He lived an incredible life of persistence, of working for the community around him, and of educating others about the injustice he witnessed and lived through firsthand.

Stepping inside the replica truly brought history to life and helped me to tangibly see what the Japanese American families experienced.

Replica of a typical Barrack Room, which, I learned, housed a family of six! Even though families put up curtains, I was told that there was no privacy…

Outside the Barrack Room. I’m not sure if the exterior had been reconstructed to be historically accurate, though; I couldn’t find any info on it.

Hard Work of Issei Farmers

There was also an outside garage-like area showing the history of the Issei farmers and their lives in the Santa Clara Valley. Here is a display of a typical pre-war and early post-war Japanese American farm house:

There were historical everyday items displayed, along with photos of Issei farmers:

There was even this mochi maker! As a Korean American, I recognized it right away as it looks similar to the traditional mortar and pestle set used to create tteok. (Tteok is Korean rice cakes dating back to at least 500 BCE.)

Painting of what the view would have looked like from a typical farm house.

And there were actual farm tools and machines used at the time:

And this Model-T Ford, too:

I learned from this exhibit area that many of the items were from Mr. Eiichi Sakauye, co-founder of the museum. He was a successful Japanese American farmer and businessman of the Santa Clara Valley who even invented farming machines and techniques!

This exhibit of the Japanese American Farm Experience allowed me a glimpse into the hard work and determination of the pioneering Japanese Americans, including Mr. Eiichi Sakauye.

Regiment 442

I would love to watch this documentary one day!

Another section of the museum exhibit that was eye-opening was the part on Regiment 442. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was formed in 1943 and made up of mostly Nisei, second-generation Japanese Americans from both Hawaii and the mainland U.S. Fighting for the United States in Europe during World War II, the 442nd Infantry Regiment was “the most decorated unit for its size and length of service during the entire history of the U.S. military” (U.S. Army).

Map of the 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team’s Campaigns, Battles, and Contributions displayed inside the museum.

The Most Decorated Unit

As the official U.S. Army website explains, these Japanese American soldiers had to fight 2 battles – out in the warfront abroad and at home, where they weren’t treated or viewed as citizens. What’s incredible and heartbreaking at the same time is that these Japanese American soldiers fought while their families were detained at internment camps. Some Japanese Americans did refuse to get drafted and fight for a country that didn’t consider them citizens (understandably so!), but many chose to fight for the U.S., risking their lives to prove their allegiance to their country. I mean, the approximate 14,000 men fought so bravely that they “ultimately earn[ed] 9,486 Purple Hearts, 21 Medals of Honor and an unprecedented eight Presidential Unit Citations” (U.S. Army).

The Empire of Japan and its followers who were loyal to it until suicidal deaths were the ones responsible for the deaths of countless men, women, and children throughout Asia and for the deaths of American sailors, Marines, soldiers, and civilians at Pearl Harbor. It’s heartbreaking that the innocent, hardworking Japanese American citizens and residents were treated as enemies by the U.S. when they viewed their new home as their country. And all the more heartbreaking that the Japanese American men risked and sacrificed their lives to prove their innocence.

Artifacts of the 442nd Regiment soldiers, including helmets, flasks, boots and the New Testament.

Nichi Bei Bussan (Unofficial Japanese American Museum & Historic Store)

There’s also an unofficial Japanese American museum inside a store called Nichi Bei Bussan. Its translation being “Japanese-American Mercantile,” Nichi Bei Bussan’s history goes back to 1902 when Mr. Shojiro Tatsuno founded its first store in SF’s Chinatown.

The store was at Gough Street, at the intersection of Post and Buchanan Streets as a department store until Mr. Tatsuno and the other Japanese American residents and citizens were forced to leave for the internment camps. After Mr. Tatsuno and his family were able to return to their homes in California, his son Masateru took over the reopened family business in San Francisco (until it closed in 1997, after 95 years) while his other son David (a Cal alumnus!) opened a second store in San Jose in 1947.

Arlene told me that there’s a documentary about her father, Mr. David “Dave” Tatsuno, who filmed a documentary illegally with legally acquired tools on life at the Topaz War Relocation Center in Utah when he and his family were interned there.

I so luckily ended up inside the 78-year-old store in San Jose and got to speak with the store’s owner, Arlene, who is Mr. David Tatsuno’s daughter. So, in addition to exploring traditional kimonos, various Japanese items from origami to tea ware and books, I got to speak with someone who was part of J Town’s story and of Japanese American history.

Portrait of a Family: The Tatsunos

Arlene’s family history was so fascinating that I think I stayed at the store for over an hour just listening. Her grandfather was the second son of a merchant family in Nagano, Japan. Since family businesses went down to the first-born sons (like how it was elsewhere throughout Asia and the West at the time (i.e. law of primogeniture)), he emigrated to San Francisco in 1893, arriving at Angel Island all by himself at the age of 21.

Arlene also showed me this book, Behind Barbed Wire, by Paul Kitagaki. He tracked down Japanese Americans in photographs taken by Dorothea Lange, Ansel Adams and other photographers and took photos of them or their surviving family members decades after the old photos were taken. It took him 10 years to compile this book of photos and interviews. As described in the blurb, his photos reveal “the strength and perseverance of the subjects [and their families].”

Displayed at the unofficial history museum at Nichi Bei Bussan is *Behind Barbed Wire*. In the book, Arlene’s photo (taken when she was 70) is shown beside a photo of her father and grandfather when he was around 70. The photo of the Tatsunos (right before the forced relocation) taken by Dorothea Lange can be viewed HERE.

There were so many other stories Arlene shared with me about her grandfather, father, and brother that I cannot write them all here. If you are a Japanese American or someone who loves history, I highly recommend hearing them from Arlene yourself, especially about her brother Rod!

Rod Masatoshi Tatsuno carried the Olympic Torch on its way from Nagano, Japan to Salt Lake City during the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Sweets, Coffee, and More

San Jose Japantown has other places to visit aside from its official and unofficial history museums. Here are my top four spots:

1. Shuei-do Manju Shop

Manjus are traditional Japanese sweets. Its origins can be traced back to when Japanese Buddhist monks/envoys brought over the Chinese mantou or “steamed buns” during the Kamakura period (1185-1333). The mantou evolved to suit Japanese tastes and became the distinct, sweet manju as it’s known and enjoyed today.

Shuei-do Manju Shop has been making their manjus since 1953. They’re so good that they were specifically requested for Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan in 1994 when they visited the U.S.

From bottom left to right, clockwise: yomogi, kinako, brown inaka, and green tea manju.

White inkaka, habutai, white manju, and monaka.

Green tea manju, chi chi dango (raspberry flavor), kinako, pink white, peanut butter, and pink tsubu.

Everyone I know have approved of Shuei-do Manju’s high quality. ⚠️But here are a few things to be aware of:

They have irregular hours, only open from Thursdays to Sundays, from 10AM to 4PM.
The butter mochi is only available on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
I think some items are seasonal, as they were always unavailable when I visited this summer (i.e. kuri and peanut).
If you want to try all the flavors or specific flavors, you need to come early (i.e. right when it opens) as items get sold out throughout the day. Here’s the menu board one day in the afternoon:

The price for a 6 piece manju box (any manjus of your choice) was $15. I think it’s a reasonable price for one of the best manju shops.

9/30/2025 Update: If you want to get a taste of Shuei-do Manju but can’t make it all the way to San Jose, fear not! You can get them in San Francisco, too. Kissako Tea in SF Japantown sells Shuei-do manjus during the weekends, so you can get them while you try Kissako Tea’s onigiris and treats.

2. Roy’s Station Coffee & Tea

This Japantown coffeeshop has everything: coffee, tea, food, and history. It’s a family-owned cafe that once was a Mobil gas station called, “Bill & Doug’s Gas Station” that opened in 1938. It was then taken over and operated by Mr. Roy Murotsune for 50 years as Roy’s gas station after he returned from the internment camps.

Photos of what the coffee shop looked like when it was a gas station, along with a photo and drawing of Mr. Roy Murotsune.

Mr. Murotsune, his wife Esther, and their families were part of San Jose’s Japantown since the early orchards days. In 2009, their children and grandchildren transformed the old station into Roy’s Station Coffee & Teas, which has been bringing the J Town community together every morning ever since.

I kid not when I say this coffee shop has everything: they have merchandise, good wifi, and this retro coke machine that actually works! I simply had to try it out and I did:

It says online that the coffee shop opens at 8 AM every day, but the doors were open with customers ordering when I got there at 7:50 AM. Roy’s Station seemed like a community favorite, even approved by this stray cat named Panda. (I was told that this stray cat always comes by to chill. And yes, I was told “Panda” was his name!)

Roy’s Station gets a stamp of approval from Panda, too! 🐼

3. tōno coffee project

A little off the heart of Japantown is a recently built apartment called, “Exhibit at Jtown.” And on its first floor is “tōno coffee project,” which I have designated as one of the best matcha spots in the South Bay!

I chanced upon this place one day when I was having serious match cravings and I happened to be around the area. I have not yet tried their coffee (which, considering their name, I really should), but I can say with total confidence that the matcha latte at tōno is really good. If you are a matcha connoisseur, you may have at times encountered and not liked matcha latte that’s all milk and barely any matcha. Well, at tōno coffee, you can savor the thick and rich matcha flavor as it flows down your throat oh-so-smoothly.

Iced matcha latte at tōno coffee project. 💚But the drink was small in size compared to the price ($7). But then, again, since it’s exquisitely good, I can see why.

tōno coffee project is open from Thursday to Sunday, from 9 AM to 5PM.

Within a short walking distance from tōno is this little resting area/park with cool wall arts.

Outdoor street art park next to Exhibit at Jtown. If I remember correctly, there was this plaque commemorating “The Chinese Methodist Episcopal Church,” which, I think I read, had disbanded.

There were other wall arts, but I loved this one by Kevin Lyons the most. Isn’t it cute and fun?

4. Santo Market

“Serving San Jose since 1946,” Santo Market is a family-operated grocery store. Interestingly, you can’t go inside the actual market; you need to order from outside and pick up the grocery items/food/beverage at the counter when it’s ready:

I tried their tuna shoyu poke salad ($14). Though I can’t really compare it to poke in Hawaii as I’ve yet to visit, the tuna shoyu poke salad was good, especially the seasoning of the tuna shoyu:

The store is open from Tuesday to Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. But I highly recommend that you visit on a Tuesday or a Saturday when they have their scrumptious strawberry mochi!

The strawberry mochi (pack of 2) is an absolute delight: there’s juicy strawberry with sweet red bean paste inside a soft, chewy layer of pink mochi.

It’s so good that when I went the first time to Santo Market on a Tuesday morning around 10 AM, all the strawberry mochis had sold out! The cashier told me that people line up since 8 a.m. for the mochi and they sell out at around 9:15.

And sure enough, when I visited another Tuesday at 8:15 a.m., there was a line already. And by 9 AM (opening time), there was a long line:

Long line at Santo Market before the store even opened…

One pack of “Fresh Strawberry Mochi” (consisting of 2 pieces) was $6. Despite waiting in line for about an hour before the store opened, a bite of it made it all worth it. 🍓

*Per their Instagram account, Santo Market seems to not have strawberry mochi on some Saturdays. Be sure to check their IG page before your visit!

Places To Buy Souvenirs

If you’re visiting J Town in San Jose and want to buy souvenirs (while supporting local businesses), I recommend the following spots:

1. Nichi Bei Bussan

The unofficial history museum/store mentioned earlier has a plethora of new and vintage consignment items full of Japanese culture and history.

I adored those little plates with fruit and flower drawings on them!

I ended up splurging on these vintage items:

Copies of *Nagasaki Harbor Light: An English Language Monthly.* They just seemed like such fascinating historical sources to read.

Vintage postcards of Kyoto, “Fine Views of Kyoto.”

2. Kogura Co

Kogura Company is another historical store owned by a Japanese American family, passed down multiple generations. It was established by Mr. Kohei Kogura in 1928, so it’ll be turning 100 in 2028! According to its official website, it has been in its current location in 1934, and so, is “the oldest business to occupy its original location in any Japantown in the United States.”

Books on San Jose Japantown’s history are sold at Kogura.

I really liked being in this little ceramics corner at the store.

Unlike Nichi Bei Bussan, I think none of the items at Kogura are consignment. And there were also more souvenir-like items on sale.

And this neat sushi-shark sculpture!

Per this flyer explaining the history behind “Sushi Shark,” San Jose held a city-wide art event in 2001 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of San Jose Sharks. Illustrator and artist Doug Wright was selected to build a 3-D sculpture for J Town, and so he designed and built the above Sushi Shark. Sushi Shark has even appeared in Olympic Torch Runs! Apparently, it’s permanent home is now Kogura Co.

There were these postcards of Sushi Shark for sale at Kogura, so I couldn’t resist getting some.

Stickers, pins, and postcards at Kogura Co.

The illustrations on both postcards are by Tamiko Rast. *Sushi Shark* (2014) was created to honor her uncle, Dough Wright. Fun fact: Tamiko is Mr. Roy Murotsune’s granddaughter! Talk about generations of a family contributing to their community!

3. Empire Seven Studios

Next stop, we have Empire Seven Studios, an art gallery and gift shop next to Exhibit at Jtown and tōno coffee project. After getting your coffee/matcha latte from tōno, you can walk over to Empire Seven to view artworks by various artists and maybe even purchase their merch.

My personal favorites were these:

“Pet Store” by Kristina Micotti, an award-winning illustrator whose artworks are also sold at SFMOMA Museum Store.

Floral paintings by Lacey Bryant and Ceramic Frogs by Cynthia Gonzalez.

I don’t know who designed and made them, but these face sculptures were so unique and their titles hilarious!

I got this San Jose Japantown sticker from Empire Seven Studios:

4. Japanese American Museum of San Jose

Of course, the Japanese American Museum of San Jose also had a small gift shop.

I ended up purchasing these two Hokusai postcards, as they reminded me of the Japanese American immigrant farmers.

Besides the four places shared above, there are so many other spots to buy souvenirs from. Shuei-do Manju Shop and Roy’s Station Coffee & Tea each have their own merchandise for sale. Plus, there are stores that sell ukuleles! (I think there are these ukulele stores and several poke spots (like Santo Market) in J Town because of the deep ties between Japanese Americans and Hawaii, as the early immigrants who didn’t settle in California mostly settled in Hawaii.)

Conclusion

Compared to SF Japantown, San Jose Japantown has less shops, restaurants, and activity in general. But this community-based town is a great place to immerse oneself in Japanese American history while visiting historic stores and museums and getting high-quality Japanese sweets and more.

Resilient Like the Plum Blossom

The symbol of J Town in San Jose is a plum blossom. In Chinese, Korean, and Japanese cultures, plum blossoms symbolize resilience, perseverance, and hope, as they bloom in early spring after enduring the harsh conditions of winter.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Like the plum blossom, Japanese Americans of the past centuries endured the challenges of immigration and then great injustice when their mother country attacked their new country, the United States, and when the country they saw as their home viewed and treated them as aliens and enemies. Despite being forcibly removed and incarcerated in internment camps for three years, the Japanese American residents and citizens never stopped working hard: men fought for the U.S. during WWII to prove their loyalty and integrity and families persevered when they had to build their lives all over again.

San Jose Japantown is a testament to their pioneering courage, inspiring hard work, and moving resilience like the plum blossom.

P.S. I learned that while the Japanese immigrants (like other ethnic immigrants) faced discrimination when they arrived in the Bay, they were welcomed by some Americans. It says on the Japanese American Citizens League San Jose Chapter website that the Americans of the Methodist church were one of those who welcomed them, and that’s why some Japanese Americans became Methodists and founded the Wesley United Methodist Church in 1895.

The Wesley United Methodist Church founded by Issei Christians. The first church structure at this site was built in 1913.

P.P.S. There is this miniature replica of San Jose Japantown inside Nichi Bei Bussan. It doesn’t cover all of J Town but still is such a neat representation of the historic town.

Miniature replica of San Jose Japantown, 5th St and Jackson St, 2024. Inside Nichi Bei Bussan, July 2025.

Look at the mini Shuei-do Manju Shop (blue banner)…

…and there’s Roy’s Station Coffee & Tea!

Posted on September 24, 2024June 23, 2025 by The Time Traveler — Leave a comment

Javier Zamora’s Solito: A Memoir Like No Other

Although frequenting bookstores is a great hobby of mine, I try my best not to buy more books. For one thing, I have too many books to read at home that I haven’t gotten to yet. And my other reason for banning myself from impulsive book purchases is the fact that I can, and should, make more usage of libraries that abound nearby. Yet, I recently bought myself another book: Javier Zamora’s Solito.

I have a tendency to read genres I naturally gravitate towards, like historical fiction, classics, and young adult fantasies. So getting a copy of Solito: A Memoir was an out of the ordinary decision. (And, might I add, choosing to read the nonfiction for a book club amidst a jam-packed schedule was almost a form of self-torture.)

Despite the stacks of unread books haunting me at home along with the unusuality and impracticality of my decision, I so, so do not regret it.

Because Javier Zamora’s Solito is a memoir like no other.

Synopsis of Solito:

Solito narrates the true story of Javier Zamora when he was just nine-years-old and the journey he made from El Salvadaor across Guatemala and Mexico to the United States to reunite with his parents who had migrated before him. It details Javier’s life before, during, and after the long, dangerous “trip,” the people he had to leave behind as well as those he met along the way.

Reflections

I didn’t know what to expect from this book other than the fact that it was going to be a story about a boy who immigrates to the states. Never did I imagine how detailed, how honest the account was going to be. Not only did it record every bit of the innocence and vulnerability of Javier Zamora’s younger self, but also it zoomed in on the immigrant experience, specifically those of migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexican border. It revealed how illegal immigration isn’t just a term and concept but a streak of hope for people who aren’t simply “criminals” or “lawbreakers” but rather individuals trying to survive. Many of whom, like Javier, Chino, Patricia, and Carla, are trying to reunite with their families in the land of opportunity and hope.

For someone like me who doesn’t know anyone who has crossed the border to come to the states or have read any accounts detailing such journeys, Solito was, to say the least, eye-opening. I never knew the details of these long journeys, and how they were matters of life or death, success or failure, joy or despair, and reunion or separation.

One of my fellow book club member pointed out that this story focuses on one boy and the people around him, which is just a small fraction of the countless undocumented immigrants and numerous migrants who don’t make it to their desired destinations. Her statement made me realize how many other stories of success, failure, misfortune, and grief we don’t know about.

Innocence of a Child

What was painful to notice was the innocence of the author before the great journey and his loss of it afterwards. The nine-year-old Javier refers to his upcoming journey to the states as a “trip.” That’s what all the adults around him referred it to. He knows neither better nor what to expect.

But slowly, the “trip” becomes more than just a trip Javier embarks on to reunite with his parents. It’s saying good-bye to everything he loves, his home and family in El Salvador, to his friends, school, and everything he knew all his life. Suddenly meeting a group of strangers who he needs to depend on and pretend to be families with. Riding hours-long bus and boat rides. Living like a shadow hiding from the locals, stuck inside some dark shelters. Pretending to be Mexican, getting caught and having guns pointed at by soldiers. Walking across deserts for days, under the scorching sun without water and in the middle of the freezing night.

And Loss There Of

Initially, Javier repeatedly refers to the “cadejito.” According to his grandfather, this legendary creature would protect and guide Javier. He prays to it throughout the journey (for instance, on page 79 and 82).

But on page 323, Javier says to himself:

“Last time, I listened for Cadejo’s whistle; now I know for sure he doesn’t exist. Bad things keep happening. He’s just a myth. Just like Marcelo, Cajedo is full of lies. If Cadejo was real, we wouldn’t have gotten caught. Patricia wouldn’t have gotten hurt. Coco Liso would still be here with us. Our prayers haven’t helped either.”

It was heartbreaking to see this transition, from Javier believing in the cadejo to his losing faith and innocence. To watch this young boy (more sensitive than an average nine-year-old per description, I think) undergo hardship after hardship that is overwhelming even to an adult.

Beautiful Imagery

Javier Zamora immerses the readers into his deepest memories not only through the raw details but also through his talented use of imagery.

I mean, just take a look at this scene where Javier parts ways with his grandfather:

We stand by the road, the banana trees on either side, raindrops still on the leaves, sliding down, dropping to the ground. It rained earlier in the day, but these drops haven’t evaporated. Grandpa’s eyes are doing the same, trying to hold his tears inside their corners (Zamora 71).

And his descriptions of the desert are beautiful and ingenious at the same time:

Everything is awake. The moon lights the ground silver and blue. Wispy clouds dance in the sky, white ones that look like silk. With this wind and with this lighting – the blue, the grays – it feels like the bottom of the ocean… The grass is seaweed. The cactuses are coral. We’re looking through a submarine’s small circular window… On top, the clouds are sea foam. The ground sparkles with seashells and pearls (Zamora 298).

Child’s Imagination

Another thing that struck out to me (and I appreciated very much) were the imaginative descriptions from the nine-year-old Javier. Just take a look at these cleverly brilliant descriptions from the young boy’s perspective:

The stars begin to dot the sky. I like to think there’s a giant holding the earth in one hand, a needle in his other hand, poking the sky there, there, and there – (Zamora 135).

And I couldn’t help but smile at the names Javier gave to different cacti when he spotted them during his trek across the desert: “the Spikeys,” “Cheerleader bush” with flowers like “little yellow pom-poms,” “Crayon bush,” and “Paint-Roller Fuzzies,” “Mascara-Brush Fuzzies,” “Thorny Tentacles,” and “skinny green smooth tree” that Javier nicknames “SGS tree.”

There are countless other examples of uniquely clever imagery that Javier uses throughout the book, like when he describes the line of migrants as “the centipede” or when he says that cactuses that look like people “rise from the dirt like giant dark-green Cheetos” (331).

But sometimes, they were gut-wrenching to read, like when he describes the people in prison, including himself, as “monkeys”:

The monkeys in here stare, they sleep, they doze. This cage. This silent and stinky room. The monkeys next to the door wait for their names to be called (248).

Theme of Loneliness

Though my post is getting a bit long, I must point out what I felt was one of the most important themes of this book: loneliness. The book starts with a lonely Javier. Despite his being with his grandparents, aunt Mali, friends and relatives, he naturally and understandably longs for his parents constantly.

And his loneliness resurfaces when he has to travel with a group of strangers by himself. He holds his pillow in one arm, pretending the pillow is his Mom or aunt Mali (78). The young Javier also repeatedly mentions how he wants to hug, saying that he wants to “hug anyone like Coyote hugged us for good luck” (201)

I think this quote best shows the acute loneliness he experienced during the long and difficult journey:

I want to cuddle her [aunt Mali] right now. Look at the stars and be far away from these people…I hate watching Patricia and Carla help each other before bed. Patricia braiding and unbraiding her daughter’s hair. I want that with Mom. With Mali. I just want a hug (183).

With all the hardships and drama that ensued, I honestly forgot about this major theme and was busy following Javier’s journey, rooting for him and the people around him as they repeatedly failed to rejoin their families in “La USA.” But the theme dawned on me again when this young boy named a certain type of cactus as “the Lonelies” (217) and when he wished not to part from strangers who had become a true family:

I want to take my new family with me to California, learn how to tie my shoes and show Chino I can do it like him. Chino, my older brother I never had… I love them. I really love them. A pond, a lake in my eyes. I don’t want to let go. None of us wants to let go. A river (372-73).

Integration of the Spanish Language

Lastly but certainly not least is the usage of Spanish throughout the book. Because I had studied some Spanish, it wasn’t difficult to understand most of the time but I did have to look up online sometimes to figure out what Javier and the people around him were saying. But I think the implementation of Spanish in dialogue as well as in Javier’s internal thoughts (like the word “también” and “La USA”) made this memoir all the more real, easy to immerse into. And I think the Spanish phrases and words, even the punctuations, are great integrations that honor the author’s cultural background and heritage.

Lasting Impact

My book club leader told us that Solito stayed with her for a long time after her first reading of it, and it led her to designate it as our first book club book of the year.

I can confidently say that it has left such a strong impression on me as well, that it has expanded my understanding of the immigrant experience. It stayed with me so strongly even after I finished that I had to visit an El Salvadoran restaurant and mull over it while eating pupusas:

Avocado salad and pupusas at Cafe Platano.

Pupusas cut in halves:
Queso con Loroco (Cheese and Salvadoran flower) and Frijoles con Queso (House black beans & cheese)

And I’m pretty sure that Javier Zamora’s memoir will leave something in you as well.

Conclusion

Javier Zamora’s Solito: A Memoir is a powerfully moving, achingly raw account of a nine-year-old boy. It’s a collection of memories of longing, pain, and loneliness, so vivid and overwhelming even to adults. It forever changes the reader, whether by enlightening, moving, or just leaving a mark – an impression that lingers even long after.

P.S. The afterward of the book was fascinating to read, as Javier Zamora shares what his parents had experienced while he was going through the dangerous journey. And it was so touching to read that he wrote this memoir in hopes of reuniting with Chino, Patricia, and Carla.

P.P.S. HERE‘s a video of Javier reading from Solito and HERE is one of his talking about the memoir.

P.P.P.S. The Salvadoran restaurant I visited is called Cafe Platano in Berkeley, CA. Their pupusas and avocado salad were delicious! 😋