the 1980s, two restaurants on Powell Street were among the only Japanese dining establishments in the city. Oppenheimer Park Oppenheimer Park (Powell Street Grounds) in this area was the home for Asahi baseball team and it is the site for the annual two-day Powell Street Festival, which began in 1977. It is held every August, in the first weekend of the month, and is a community celebration of Japanese heritage as well as the alternative and street culture of the Downtown Eastside. Little Ginza An upscale enclave of ethnic Japanese retailers and restaurants known as Little Ginza - has developed on Alberni Street near Burrard Street in the slim boundary area between the West End and the Financial District in Downtown Vancouver. The new enclave has been gaining momentum over the course of the last forty years with an increasing number of high-end restaurants, dance clubs, karaoke bars, shops, and upscale boutiques. These venues are largely geared to the usual tourists that frequent the city as well as Japanese visitors in search of "bargain"-priced designer goods (relative to prices in Tokyo or Osaka), and for omiyage (obligatory gifts to be given on return to Japan). See also Asahi (baseball team) Judo in British Columbia Judo in Canada Notes External links Japanese Canadian Timeline from arrival of first Japanese person in 1877 (Japanese Canadian National Museum). History of Vancouver Japanese Language School and Japanese Hall, established 1906. History of Vancouver Buddhist Church, established 1906. 100th Anniversary of Anti-Asian Riots, 7 September 1907 (2007 Anniversaries of Change). 2007 Riot Walk map guide: First and second (last) page (2007 Anniversaries of Change). Powell Street Festival, established 1977 (Powell Street Festival Society). Japantown and Powell Street (Virtual Vancouver). Asian-Canadian culture in Vancouver Ethnic enclaves in British Columbia Japanese-Canadian culture Vancouver Neighbourhoods in Vancouver