Urban Hike: Revisiting the Lakeview Japanese American Neighborhood

Chicago Studies works to help the College forge genuine bonds with Chicago’s diverse communities. We offer classes, programs, and resources that support students being more than visitors while here, enabling them to have a positive impact on their new home.

Chicago Studies

Explore the legacy of  the Japanese American neighborhood in Lakeview with local historian Erik Matsunaga and Professor Michael Bourdaghs.

The Urban Lounge

This hiking tour will explore the legacy of the Japanese American neighborhood in Lakeview, near Wrigley Field on the North Side. The neighborhood sprung up in 1943-1945 when more than 20,000 Nisei moved to Chicago after they were released from wartime incarceration camps on the condition that they not return to the West Coast. The tour, with noted local historian Erik Matsunaga and EALC Professor Michael Bourdaghs, will visit landmarks of this now largely vanished community and reflect on the connections between the present-day neighborhood and the struggles faced Japanese Americans during WWII and its aftermath. The tour will begin with a brief orientation session and last approximately ninety minutes. T﻿ogether we will travel to Lakeview by taking the 59 CTA bus to the redline Belmont Station. Participants will need to set up their Ventra app in advance. Students can find information on how to do so <a href="https://college.uchicago.edu/student-services/cta-u-pass" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">here</a>. The general public can find information on CTA Travel/Ventra <a href="https://www.transitchicago.com/ventra/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">here</a>.Please wear comfortable walking shoes, and appropriate clothing for the weather. We also encourage participants to bring preferred snacks and water. Please contact chicagostudies@uchicago.edu with any questions. To request accommodations, please reach out to chicagostudies@uchicago.edu.

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