Watch on PBS Documentaries YouTube channel on August 10
Japantown: What Was Lost, What Remains
About this Film
Paul Iwasaki was raised in Salt Lake City’s historic Japantown, a thriving neighborhood of locally owned businesses and cultural centers and an essential hub for Utah’s Japanese community. Fifty years later, he’s battling the forces of urban development to protect its only remaining landmarks and to restore the neighborhood’s cultural legacy.
How to Watch
Watch on this page or on the PBS Documentaries YouTube channel on August 10.
Premieres: August 10, 2026
Duration: 11 mins
Director: Kelyn Ikegami
Film Website: Firelight Media
What does it mean to remember a place that no longer exists?
Paul F. Iwasaki, Retired Judge, Utah State Juvenile Court in Japantown: What is Lost, What Remains | Firelight Media
Select still from Japantown: What is Lost, What Remains - Street sign | Firelight Media
Select still from Japantown: What is Lost, What Remains - Paul looking in | Firelight Media
Related:
The Past, Present and Future of Salt Lake City’s Japantown (KUER)
Plan to reimagine Downtown Salt Lake City leaves Japantown in the lurch, again. (Salt Lake City Weekly)
Century-old time capsule unearths the ‘thoughts, hopes and faith’ of SLC’s Japantown (KUER)
Amid a frenzy of redevelopment, Salt Lake City shows Japantown won’t be forgotten(Building Salt Lake)
Honoring history: New ‘kintsugi’ inspired mural to be installed in Japantown (ABC4)
This program was made in collaboration with the following:
About PBS Documentaries
PBS Documentaries channel—presented by PBS Digital Studios and Independent Television Service (ITVS), dedicated to documenting our shared human journey and helping us understand one another a little better. Stream full-length films and short stories that explore culture, history, nature, science, identity, and the people and experiences shaping our lives. Dive into our roots and our communities—the work we do, the people we love, and the traditions that make us who we are. Subscribe for award-winning documentaries, short-form storytelling, and fresh perspectives. Watch, learn, and leave inspired—then share the story.