More than a century ago, Japanese immigrants left their homes a world away and crossed the ocean only to arrive as strangers in a strange land — Salt Lake City.
They built Japantown, bounded at the time by South Temple, State Street, 300 South and 700 West. At its peak around World War II, the population swelled to about 5,000 and the area teemed with noodle houses, hotels, variety stores, laundries, grocers, fishmongers, tofu makers and other vendors catering to the needs of Asian immigrants.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Lorraine Crouse, shows contents from the time capsule, during a ceremony at the Japanese Church of Christ, on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025.
At the core of Japantown were two faiths — Buddhism, which brought notions of peace and enlightenment to a little garden near 100 South and 200 West, while the Japanese Church of Christ created an oasis for Bible believers at its sanctuary down the street.
On Saturday, hundreds of eager well-wishers from diverse faiths — including the Presbyterian Church (USA), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Catholic Church’s Cathedral of the Madeleine, United Church of Christ, Salt Lake Buddhist Temple, Tongan-American Free Wesleyan Church, Kachin Trinity Church and the Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable — gathered at the historic Japanese Church of Christ to see its pastor open a 101-year-old time capsule, a small, 23-pound bronze box hidden in the cornerstone of the church.
With help from preservationists at the University of Utah’s Marriott Library, the artifacts were lifted, one by one, out of the box, according to a news release, and examined by the conservators with a small number of congregants as witnesses.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Curious onlookers examine the contents of a capsule from 1924 (Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Curious onlookers examine the contents of a time capsule from 1924 at the Japanese Church of Christ on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025.
The box contained a brief history of the church, a copy of the articles of incorporation; Sunday school data (40 children enrolled); a U.S. American flag folded together with a handsewn Japanese flag; copies of The Salt Lake Tribune, along with the Japanese-language Rocky Mountain Times and Nippo; two 6-inch leather-bound books in the Japanese language; a Bible and a New Testament, the latter carried by an immigrant to Utah in 1906.
Finding the capsule, the Japanese Church of Christ’s pastor, the Rev. Andrew Fleishman, said in the release, “feels like a miracle, especially as we celebrate together 100 years of our sacred church building.”
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Pastor Andrew Fleishman welcomes the congregation during a time capsule ceremony at the Japanese Church of Christ on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025.
The capsule was especially poignant for church members who have seen what was once Japantown shrink as development has gobbled up more and more downtown city blocks.
“It’s a blessing to reflect on the Japanese spiritual pioneers who took care and attention,” Fleishman said, “to leave this special gift for today’s generation to find.”