Japan Center Mall

Japan Center Mall Review

The buildings lining this open-air mall are of the shoji school of architecture. The shops are geared more toward locals—travel agencies, electronics shops—but there are some fun Japanese-goods stores. You can have a seat on local artist Ruth Asawa's twin origami-style fountains, which sit in the middle of the mall; they're squat circular structures made of fieldstone, with three levels for sitting and a brick floor.

Arrive early in the day and you may score some fabulous mochi (a soft, sweet Japanese rice treat) at Benkyodo. 1747 Buchanan St., 94115. 415/922-1244.

It's easy to spend hours among the fabulous origami and craft papers at Paper Tree, open since the 1960s. 1743 Buchanan St., 94115. 415/921-7100.

Be sure to swing around the corner, just off the mall, to Super 7, home of many large plastic Godzillas, glow-in-the-dark robots, and cool graphic tees. 1628 Post St., 94115. 415/409-4700.