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san jose neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Japantown & Hensley, San Jose Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
North of downtown between N. 1st and N. 13th St: the Hensley Historic District's Victorian blocks, the Japantown business district on Jackson and Taylor St, and newer homes on old packing-plant land.
Japantown & Hensley by the numbers
japantown & hensley by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Japantown & Hensley (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in japantown & hensley · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Japantown & Hensley
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Japantown & Hensley from the MLS, updated automatically, with a map of the neighborhood outline.
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Listings come from MLSListings and other MLSs through IDX and show their listing brokerage; confirm details with the listing agent. The map outline is the neighborhood boundary used by our listing search (Japantown & Hensley (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Japantown & Hensley came to be
The Hensley Historic District is named for Samuel J. Hensley. Its blocks filled in as the town grew between the 1860s and the 1910s, with houses in classic revival, Italianate, Queen Anne and San Francisco Stick styles (National Register nomination). The district was listed in the National Register in 1983 and became a City Landmark District in 1990. The city's guide counts over 225 buildings that contribute to its character and gives a period of significance of 1865 to 1918; its map runs roughly from N. 2nd to N. 6th St between Julian and Empire St, reaching N. 7th St near Washington St.
A freight railroad still crosses the neighborhood on a diagonal, from N. 1st St near Julian St to N. 7th St at Jackson St and on north past Hedding St (Union Pacific track on public maps). Former packing and can plants sit near it. Mariani Square's lofts reuse the brick warehouse of the former Mariani packing plant, whose green water tower still stands, and the former Continental Can Company can-factory building on E. Taylor St now houses a brewery. At N. 10th and Taylor St, a 7.16-acre site was rebuilt as about 400 apartments around 2018, with the one-acre Cannery Park at its north end.
The city's General Plan lists Japantown as a neighborhood business district of about 40 acres, centered on Jackson and Taylor St from about N. 2nd to N. 7th St. Around it, the Jackson-Taylor Residential Strategy, adopted by the City Council in 1992 for about 80 acres just north of downtown, guides the shift from industrial land to housing and mixed use. On the block bounded by N. 6th St, N. 7th St, Jackson St and Taylor St, the former city corporation yard has been planned for apartments and shops since the city's 2007-08 environmental review; check its status before you buy nearby.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
The numbered grid (N. 2nd to N. 13th St) is crossed by Julian, Washington, Empire, Jackson, Taylor, Mission and Hedding St, with short Hensley St and Vestal St and lanes inside Mariani Square (Mariani Ln, Manzana Pl, Cereza Pl, Pear Ln). House size steps down from N. 3rd St, where the larger houses sit, toward N. 5th St, according to the city's district guide.
Inside the Hensley blocks the inventory records Italianate, Queen Anne, Eastlake, Craftsman, Neo-Classic and Colonial Revival houses, plus a scatter of 1940s-60s buildings, some of them small apartment buildings. The city's zoning map puts about a quarter of the outline in R-M multiple residence and a fifth in R-2 two-family. In houses this age, ask about the wiring, the foundation and the sewer lateral.
East of N. 7th St the blocks change. Mariani Square (2004) has 114 tri-level townhomes with attached two-car garages and 45 lofts in the old warehouse (listing records). The Cannery Park apartment building fills the corner of N. 10th and Taylor St, and planned-development zoning covers about a quarter of the land. The General Plan marks about half the outline Residential Neighborhood, with Mixed Use Neighborhood, Urban Residential and Transit Residential on most of the rest.
streets in japantown & hensley
- N. 1st St (west edge)
- N. 2nd St
- N. 3rd St
- N. 4th St
- N. 5th St
- N. 6th St
- N. 7th St
- N. 8th St
- N. 9th St
- N. 10th St
- N. 11th St
- N. 12th St
- N. 13th St (east edge north of Taylor St)
- Julian St
- Washington St
- Empire St
- Jackson St
- Taylor St
- Mission St
- Hedding St
- Hensley St
- Vestal St
- Bassett St
- Mariani Ln
- Manzana Pl
- Cereza Pl
- Pear Ln
- Sakura Dr
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Japantown & Hensley
- park
Raymond Bernal Jr. Memorial Park
6.25 acres at N. 7th St and E. Hedding St on the city's parks map.
- park
Cannery Park
A one-acre city park at Mission St and N. 10th St, opened in 2019 at the north end of the apartment site.
- park
Heinlenville Park
A 0.75-acre park on N. 7th St near Taylor St, opened in October 2023; the city's map lists it as privately owned with a park agreement pending.
- shopping
Japantown business district
Shops and restaurants along Jackson and Taylor St from about N. 2nd to N. 7th St, the city's neighborhood business district.
- shopping
Sunday farmers' market
A seasonal Sunday-morning market on E. Taylor St; the 2026 season ran May 3 to October 25, 8 am to noon. Check dates before you go.
- shopping
N. 13th St business district
The west side of N. 13th St between Taylor and Hedding St is part of the city's North 13th Street/Luna Park business district.
- landmark
Hensley Historic District
Blocks of 1860s-1910s houses between N. 2nd and N. 6th St. These are private homes, no public access; walk the sidewalks.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
San Jose Unified School District serves the area (K-12). The county's public-school map shows no district school inside the outline. Nearby campuses include Grant Elementary on E. Jackson St (east, in Luna Park & Northside), Peter Burnett Middle on N. 2nd St (northwest, in Vendome & Hyde Park) and Horace Mann Elementary on N. 7th St (south). Empire Gardens Elementary on E. Empire St closed after the 2025-26 school year. Attendance boundaries change, so check the exact address with the district.
Getting around
- Japantown/Ayer light rail station is on N. 1st St at the west edge, about 0.4 mile straight-line from the center; Civic Center station is about 0.5 mile and St. James about 0.8 mile.
- San Jose Diridon (Caltrain, ACE, Amtrak) is about 1.5 miles straight-line southwest of the center.
- Berryessa/North San Jose BART is about 1.6 miles straight-line northeast.
- US 101 is reached at N. 13th St (Oakland Rd), about a quarter mile north of Hedding St; I-880 begins at US 101 just to the northwest.
- San Jose Mineta International Airport is about 2 miles straight-line northwest of the center.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Japantown & Hensley: what we check
Buying here
- Hensley is a City Landmark District: exterior changes, additions and demolitions can need a Historic Preservation Permit, so ask the city's Planning Division before you plan work. The inventory flags 18 City Landmarks and 9 Mills Act contracts inside the outline; a Mills Act contract passes to the buyer, so read it.
- SB 9 lot splits and duplexes: since January 1, 2026 (AB 1061) they are limited on parcels with a contributing structure in a local historic district. Ask the city how that applies to the lot before you count on it.
- Divided houses: if a house holds more than one unit, ask for permits for each unit, check the zoning (R-2 or R-M) and ask the city's Housing Department which tenant rules apply.
- Hazards: the whole outline is in a state liquefaction zone, and the city's FEMA layer shows Zone D on about 88%, Zone X on about 7% and a Zone AO (1-foot depth) pocket of about 4% around N. 5th to N. 7th St near Mission St. Check the address on FEMA's map.
- Trains and construction: the freight track crosses the blocks between N. 4th and N. 7th St, so visit at different times to judge noise. Large projects (the corporation yard site, the N. 1st St transit village to the west) may bring years of construction.
- Townhomes and lofts: get Mariani Square's HOA documents and check current dues.
Selling here
- Gather the city inventory record, any landmark or Mills Act paperwork and past Historic Preservation Permits before listing.
- For a house with more than one unit, document each unit's permits, current leases and meters.
- Give the straight-line distance to Japantown/Ayer station and to the Jackson-Taylor business blocks.
- Townhome and loft sellers: order HOA documents early and spell out garage and parking.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Japantown & Hensley questions, answered
What is the Hensley Historic District?
A City Landmark District (1990) and National Register district (1983) of 1860s-1910s houses, roughly N. 2nd to N. 6th St between Julian and Empire St. The city's guide counts over 225 contributing buildings.
Is a permit needed to change a house in the Hensley district?
Often yes. Exterior changes, additions and demolitions in a City Landmark District can need a Historic Preservation Permit under the city's preservation ordinance. Ask the Planning Division before you design anything.
Where is the Japantown business district?
On the city's map it runs along Jackson and Taylor St from about N. 2nd to N. 7th St, between Empire and Taylor St, about 40 acres. This guide includes all of it.
Is there a train through the neighborhood?
Yes. A Union Pacific freight track crosses on a diagonal from N. 1st St near Julian St to N. 7th St and north past Hedding St, and VTA light rail runs on N. 1st St at the west edge.
Is it in a flood zone?
Mostly Zone D (possible but undetermined hazard) on the city's FEMA-based layer, with a small Zone AO pocket near N. 5th to N. 7th St and Mission St. Check the exact address on FEMA's map.
What school district serves it?
San Jose Unified. No district school sits inside the outline; check the exact address with the district for assigned schools.
next door
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on the home styles field guide
Home styles in Japantown & Hensley
Japantown & Hensley shows up on this plate in our home styles field guide. Each plate shows how to spot the style from the sidewalk, with live listings opened to San Jose.
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San Jose right now
City-wide numbers read from the MLS each time this page loads. A neighborhood can trade differently from its city, so ask us for the sales on your street.
- homes for sale…houses, condos, townhomes
- new this week…by days on market
- median list price…of homes for sale
- median days on market…of homes for sale
- 12 months of sales…median sale price
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Listing data comes from the MLS through our IDX feeds and is shown as reported; it isn’t guaranteed. Repeat listings from overlapping feeds are removed, and land and mobile homes are left out.
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