Mystery Koban Disappears Again
February 18, 2005
Walter Wong, an expert in permit expediting in San Francisco’s byzantine planning process, recently had a collection of kobans on his property in San Francisco.
In particular, the red-roofed koban on his property allegedly was the structure mysteriously removed from Chinatown on Jan. 10 immediately before a ceremony with Mayor Gavin Newsom. At issue is the koban’s lease and alleged past financial irregularities of the koban’s sponsor, the Chinatown Economic Development Group.
Both of the kobans featured below were photographed on Jan. 31 on Wong’s property, and a story about the red-roofed koban appeared in a Feb. 3 AsianWeek story. Since the story ran, that koban has disappeared again.
The silvery metallic structures once served as help kiosks for visitors. The red-roofed koban catered to Chinatown visitors while the green-roofed koban served the Japantown community.
— AsianWeek Staff Report
— Photos by Mutt-Mutt
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