October is National Arts Month...and, the Japanese American National Museum is pleased to help celebrate the arts in the first-ever "Museums Free-For-All" day on Saturday, October 1, 2005.

Admission is FREE to all 24 participating LA-area museums (check each museum for their normal hours of operation). A perfect opportunity to see the National Museum's current exhibitions, Big Drum: Taiko in the United States and Toshiko Takaezu: The Art of Clay!

For more information, click here.

Hear, touch, and play! A hands-on taiko experience for the whole family featuring Hydaiko, a network of taiko drummers from several groups in Southern California.

Inspired by images from the National Museum's collection of photographs, Kodo's Kaoru Watanabe and On Ensemble's Shoji Kameda have created an evening of music that showcases the singular beauty of the fue (Japanese flute) and taiko.

Perfect for invitations or just because—vibrant flowers surprise the recipient of your specially designed greeting cards. $8 for National Museum members; $13 for non-members, which includes supplies and Museum admission. Reservations are recommended.

Caldecott medalist Allen Say debuts his colorful new work, Kamishibai Man, a tale of an old paper storyteller in Japan who returns to the city and discovers the children he used to entertain have not forgotten him. Book signing to follow.

Relive history and learn about present-day Little Tokyo with National Museum docents on this historic walking tour. $8 for National Museum members; $13 for non-members, includes Museum admission. Reservations along with comfortable walking shoes and clothes are recommended. Weather permitting.

Instructor Chester Hashizume leads a comprehensive workshop covering genealogy basics such as getting started, identifying your ancestral Japanese home town, obtaining and utilizing family documents, and determining the meaning behind surnames and family crests—all the tools you need to discover your roots.

This five-hour intensive session includes a one-hour break. $45 for National Museum members; $55 for non-members, includes materials and Museum admission.

Tickle your funny bone as you take the stage with the Cold Tofu troupe—the masters of improv—as they lead a participatory workshop certain to keep the kids laughing 'til it hurts!

Cold Tofu is dedicated to promoting diverse images of Asian Pacific Americans through comedy and to developing multiethnic talent through education and performance. Visit Cold Tofu at www.coldtofu.com.

Sansei Amy Uyematsu's third collection of poetry, Stone Bow Prayer, profiles a woman whose life engages politics, her ancestry, and spirit. This beautiful collection is constructed as a Japanese Calendar—with bows to the Zen aesthetic.

Taiji Miyagawa will accompany Uyematsu's reading with acoustic bass. Book signing to follow.

Join the witches and warlocks of Cold Tofu as they cast a spell of hilarity and hijinks in their annual Halloween show. Be prepared to howl and scream in sheer delight as you're treated to another daringly devilish dose of improvised comedy.

Cold Tofu is dedicated to promoting diverse images of Asian Pacific Americans through comedy and to developing multiethnic talent through education and performance. Visit Cold Tofu at www.coldtofu.com.