FREE ADMISSION

Ring in the New Year with fun arts and crafts, whimsical tales, and exciting performances at the National Museum.

11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Arts and crafts for children of all ages
Bird Pins: Allowed to bring only what they could carry, Japanese American World War II inmates created beauty under daunting circumstances by making bird pins. Learn the fascinating story behind the pins and design your own out of various materials.

Daruma Puppets: The daruma is a good luck charm many people in Japan buy for birthdays, celebrations, or New Years day to bring fortune and prosperity. Create a puppet and make a wish for happiness in 2007.

Origami: Ori is to fold. Kami is paper. Origami is the Japanese art of paper folding that has become a beloved art form for people around the globe. Learn to make things that fly, swim, and run at this fun workshop.

Family Photos: Take a Polaroid with your family and friends then add a special wish for 2007. We'll put it on our community mural to form one huge card to ring in the New Year.

Noon, 2:00 PM
Eth-Noh-Tec
Based in San Francisco, Eth-Noh-Tec is an interdisciplinary theater company that combines precision choreography with lyrical word-weaving. By layering ancient Asian mythologies, folktales, and urban legends, they have created a new blend of storytelling and kinetic theater. Suitable for kids of all ages.

3:00 PM
Concert
Our New Year's family concert includes a performance by Samba at Saticoy, an after school volunteer children's ensemble directed by Lee Cobin. Based at Saticoy Elementary School in North Hollywood, the group highlights the spirited rhythms found throughout Brazil. No New Year's celebration would be complete without the powerful sounds of taiko and we'll be presenting some of the city's finest. Bring your dancing shoes, as this is one Oshogatsu you won't want to miss.

Sponsored, in part, by The James Irvine Foundation and the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles.

Learn about Oshogatsu at the Museum Store Online: Oshogatsu! Japanese New Year Traditions

On June 23, 1942, forty orphans arrived at Manzanar. By the time the camp closed, more than sixty joined their ranks. As assistant superintendent, Lillian Matsumoto oversaw the operation of the facility and care of the orphans. Now in her nineties, Matsumoto shares her memories in a very special program that includes her daughter, Karyl Matsumoto, and oral historian, Greg Marutani. Reservations recommended.

This program is made possible, in part, by the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program.

This indelible work of visual and social history confirms Dorothea Lange's stature as one of the twentieth century's greatest American photographers. Presenting 119 images originally censored by the United States Army -- the majority of which have never been published -- Impounded evokes the horror of a community uprooted in the early 1940s and the stark reality of the internment camps. Colin Westerbeck, distinguished curator of photography and Los Angeles Times West magazine contributing writer, moderates a conversation with the authors, to shed light on the experiences of thousands whose lives were unalterably shattered by racial hatred brought on by war. Book signing and dessert reception to follow. Reservations recommended.

This book is available at the Museum Store. Call 888.769.5559 to place an order.

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

Flower Origami
Give your special someone a unique bouquet for Valentine's Day. Learn to fold vibrant, colorful flowers incorporating elegant designs and fine details. $8 for National Museum members and $13 for non-members, includes supplies and Museum admission.

Ideal for Educators

Combining heartfelt stories with first-rate scholarship, Lost & Found reveals the complexity of people reclaiming their own history by exploring the meaning of the World War II camps from the inmates' own memories. Ishizuka, former Senior Curator and Director of the Frank H. Watase Media Arts Center at the Japanese American National Museum, deftly blends official history with community memory to work towards recovering a painful past. During this program, the author, in conversation with Thai Binh Checel, Partner, Abacus Educational Enrichment, provides new insights about the Japanese American incarceration experience.

Book signing and dessert reception to follow. All educators with proper ID can purchase Lost & Found at a 10% discount at the program. Reservations are recommended for this FREE event to 213.625.0414.

This book is available through the Museum Store Online or by calling the toll-free Store Order Line at 888.769.5559.

Private Tour for Educators
Saturday, January 27, 1:00PM
(Lost & Found program to immediately follow)

Join us for a facilitated tour of the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, an educational program of the National Museum that promotes the principles of democracy, diversity, and civic involvement. To make a tour reservation, contact 213.625.0414. For more information about the National Center, visit www.ncdemocracy.org.

A successful businessman and philanthropist, Takayama's entrepreneurial endeavors have significantly advanced global technologies, and his dedication to public service has changed countless lives worldwide. Born in the United States in 1906, his story begins like many Japanese Americans but soon embarks on a remarkably different journey. From a childhood spent in Japan, to the neighborhoods of Los Angeles, to the battlefields of World War II, he has witnessed the profound and tumultuous changes in both the United States and Japan over the past ninety years. A deeply moving memoir told with humor and humanity, of one man's unique journey living in two cultures. Book signing to follow.

This book is available for sale through the Museum Store Online.