FREE ALL DAY!

Celebrate International Children’s Day at JANM! Fun crafts, readings, performances and food tastings for the whole family!

Generously sponsored by Target, these special Saturdays are filled with fun activities giving families unique ways to learn, play, and grow together.

ALL DAY CRAFT ACTIVITIES:

Create a fun and festive tanabata decoration using a variety of materials.

Maneki neko is a Japanese beckoning cat that is considered to be a lucky charm in Japan. Make one of your own to bring you good luck.

Design your own koi nobori (Japanese fish kite) to celebrate Children's Day

Ruthie’s Origami Corner: Create your own Mother’s Day card!

SCHEDULE:
11 AM - Doors open

11 to 2 PM – Spring has sprung and Kidding Around the Kitchen is here to show you how to make kid friendly fruit kebobs with yogurt dipping sauce

1 PM – Try traditional Japanese Children's Day sweets from Fugetsu-do Sweet Shop!

2 PM – Come see the special shadow puppet show, “Urashima Taro,” and hear, The Last Kappa of Old Japan, book reading with Sunny Seki.

3 PM – Listen to the award-winning writer Naomi Hirahara read from her newest book Blood Hina

4 PM - Doors close

ABOUT OUR FRIENDS:
Kidding Around The Kitchen
It is such a common problem in today's world that families rarely get to eat together anymore.

Kidding around the Kitchen shows that families can make and eat food together without a lot of fuss or a huge time commitment. The family food demo helps families with tips on smarter shopping, fun recipe ideas, advice on how to incorporate healthier choices when possible and advice on how to delegate tasks in an age-appropriate way. This family food demo is a “how to” get everyone involved in the family meal.

Kidding around the Kitchen is for families that have full plates in life as well as wanting a full plate of food to enjoy together. It's about time well spent. You'll see your kids get a we did it attitude!! This family food demo works on the try it premises all while empowering the kids and family. If we can do it, so can you!!

Kidding around the Kitchen is an adventure in fun, food and family. We are not only making food, we are making memories.

For more information on Kidding around the kitchen go to: www.kiddingaroundthekitchen.co

Fugetsu-Do Sweet Shop
Fugetsu-Do has been a family owned and operated confectionery store in Little Tokyo since 1903. Japanese rice cakes, more commonly known as mochi (rice cake) and manju (sweet bean-filled rice cake), are the staple. The shop, which is currently operated by Brian Kito, is located on East First Street, in the heart of the Historic District of Little Tokyo. Some of the family history was shared with me, and I welcome the opportunity to put down on paper one family's history in the United States.

For more information on Fugetsu-Do Sweet Shop go to: www.fugetsu-do.com

Sunny Seki
Sunny was born in Japan, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in photography. He then studied illustration at Pasadena Art Center College of Design, and operated a successful Portrait Studio for 30 years. His first book, The Tale of the Lucky Cat, was recognized with two prestigious awards. Sunny also teaches a Japanese poetry senryu group. He spends much time retelling and illustrating Japanese folktales, and also presents them with shadow puppetry. Recently Sunny’s craft was featured on The Disney Channel; this two-minute spot can be viewed at here. Sunny lives in San Gabriel with his wife and nine children.

Sunny will also be signing two other books that he also wrote and illustrated. All three titles are available in the Museum Gift Store.

The Tale of the Lucky Cat (East-West Discovery Press, 2007) is a retold folktale about the Japanese origin of the Good Luck Cats (maneki neko) that we see in so many shops and restaurants. This bilingual children’s book combines love of animals, and the rewards of doing good deeds.

Gardeners’ Pioneer Story (Southern California Gardeners Federation, 2007) is a bilingual compilation of the senryu poems written by one century of Japanese gardeners in California. Through these poems, Sunny reveals the history, pain and joy of the gardeners who truly paved the way for today’s Japanese-American community.

For more information about Sunny, go to: www.sunnyseki.com.

Judy Seki
Judy grew up in the San Gabriel Valley, and spent two years teaching English in Kyoto and Tokyo. Currently she teaches mathematics, English, and entrepreneurship at Soledad Enrichment Action Charter High School Girls Academy in Los Angeles.

Urashima Taro
“Urashima Taro” is a famous Japanese folktale that has been in existence for more than four hundred years. Sunny will present this story as a shadow puppet presentation. Sunny created the puppets, and he acts as the chief puppeteer, assisted by his son Mario. His wife Judy will be the narrator.

The Last Kappa of Old Japan
The Last Kappa of Old Japan (Tuttle Publishing, 2010) is an original story about the folklore creatures known as kappas. Through the last surviving kappa we learn a lesson about preserving our environment and we also understand the origin of a new kind of sushi called “Kappa Roll.”

Blood Hina by Naomi Hirahara
In Blood Hina, the fourth installment of Naomi Hirahara's highly acclaimed Mas Arai mystery series, Mas' best friend Haruo is getting married and Mas has grudgingly agreed to serve as best man. But then a hina doll display of Haruo's fiancee goes missing, and the wedding is called off with fingers pointed at Haruo. To clear his friend's name, Mas must first uncover a world of heartbreaking memories, deception, and murder. This mystery takes its readers to Montebello, the flower market in downtown Los Angeles and Imperial Valley. Blood Hina is the first hardcover book in the series.

2010 TARGET FAMILY FREE SATURDAY SCHEDULE
June – Uniquely You!

July – On the Go!

Oct 9: Theme Martial Arts:
"Just for Kicks"

Nov 13: Theme Fall
"Fall into Fall”

Dec 11: Theme: Origami
“Fold, Crease, and Crinkle”

FREE ALL DAY!

Enjoy a day of family fun where were we celebrate you!

Generously sponsored by Target, these special Saturdays are filled with fun activities giving families unique ways to learn, play, and grow together.

ALL DAY CRAFT ACTIVITIES:

Families are all unique and special. Create your with a paper portrait!

Have your picture taken and embellish it with a frame decorated by you

Hip hip hooray! Make a pennant flag all about you

Ruthie’s Origami Corner: Make your own Father’s Day card!

SCHEDULE:
11 AM - Doors open

12 PM – Teri LaFlesh will share tips for all ages on how to work with naturally curly hair, making it your 'unique trademark and friend.'

1 PM – Storytellers Kim Wayans & Kevin Knotts will read from their popular children's book series Amy Hodgepodge about a young girl who is Japanese, African American, Korean and White.

2 PM – Hear educator (and President Obama's sister), Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng, read from her unreleased book Ladder to the Moon. Followed by a book signing of Mixed: Portraits of Multiracial Kids by author Kip Fulbeck and contributor Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng.

1 PM to 4 PM – Join Kidding Around the Kitchen in celebrating Asian, Jewish, and Italian flavors in making some chicken soup for the fusion soul

3:30 PM – Urban dance performance and workshop for kids by Culture Shock®

4 PM - Doors close

ABOUT OUR FRIENDS:
Teri LaFlesh, Curly Like Me: The Natural Way to Grow Your Hair Healthy, Long, and Strong
Teri LaFlesh has been writing and illustrating since childhood. She created freelance botanical illustrations while earning a bachelor of science in botany from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Most of her life was spent fighting with her chemically damaged, short and crunchy hair—once accidentally dissolving it all with a relaxer. Through nearly thirty years of trial, error, and research, she finally discovered what her hair had needed all along. Finally understood, her natural curls now reach to her hips. Teri lives near Seattle with her husband, two cats, and grows giant houseplants.

For more information, go to : BiracialHair.org

Our Storytellers: Kim Wayans & Kevin Knotts
Kim Wayans & Kevin Knotts are actors and writers (and wife and husband) who live in Los Angeles. Kevin was raised on a ranch in Oklahoma and Kim grew up in the heart of New York City. They were inspired to write the Amy Hodgepodge series by their beautiful nieces and nephews - many of whom are mixed race children - and by the fact that when you look around the world today, it's more of a hodgepodge than ever.

Kidding Around The Kitchen
It is such a common problem in today's world that families rarely get to eat together anymore.

Kidding around the Kitchen shows that families can make and eat food together without a lot of fuss or a huge time commitment. The family food demo helps families with tips on smarter shopping, fun recipe ideas, advice on how to incorporate healthier choices when possible and advice on how to delegate tasks in an age-appropriate way. This family food demo is a “how to” get everyone involved in the family meal.

Kidding around the Kitchen is for families that have full plates in life as well as wanting a full plate of food to enjoy together. It's about time well spent. You'll see your kids get a we did it attitude!! This family food demo works on the try it premises all while empowering the kids and family. If we can do it, so can you!!

Kidding around the Kitchen is an adventure in fun, food and family. We are not only making food, we are making memories.

For more information on Kidding around the kitchen go to: www.kiddingaroundthekitchen.co

Maya Soetoro-Ng
Maya Soetoro-Ng has a background in global and multicultural education. She was born in Jakarta, Indonesia and later moved to Honolulu, Hawai'i. She has a Masters degree in Secondary Education from NYU and a Ph.D in Educational Foundations from the University of Hawai‘i. Her doctoral research explored narrative and the politics of multicultural education. Maya has taught and developed humanities curriculum for alternative public and private schools in New York City and Honolulu. She has also mentored many teachers and conducted teacher training workshops in the U.S. and Indonesia. From 2000 to 2006, she was a lecturer in the University of Hawaii's College of Education. Maya is currently an education specialist at the East West Center which promotes cooperation and exchange between the United States and Asia. Her picture book Ladder to the Moon is being illustrated and will be published in the Fall of 2010. She is also writing a book on one of her lifelong commitments, peace education.

Culture Shock®
Is a troupe of individuals who, through the power of music and dance, cultivate self-worth, dignity, and respect for all people.

Culture Shock® is a non-profit 501(c)(3) hip-hop dance troupe dedicated to cutting-edge entertainment, dance education and outreach to diverse communities. Founded in 1993 by Nike Dance Trainer Angie Bunch, Culture Shock has grown from its home location of San Diego to cities across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

For more information about Culture Shock®, go to: www.cultureshockdance.org/

2010 TARGET FAMILY FREE SATURDAY SCHEDULE
July – On the Go!

Oct 9: Theme Martial Arts:
"Just for Kicks"

Nov 13: Theme Fall
"Fall into Fall”

Dec 11: Theme: Origami
“Fold, Crease, and Crinkle”

FREE ALL DAY!

Delight in a day of family fun at the National Museum. July’s theme is travel!

Generously sponsored by Target, these special Saturdays are filled with fun activities giving families unique ways to learn, play, and grow together.

ALL DAY CRAFT ACTIVITIES:

Tag! You're it! Create a fun luggage tag to identify your bag when you travel

Pack it up! Decorate a backpack to take with you while you're on the go

Ruthie’s Origami Corner: Smile... and fold your own origami camera!

SCHEDULE:
11 AM - Doors open

11 AM – 4 PM – With the recent opening of the new Little Tokyo Gold Line Station, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will be here to help you learn about the metro system and how to travel on it safety! We will be passing out free Metro tokens! (Limited supplies, first come first serve)

1 PM – The Japan National Tourism Organization will present a family-friendly Japanese customs and language class for families planning to Visit Japan

2:15 – 5:45 PM – Free Family "Little Tokyo-Gastronomy Tour" (Limit 14 people total, please RSVP early, families only)

3 PM – Intentionally known performers Yoko Fujimoto & Derek Nakamoto will perform, “Our Story,” a concert about how traveling has shaped their music

4 PM - Doors close

ABOUT OUR FRIENDS:
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is unique among the nation’s transportation agencies. It serves as transportation planner and coordinator, designer, builder and operator for one of the country’s largest, most populous counties. More than 9.6 million people – nearly one-third of California’s residents – live, work, and play within its 1,433-square-mile service area.

For more information about the Metro, go to: http://www.metro.net/index.asp
Six Taste's Little Tokyo Food Tour
Little Tokyo is home to several restaurants, bakeries, and other historical eating establishments. Its 100-plus years of history provide some fascinating stories. Six Taste's Little Tokyo Tour will take you throughout Little Tokyo, from Fugetsu-Do, a confectionary shop and the oldest building in Little Tokyo to Chado Tea Room, where you'll get to taste some authentic Japanese tea, to several other restaurants and other eateries.

Six Taste's food tours are more than just walking and eating. They hope to provide you with an entertaining, educational, and exciting experience. You'll learn about Japanese culture, the history of Little Tokyo, the art and science of tasting, and have great conversations over great food.

The "Gastronaut Tour" includes a balance of history, culture, and delicious food. You'll stop at some of the most fascinating historical locations in Little Tokyo, meet owners of some of the longest running stores in Little Tokyo, try amazing food at seven different locations, and learn about Japanese culture and culinary customs. This tour is perfect for tourists or LA natives that have never ventured into Little Tokyo before.
For more information about Six Taste and it’s other tours, go to: http://www.sixtaste.com/

Japanese National Tourism Organization (JNTO)
JNTO is involved in a broad range of activities promoting travel to Japan through various activities overseas as well as tourism-promoting activities in Japan.

For more information about JNTO or to learn more about traveling to Japan, please visit: www.japantravelinfo.com or www.jnto.go.jp

Yoko Fujimoto & Derek Nakamoto – “Our Story”
Travel brings new experiences that shape our perspectives, creating each of our own stories. Yoko Fujimoto; acclaimed singer from the renowned Taiko Ensemble Kodo, Derek Nakamoto; Record Producer and Keyboardist who has worked with artist such as Michael Bolton & Keiko Matsui are joined by session drummer Denny Fongheiser; best known for his work with Tracy Chapman, Heart and T Bone Burnett for an concert presenting songs from Yoko’s repertoire with Kodo as well as songs from her CD with Derek “Morisa Komoris” in a contemporary setting. Stories will be shared about how each of our own experiences traveling the world shaped our perspectives, which influence our interpretation of music.

2010 TARGET FAMILY FREE SATURDAY SCHEDULE
Oct 9: Theme Martial Arts:
"Just for Kicks"

Nov 13: Theme Fall
"Fall into Fall”

Dec 11: Theme: Origami
“Fold, Crease, and Crinkle”