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 Japanese American National Museum
Events Calendar

Series: Family Festivals

All programs are free for Museum members and free with admission for non-members, unless otherwise noted. Reservations are required for all programs. Seating is limited. Please call 213-625-0414 to make reservations. Events are subject to change.

 

 


Sunday, Jan 8, 2012

Family Festivals

Oshogatsu Family Festival

events/2012-Oshogatsu-Year-of-Dragon-100px.jpg FREE ADMISSION ALL DAY!

Ring in the New Year and the Year of the Dragon with fun arts ‘n crafts, food, and exciting cultural activities and performances.



11:00 AM – 5:00 PM: Craft and other fun activities for the entire family:

  • It’s the Year of the Dragon! Celebrate 2012 in style by constructing a dragon hat to wear.

  • Color and decorate a festive dragon streamer to wave in the New Year.

  • We need a hand! Help us build a dragon by adding a cutout of your hand to our wall. Throughout the day our dragon will grow and by the end we’ll have a fun and colorful creature made by all our JANM friends who came to help us celebrate Oshogatsu!

  • Toddler Room

  • Ruthie’s Origami Corner: Learn how to fold an origami dragon.


  • 11 AM - 3 PM: Learn how to make onigiri rice balls and enter the Onigiri contest. Sponsored by Common Grains

    11 AM – 5 PM: Special fukubukuro (lucky bag) store sale

    11 – 5 PM: Calling all kids, slay the dragon and jump in our dragon jumper!

    12 – 5 PM: Watch world-renowned candy artist Shaun Ichiyanagi make a dragon sculpture candy! (For children only. Candy Dragons will be raffled off at 4 PM)

    1 – 2 PM: Try osechi-ryori (Traditional Japanese New Year foods) (While supplies last. 1st come, 1st serve)

    1 – 4 PM: Have a balloon artist make a special pet dragon or dragon hat for you!

    1 – 5 PM: Zaru soba (buckwheat noodles) with Kidding Around the Kitchen.

    2 - 4 PM: Bring your camera and meet a real (costumed) dragon!

    4 PM: Three onigiri design winners will be announced. 100 of the top best entries will be on display after the selection is made.

    2:30 & 4 PM: Mochitsuki (traditional rice cake pounding ceremony) demonstration and performance by Kodama Taiko

    4:30 PM: Shi shi mai (traditional lion dance) and taiko performance by Kinnara Taiko

    This program is generously sponsored by Mitsubishi International Corporation, City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs, LA Country Arts Commission.

    ABOUT OUR FRIENDS:
    Onigiri Contest
    Each contestant is given one cup of cooked rice to make onigiri. We will show you how to make onigiri and provide you with ingredients to decorate the onigiri. No other ingredients and tools other than what we provide you with can be used in the contest.

    If you are participating in the contest as a family, only one adult and one child can participate in each section.

    Time: 10 minutes is allowed for each contestant.

    How to enter: Sign up and enter on the day of the festival.

    The Jury will consist of Russ Parsons, Columnist for the Los Angeles Times, Lynn Chen, food blogger, Omusubi shop owner Keiko Nakashima, Sunny Blue.

    Six winners!

    Children's section: (must be under 18)
    1 Kawaii onigiri prize
    1 Happy onigiri prize
    1 Original onigiri prize

    Adult Section:
    1 Humorous onigiri prize
    1 Original onigiri prize
    1 Cool onigiri prize

    About: Common Grains is a Japanese food and culture project to promote and celebrate Japanese grains, featuring rice and soba (buckwheat) produced by Shinmei, leading Japanese rice miller with local food writer/cooking teacher Sonoko Sakai. They are offering Angelinos artisanal rice and soba workshops, rice exhibition, soba restaurant event,

    Shaun Ichiyanagi
    Candy Sculpting is an ancient Oriental folk art that originated in China and has been known in Japan for over 1000 years. A dying art, only a few performers exist in the world today.

    Utilizing old Japanese scissors, this World Renown artist can magically transform a block of molten corn syrup into a beautiful sculpture of almost any shape and size, in 4-5 minutes.

    For more information about, Mr. Ichiyanagi, visit: thecandyartist.com.

    Kidding Around The Kitchen
    Kidding Around the Kitchen (KATK) brings a “hands on” cooking experience and lesson in which the kids actively participate in the preparation of recipes. The result of their cutting, measuring, cooking, and then eating their creations is more than simply a lesson in health. They get to see, touch, smell, and taste the fruits, vegetables, nuts, cheeses, eggs, meats, and other ingredients that they may never have previously seen in their raw form.

    For more information on Kidding Around the Kitchen, visit: www.kiddingaroundthekitchen.com.

    Kodama Taiko
    Kodama is a group of percussionists from the greater Los Angeles area who are dedicated to performing both traditional and contemporary pieces through the sounds of taiko. The group is primarily composed of working professionals who enjoy spending their "off" time learning and creating entertaining performance pieces.

    Kodama is well known for their unique Mochitsuki (rice cake pounding) performance which combines the age-old tradition of hand-pounding mochi (sweet rice) with the sounds of taiko. This energetic custom is typically performed during the Japanese New Year's, but has lately been expanded to include any celebratory occasion. Makoto Fujii of the Japan based group Medetaya instructed Kodama in combining the art of taiko and Mochitsuki.

    For more information, visit: www.kodamataiko.com.

    KINNARA TAIKO
    Kinnara Taiko was formed at Senshin Buddhist Temple in Los Angeles in 1969, the second such group in the America (San Francisco Taiko was founded in 1968). Kinnara was created as a way to express the group’s Buddhist beliefs through their performances. As a grassroots group, Kinnara literally built their own drums out of old wine barrels and wrote their own music which often articulated a Buddhist point of view.

    Under the direction of Rev. Masao Kodani, Kinnara also opened its practices up to interested visitors and even traveled around the country. The group was instrumental in helping other temples form their own taiko ensembles. Today, there are over 150 taiko groups in North America.

    Kinnara Taiko is known for performing the shi shi mai. Shi shi mai is the lion dance, used in olden times in Japan to scare pests away from crops or to ward off evil spirits. Regional variations use one, two or multi-person lions. As a New Year’s event, tradition states that if the shi shi mai bites you, you will have good luck the rest of the year.

    2012 TARGET FAMILY FREE SATURDAY SCHEDULE
    February 11: Ready, Set, Go! (Theme: Healthy Living)

    March 10: Folding Paper!

    April 14: Monster Mash!

    11:00 AM

     


    Saturday, Feb 11, 2012

    Family Festivals

    Target Free Family Saturday: Ready, Set, Go!

    events/Target_05__75__PMS186_8.JPG FREE ALL DAY!

    Learning, crafts, and fun for the entire family! February’s theme is healthy living.

    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:
  • Hop, skip, and jump on over to the Museum to embellish a jump rope.
  • Make a recipe holder for your favorite healthy recipes. We’ll have some recipes from Kidding Around in the Kitchen ready to go along with your creation!
  • Ruthie’s Origami Corner: An apple a day, keeps the doctor away! Make an origami apple with Ruthie.

  • SCHEDULE:
    11AM – Doors open

    11 AM – 12:30 – Chef Naoko Moore teaches you how to eat healthy by making onigiri (rice balls)! (1st come 1st serve, limit 15 students)

    1 – 2 PM -- Chef Sonoko Sakai teaches you how to eat healthy by making delicious miso soup! (1st come 1st serve, limit 15 students)

    1 - 4 PM - Kidding Around the Kitchen is happy to show families how to make their own Ready Set Go Delicious Kebabs

    1 – 4 PM – SPECIAL! Artists from our Drawing the Line: Japanese American Art, Design & Activism in Post-War Los Angeles exhibition will be in the galleries talking about their work.

    1 PM – Cut a rug! Learn how to Bon Odori (style of dancing performed during a traditional Japanese festival)

    2 PM – Palpitating Panthers Jump Rope Team performance and workshop

    3 PM – Let HoopItUp teach you how to hula hoop your way to good health

    4PM – Doors close

    ABOUT OUR FRIENDS:
    COMMON GRAINS presents two Japanese cooking workshops:
    Naoko Moore is a donabe & Japanese home-cooking expert. She runs Iga-yaki donabe and cooking websites in English and also hosts donabe & Japanese cooking classes in her kitchen in Los Angeles. Her company, toiro, is a US representative of an authentic Iga-yaki donabe & pottery producer, Nagatani-en (“iga-mono” brand), which was founded in 1832 in Iga, Japan. Visit Naoko's website: www.toirokitchen.com and Naoko's blog: naokomoore.com.)

    The Common Grains project is presented by the leading Japanese rice miller and is made possible with a grant from METI's Cool Japan. Sonoko Sakai is a Los Angeles based Japanese cooking teacher, cookbook author, soba maker and a contributing writer for the Los Angeles Times Food Section and Zester Daily. She is the program curator of Common Grains. Visit her websites: www.cooktellsastory.com. and www.commongrains.com.

    Brown rice "onigiri" workshop with Naoko Moore
  • Classic-style grilled salmon onigiri
  • Satsuma yam "takikomi" style rice onigiri

  • Easy Dashi and Miso Soup workshop with Sonoko Sakai
  • Classic-style dashi broths
  • Tofu and wakame miso soup
  • Winter vegetable and meat miso soup

  • Dashi is the foundation of Japanese cuisine. Learn how to make two delicious vegan and fish based dashi from scratch, using bonito flakes, konbu seaweed and shitake mushrooms. Sonoko will show you how select, store and hydrate the dried ingredients; and how to cook dashi at the right temperature, so you can extract the tastiest broths. She will show you how easy it is to make miso soup with a variety of vegetables and meat.

    Palpitating Panthers Jump Rope Team
    Palpitating Panthers Jump Rope Team is proud to have a long and rich history in the Southern California area as well as in the jump rope world. The team began in 1990 under founding coach, Janis Fuhrman. Palpitating Panthers and its team members have been at the vanguard of the sport, appearing in multiple commercials, videos, and tv shows. In order to spread the sport and promote a healthy lifestyle for children, the Panthers perform and teach for numerous schools and other events with the American Heart Association. We compete at the local and national level through AAU Junior Olympic Games, and at USAJR Nationals.

    For more information about Palpitating Panthers, visit www.palpitatingpanthers.org/.

    Hoopitup
    Hoopitup! Worldwide is a global community coming together one circle at a time. We are fitness activists empowering the world through hoop, dance and exercise. We utilize the hoop as a tool to bring people together, raise awareness and create positive change for social issues.

    For more information about Hoopitup, visit www.hoopitupkids.com/index.cfm?id=1 .

    Kidding Around The Kitchen
    Kidding Around the Kitchen (KATK) brings a “hands on” cooking experience and lesson in which the kids actively participate in the preparation of recipes. The result of their cutting, measuring, cooking, and then eating their creations is more than simply a lesson in health. They get to see, touch, smell, and taste the fruits, vegetables, nuts, cheeses, eggs, meats, and other ingredients that they may never have previously seen in their raw form.

    For more information on Kidding Around the Kitchen, visit:www.kiddingaroundthekitchen.com.

    2012 TARGET FAMILY FREE SATURDAY SCHEDULE
    March 10: Folding Paper!

    April 14: Monster Mash!

    11:00 AM

     


    Saturday, Mar 10, 2012

    Family Festivals

    Target Free Family Saturday: Folding Paper!

    events/Target_05__75__PMS186_9.JPG FREE ALL DAY!

    Help us celebrate our new exhibition Folding Paper: The Infinite Possibilities of Origami with a day of origami 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:
  • Origami crease patterns can be exciting too! See what unique designs emerge when you color in a sheet of crease pattern shapes.
  • Stop by our drop-in origami table to fold something fantastic and fun.
  • Help us make the longest paper chain ever made at JANM. Learn how to fold a link and watch the chain grow as visitors contribute throughout the day!
  • Ruthie’s Origami Corner: Sail on over to Ruthie’s corner to learn how to make an origami boat.

  • SCHEDULE:
    11AM – Doors open

    1 - 4 PM - Kidding Around the Kitchen is going to help our little friends learn how to make their own lunch time wraps.

    1 – 4 PM – Be amazed by a wandering “dollar bill” origami expert

    1 PM – Take a guided gallery tour of Folding Papers with curator Meher McArthur

    2 PM – Author Takayuki Ishii will talk about his book One Thousand Paper Cranes: The Story of Sadako and the Children's Peace Statue, an inspirational story of the Japanese national campaign to build the Children's Peace Statue honoring Sadako and hundreds of other children who died as a result of the bombing of Hiroshima.
    Purchase the book from the Museum Store >>

    *Special! Help contribute to our 1000 Cranes for world peace by folding a crane

    4PM – Doors close

    ABOUT OUR FRIENDS:
    Kidding Around The Kitchen
    Kidding Around the Kitchen (KATK) brings a “hands on” cooking experience and lesson in which the kids actively participate in the preparation of recipes. The result of their cutting, measuring, cooking, and then eating their creations is more than simply a lesson in health. They get to see, touch, smell, and taste the fruits, vegetables, nuts, cheeses, eggs, meats, and other ingredients that they may never have previously seen in their raw form.

    For more information on Kidding Around the Kitchen, visit:www.kiddingaroundthekitchen.com.

    One Thousand Paper Cranes: The Story of Sadako and the Children's Peace Statue written by Pastor Takayuki Ishii
    Ten years after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Sadako Sasaki died as a result of atomic bomb disease. Sadako's determination to fold one thousand paper cranes and her courageous struggle with her illness inspired her classmates. After her death, they started a national campaign to build the Children's Peace Statue to remember Sadako and the many other children who were victims of the Hiroshima bombing. On top of the statue is a girl holding a large crane in her outstretched arms. Today in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, this statue of Sadako is beautifully decorated with thousands of paper cranes given by people throughout the world.

    2012 TARGET FAMILY FREE SATURDAY SCHEDULE
    April 14: Monster Mash!

    May 12: Celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage
    July 14: Faces + Places


    OTHER FAMILY EVENTS
    14th Annual Summer Festival on the Courtyard: Japanese American Olympics

    In conjunction with the exhibition Folding Paper: The Infinite Possibilities of Origami

    11:00 AM

     


    Saturday, Apr 14, 2012

    Family Festivals

    Target Free Family Saturday: Monster Mash

    events/Target_05__75__PMS186_10.JPG FREE ALL DAY!

    Enjoy a day of monster related fun and crafts 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:
  • Add fun to your footsteps and terror to your trot by making monster feet.
  • Make a colorful zigzag monster puppet.
  • Help us with a little spring cleaning! Create a friendly or ferocious creature using a variety of fun supplies brought out from the Museum’s art supply closet!
  • Ruthie’s Origami Corner: Impress your friends with an origami monster.
  • SCHEDULE:
    11AM – Doors open

    1 - 4 PM - Join Kidding Around the Kitchen and come cut up some crazy ingredients to make your own Healthy Monster Mash Mix

    1 – 4 PM – Get your face or hands monsterized by a professional face painter

    1 – 4 PM – What would you look like as a monster? Get monster caricature by a professional artist

    2 PM– Artist, toy designer, and unofficial Kaiju* Toy and Art Ambassador Mark Nagata will talk about Kaiju toys and how they are made.

    4PM – Doors close

    ABOUT OUR FRIENDS:
    Kidding Around The Kitchen
    Kidding Around the Kitchen (KATK) brings a “hands on” cooking experience and lesson in which the kids actively participate in the preparation of recipes. The result of their cutting, measuring, cooking, and then eating their creations is more than simply a lesson in health. They get to see, touch, smell, and taste the fruits, vegetables, nuts, cheeses, eggs, meats, and other ingredients that they may never have previously seen in their raw form.

    For more information on Kidding Around the Kitchen, visit:www.kiddingaroundthekitchen.com.

    Mark Nagata
    Ask anyone who knows Mark to describe him and the two things that will come up are toys and art.

    After attending the Academy of Art College in San Francisco during the late 80's and picking up a New York artist's rep, Mark embarked on a 10-year plus journey as a freelance commercial illustrator. Over the years he's worked with a diverse client list which has included Scholastic Books, Bantam Books, Harper Collins, Becketts Publications, Schlage Locks, AMD, Genentech, IBM, Square Soft, Activision, DC Comics, Sony, Galoob Toys, Lucasfilms, Hasbro Toys and numerous Advertising and Design firms nationally and internationally. The highlight of this time included over 40 cover paintings for RL Stine's Goosbumps book series, Give Yourself Goosbumps.

    Churning out hundreds of assignments over the years, coupled with deadlines from hell took a toll, both mentally and physically. "I had to reassess what was important in my life and refocus my abilities towards a new goal. " said Nagata.

    "I'd been collecting Japanese toys all along, and suddenly realized it would be cool to have a magazine of some type devoted to them.

    So it's no surprise that Mark ended up creating and publishing Super7 Magazine. After successfully building the Super7 brand for nearly 4 years , it was time to sell and move on."I wasn't able to paint as much as I wanted, and I realized that the part of Super7 I enjoyed the most was creating toys " reflects Nagata.

    The end of Mark's involvement with Super7 is the beginning of his new venture called Max Toy Company. With a nod to the Golden Age of Japanese toys, Max Toy Co. will continue the tradition of offering classic Japanese character toys by all the best toy companies.

    Max Toy Co. will be producing it's own exclusive toys, both licensed and original. A special Max Toy Club will be offered, allowing members exclusive toy variations and more !

    "Max Toy Co. will allow me to produce original artwork, sculpt new toys, and work directly with a lot of my talented artist friends." Nagata says. Max Toy Co is a synthesis of toys and art ... both life long passions.

    For more information, please visit www.marknagata.com/.

    2012 TARGET FAMILY FREE SATURDAY SCHEDULE
    May 12: Celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage
    July 14: Faces + Places


    OTHER FAMILY EVENTS
    14th Annual Summer Festival on the Courtyard: Japanese American Olympics

    11:00 AM

     


    Saturday, May 12, 2012

    Family Festivals

    Target Free Family Saturday: Celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage

    events/Target_05__75__PMS186_10_1.JPG FREE ALL DAY!

    May is Asian Pacific Heritage month. Celebrate with fun arts, crafts, and food for the whole family. Keep checking back for more information.

    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:
  • Customize a re-useable lunch bag for carrying tasty treats!
  • Construct & embellish your own decorative paper lantern
  • Ruthie’s Origami Corner: origami balloons


  • SCHEDULE:
    11AM – Doors open

    11 AM - 4 PM - Mighty Boba Truck will be giving away mini-sized boba milk teas (For children only, while supplies last)

    12 PM A sushi tasting with Toshi Sushi (For children only, while supplies last)

    1 PM – A Hawaiian food tasting with Aloha Cafe (For children only, while supplies last)

    1 - 4 PM – Make Asian Fusion Chicken noodle soup with Kidding Around the Kitchen

    2 PM – A Korean roti (bread) tasting with Cafe Dulce (For children only, while supplies last)

    3 PM – A Japanese pastry tasting with Mikawaya (For children only, while supplies last)

    4PM – Doors close


    ABOUT OUR FRIENDS:
    Kidding Around The Kitchen
    Kidding Around the Kitchen (KATK) brings a “hands on” cooking experience and lesson in which the kids actively participate in the preparation of recipes. The result of their cutting, measuring, cooking, and then eating their creations is more than simply a lesson in health. They get to see, touch, smell, and taste the fruits, vegetables, nuts, cheeses, eggs, meats, and other ingredients that they may never have previously seen in their raw form.

    For more information on Kidding Around the Kitchen, visit:www.kiddingaroundthekitchen.com.

    The Mighty Boba Truck
    The Mighty Boba Truck offers main dishes, known as Mighty Heroes, featuring Buttermilk Popcorn Chicken, Island Pork Chop, Taiwanese Sweet Sausage, and Marinated Tofu Steak. In addition, we serve sides (namely Sidekicks) such as Sweet Butter Toast, Consensed Milk Toast, and Honey Sweet Potato Fries. We also invent Specials of the Month items to add to the variety of flavors.

    Most importantly, The Mighty Boba Truck delivers TASTE-omizable Mighty Concoctions, made-to-order tapioca Boba Tea beverages. Choose from Black Tea, Green Tea, several Milk Teas (Regular, Honey, Almond) and many Refreshing Teas (Passion Fruit, Honey, Mango), with or without sweet gummy boba balls. Yum…Special requests (less sugar/milk, etc) are welcome; if we can do it, we’ll do it. And just like our food selection, we introduce new Flavor of the Month to stimulate different taste buds. ^_^v

    For more information on the Mighty Boba, visit www.mightyboba.com.

    Toshi Sushi
    Owner Chef Toshihiko Seki is one of a few Edomae (traditional) sushi chefs. He was trained in Japan, and has more than 30 years of experience.

    For more information on Toshi Sushi, visit:visit Toshi Sushi's Facebook page.

    Aloha Cafe
    Aloha Cafe has been proudly serving Hawaiian food since 1996. Originally located in Monterey Park, Aloha Cafe prides itself on bringing you authentic island-style cuisine in a laid back atmosphere. Come visit our new location in Little Tokyo, inside Honda Plaza (across from Office Depot).

    For more information on Aloha Cafe, visit www.eatatalohacafe.com.

    Cafe Dulce
    Located in the Japanese Village Plaza, Cafe Dulce is one of Little Tokyo's newest coffee shops. For more information about Cafe Dulce, visit www.cafedulce.co.

    Mikawaya
    Since 1910 Mikawaya has taken pride in the manufacture and sales of traditional Japanese pastries known as "Wagashi"

    For more information about Mikawaya, visit www.mikawayausa.com.

    2012 TARGET FAMILY FREE SATURDAY SCHEDULE
    July 14: Faces + Places

    OTHER FAMILY EVENTS
    14th Annual Summer Festival on the Courtyard: Japanese American Olympics

    11:00 AM

     


    Saturday, Aug 11, 2012

    Family Festivals

    14th Annual Summer Festival on the Courtyard: Japanese American Olympics

    events/new_frog_winking_100_4.jpg London will host the Summer Olympics but JANM will host the JA Olympics. Join us for fun Japanese American games – like a jan ken po tournament and origami design contest – for the whole family.

    In conjunction with the exhibition Folding Paper: The Infinite Possibilities of Origami

    11:00 AM

     

     

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