Since ancient times, rice has been the most important crop in Japan. Every village had a shrine where people would go to pray for a good harvest and good health. Where there was a shrine, there was a koji-maker, who used the koji mold to ferment rice, wheat and soy beans to produce such Japanese staples as sake, soy sauce, miso, rice vinegar, and amazake (a fermented rice drink). Amazake is traditionally served at the shrines during new years and throughout the year to promote health.

With the industrialization of koji based products, artisanal koji makers have dwindled to about 1000. In the last few years, Myoho Asari of Saiki Kojiya has led the educational outreach about artisanal koji making traditions directly to Japanese cooks and chefs, who are now driving the renaissance in koji fermented foods.

This workshop will teach you how to make the following foods:
• Koji cucumber pickles
• Tamago koji omelet
• Salmon cakes
• Koji soup with chicken balls
• Onigiri (rice balls) with koji sesame seeds
• Mixed berries with koji

$75 members, $85 non-members. RSVP early, 25 students max.

Relive history and learn about present-day Little Tokyo with Museum docents. $9 Members; $14 non-members, includes admission. Comfortable walking shoes recommended. Weather permitting.

Tour our ongoing exhibition Common Ground: The Heart of Community with our knowledgeable Museum docents.

Let your summer bloom by making floral cards. $9 members; $14 non-members, includes admission & supplies. RSVP early, 10 students max.

Relive history and learn about present-day Little Tokyo with Museum docents. $9 Members; $14 non-members, includes admission. Comfortable walking shoes recommended. Weather permitting.

This walk will introduce you to some of the many varieties of sushi. Each will be sampled during a cultural graze of Little Tokyo. The stops will highlight a different kind of sushi along with the unique history of the food and the neighborhood. $70 Members; $80 non-members, includes admission. Comfortable walking shoes recommended. RSVP early, 15 students max.

Tour our ongoing exhibition Common Ground: The Heart of Community with our knowledgeable Museum docents.

This multi-workshop event will let you try delicious and fresh Japanese food! Make traditional Japanese pickles with cooking instructor Yoko Isassi and create bento lunchboxes with cooking instructor and author Sonoko Sakai. And don’t forget about dessert—cookbook author Jenn Fujikawa will delight you with her fun take on mochi. Cost for all three workshops is $70 members, $80 non-members. RSVP early, 15 students max.

About the Instructors:
Jenn Fujikawa
Jenn Fujikawa is an Architectural Designer, Mom, Crafter, and Baker. You can read about her culinary adventures at her blog justJENN Recipes.

Yoko Isassi:
Yoko grew up in a Japanese foodie family where she learned from her mother's culinary skills, her grandfather's Tofu making activities, and her grandmother's mastery of the art of the Tea Ceremony. Yoko has parlayed these talents into a successful career as a Japanese food cooking instructor and lecturer.

She is a Japanese Food Storyteller and producer of a variety of Japanese cooking classes and workshops. She focuses on cultural aspects of Japan's rich food history and etiquettes. You can read more about Yoko's cooking classes at her website FoodStory.

Sonoko Sakai:
Sonoko Sakai is a Japanese writer and producer who calls three places home: Los Angeles, Tehachapi and Tokyo. Sonoko learned how to cook from two wonderful cooks: her Japanese grandmother and her mother. Sonoko contributes stories and recipes to the Los Angeles Times. She is also a regular contributor to Zester Daily. To learn more about Sonoko, visit her website Cook Tells A Story.

Relive history and learn about present-day Little Tokyo with Museum docents. $9 Members; $14 non-members, includes admission. Comfortable walking shoes recommended. Weather permitting.

Learn how to make a decorative Kusudama ball and recycled envelope cards! $9 members; $14 non-members, includes admission & supplies. RSVP early, 10 students max.

Tour our ongoing exhibition Common Ground: The Heart of Community with our knowledgeable Museum docents.

Soboro is a delicious Japanese dish that uses rice as the centerpiece of a meal. The menu will consist of rice made in a donabe clay pot, and served with a variety of toppings. There will be vegetable side dishes to enhance the rice dish and a refreshing fruit dessert. $70 members, $80 non-members. RSVP early, 16 students max.

Relive history and learn about present-day Little Tokyo with Museum docents. $9 Members; $14 non-members, includes admission. Comfortable walking shoes recommended. Weather permitting.

In this 2-day workshop we will focus our intentions on practicing itajime (fold and clamp) shibori on recycled kimono lining silks. Once considered as precious as gold, old silks are being discarded at an alarming rate! Let’s breathe new life into them and improve our understanding of both silk and itajime shibori. Indigo and colorhue dyes will be used in this workshop. Both days: $70 members; $90 non-members, an additional $45 materials fee (cash only) will be collected at the beginning of class, admission is included. RSVP early, 20 students max.