2019 Natsumatsuri Family Festival

Special Events

Youth & Families

Members

2019 Natsumatsuri Family Festival

2019 Natsumatsuri Family Festival

Special Events

Youth & Families

Members

2019 Natsumatsuri Family Festival

About the Event

Join us for our annual summer celebration featuring Japanese and Japanese American performances, crafts, and activities.

Plus, free admission all day to see At First Light: The Dawning of Asian Pacific America and Common Ground: The Heart of Community.

Special perks available for JANM members! Be sure to check in at the front desk to get a member sticker so you can take advantage of the perks highlighted below.

This event is free, but RSVPs are requested. Those who RSVP and show their ticket at the JANM membership table at the Natsumatsuri Family Festival will be entered into a drawing for a one-year JANM family/dual level membership.

Check out the all-day and scheduled activities below!

FREE

Saturday, Aug 10, 2019

11:00 AM - 5:00 PM PDT

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About the Event

Join us for our annual summer celebration featuring Japanese and Japanese American performances, crafts, and activities.

Plus, free admission all day to see At First Light: The Dawning of Asian Pacific America and Common Ground: The Heart of Community.

Special perks available for JANM members! Be sure to check in at the front desk to get a member sticker so you can take advantage of the perks highlighted below.

This event is free, but RSVPs are requested. Those who RSVP and show their ticket at the JANM membership table at the Natsumatsuri Family Festival will be entered into a drawing for a one-year JANM family/dual level membership.

Check out the all-day and scheduled activities below!

Sponsors:

Los Angeles County Arts Commission   The Nissan Foundation

Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles

Media Sponsor: The Rafu Shimpo

Activities

family posing for a picture at the 2019 Natsumatsuri Family Festival summer photo booth

Summer Photo Booth

Grab some fun props from Nerdbot and take a souvenir photo with friends and family.

learning how to fold an origami yukata kimono at 2019 Natsumatsuri Family Festival

Ruthie’s Origami Corner

Learn to fold a yukata (summer kimono), popular attire during Japanese summer festivals.

snow cone suncatcher craft at the 2019 Natsumatsuri Family Festival

Summertime Suncatchers

Create a decorative shave ice suncatcher to hang in your window!

girl with her Natsumatsuri paper hat

Paper Hats

A JANM summer tradition! Design your own unique paper hat to keep you cool while you have fun in the sun.

Saataa andaagii at the 2019 Natsumatsuri Family Festival

Okinawan Treats

Sample fresh saataa andaagii—deep-fried pastries. One per person, while supplies last. Express lane for members! Express lane for members!

scavenger hunt sheets at 2019 Natsumatsuri Family Festival

Scavenger Hunt

Explore JANM’s current exhibitions, find all the items on our scavenger hunt list, and win a prize. One per participant, while supplies last.

toddler room at the 2018 Natsumatsuri Family Festival

Toddler Room

Check out this cheerful place for parents and toddlers to relax and play.

Note: All children must be supervised by an accompanying adult at all times.

Courtyard Kaeru with picture of kaeru

Building History 3.0

Play Minecraft and watch short videos while learning about the WWII Japanese American incarceration camps with Building History 3.0, a free, web-based project for families and educators from UCLA Center for EthnoCommunications and Visual Communications.

Schedule

young girl drumming a taiko drum during a Natsumatsuri demonstration

11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Taiko Demonstration

Learn taiko drumming from JANM volunteer Hal Keimi! Taiko is a traditional form of Japanese percussion using a variety of drums, some very large. Taiko playing is loud, hard, and fast, and involves choreographed movements that mirrors Japanese martial arts. Reserved seating for members!

Bon door dancing led by Elaine Fukumoto at Natsumatsuri Family Festival

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Obon Lecture and Community Dance

Learn about Japan’s obon festivals, which honor and celebrate the spirits of ancestors, with Rimban William Briones of Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple. A group bon odori (traditional dance) will then be led by Elaine Fukumoto.

The Little Kokeshi Doll from Fukushima by Sunny Seki

1:00 PM - 1:45 PM

“The Little Kokeshi Doll from Fukushima” Book Reading

Join author/illustrator Sunny Seki as he reads from his book and discusses the evolution of kokeshi dolls. He will demonstrate his lathe, and conclude with a presentation of his life-sized dolls in an interactive kokeshi fashion show.

Book available at the JANM Store.

Young girls with face painting at Natsumatsuri Family Festival

1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Face Painting

Put on your best summer festival face with Party Face Magic. For children only. Express lane for members!

Joyce Kwon playing the gayageum at the 2019 Natsumatsuri Family Festival

1:45 PM - 2:15 PM

Performance by Joyce Kwon

Joyce Kwon is a singer-songwriter and gayageum player hailing from Los Angeles. She studied jazz voice in New York City as well as traditional Korean music in Seoul, and now makes folk music influenced by the diaspora. Reserved seating for members!

Voices Carry performing "With Memories On Their Backs" at the 2019 Natsumatsuri Family Festival

2:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Performance by Voices Carry

Voices Carry will presents With Memories On Their Backs, a dance theater performance honoring the plight of refugees. The audience will follow the dancers throughout the museum, experiencing the emotions of a refugee’s journey. There will be a second performance at 3:30 p.m.

Ninja Mom and the Tengonis in the Tiki

2:15 PM - 3:00 PM

“Ninja Mom and the Tengonis in the Tiki” Book Reading

Join author Ren Hanami and illustrator Don Schmidt for a reading of their book in which a group of monsters is accidentally unleashed on the first day of young Kimi’s ninja training. Kimi will need help from her ninja mom, inventor dad, and grandmother warrior bachan to get through her first ninja lesson!

Hanami and Schmidt will also sign copies of the book purchased from the JANM Store.

Voices Carry performing "With Memories On Their Backs" at the 2019 Natsumatsuri Family Festival

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM

Performance by Voices Carry

Voices Carry will presents With Memories On Their Backs, a dance theater performance honoring the plight of refugees. The audience will follow the dancers throughout the museum, experiencing the emotions of a refugee’s journey. There will be another performance at 2 p.m.

Allen Roy Oshiro performing magic at 2019 Natsumatsuri Family Festival

4:00 PM - 4:40 PM

Illusions by Allen

Check out Allen Roy Oshiro’s exciting magic act, which includes a live rabbit and doves! Oshiro has been performing magic since the age of five, has been featured on television, and won first-place in the Magic Corner Battle of the Magicians. Reserved seating for members!

Kishin Daiko performing at the 2019 Natsumatsuri Family Festival

4:40 PM - 5:00 PM

Kishin Daiko Performance

Finish up the fun-filled day with a performance by Kishin Daiko, a multi-ethnic, multi-generational taiko group founded at the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center in 1981. Reserved seating for members! Reserved seating for members!

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