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Closed for Renovations

JANM’s Pavilion is closed for renovation and will reopen in late 2026. While the museum and store are closed, join us for programs and events on our Little Tokyo campus, throughout Southern California, and beyond. 

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  • JANM Awarded a $40,000 grant from Nissan Foundation for Family Festivals and School Visits

    Jul 24, 2024

    LOS ANGELES, CA – The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) was awarded a $40,000 grant from the Nissan Foundation that supports JANM’s award-winning virtual and in-person School Visits programs and free biannual family festivals, including the 2024 Natsumatsuri Festival on Saturday, August 10.“Our award-winning School Visits programs and family festivals not only further our mission but also provide students, edu...

  • "Dodgers: Brotherhood of the Game" Upper Level Members' Preview Reception

    Mar 28, 2014

    Upper Level Members are invited to join us to celebrate the opening of the Dodgers: Brotherhood of the Game exhibition.

  • AUTHOR TO RELATE STORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE'S 1ST NISEI STUDENT DURING WORLD WAR II

    Jul 21, 2011

    Shigemura and his family were unlawfully incarcerated at the government-run concentration camp in Minidoka, Idaho, during World War II. The U.S. government falsely imprisoned over 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry during the war. Thanks to the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council, which was administrated by the Quakers, it became possible for Nisei students to leave the camps to attend a college t...

  • EXCERPTS OF 'HOGOZ', ONLINE COMEDY SERIES SET IN WW II CAMP, TO BE SCREENED APRIL 3

    Mar 23, 2011

    An online comedy series, "Hogoz", set in a fictional government-run World War II camp, will have excerpts from five of its episodes screened at the Japanese American National Museum on Sunday, April 3, beginning at 2 p.m. with the show’s creator/writer John Powers on hand to discuss his series and to answer questions. Pronounced "hoe-goes", the series creates a fictional situation based on actual history. During W...

  • “Landscaping America: Beyond the Japanese Garden” to Explore Influence of Japanese American Gardeners

    Jun 05, 2007

    The Japanese American National Museum will premiere its latest exhibition, Landscaping America: Beyond the Japanese Garden, which explores the history and influence of Japanese-style gardens and Japanese American gardeners on the American landscape, on Sunday, June 17, 2007 and running through January 6, 2008. Since the first Japanese-style garden was exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, in...

  • Bird Pins: The Creative Legacy of Camp

    Feb 19, 2006

    Allowed to bring only what they could carry during World War II, Japanese American inmates looked for ways to occupy their time by creating items such as bird pins. Learn the fascinating story behind the pins and design your own out of various art materials. Afternoon storytelling will feature Marlene Shigekawa's Blue Jay in the Desert and Welcome Home Swallows.

  • "Summer of the Big Bachi", by Naomi Hirahara

    Apr 10, 2004

    Torn between two cultures and two worlds, the Nisei felt like wandering nomads with no ties to their homeland. For these "war orphans," America was a blank or "clean white" sheet of paper where anything was possible, but for Mas Arai, he couldn't escape the painful memories of World War II. Arai harbors a dark and disturbing secret about what happened before his flight from Hiroshima, a secret he had planed to take t...

  • Author Discussion—"Blossoms in the Desert: Topaz High School Class of 1945", presented by alumni of the Utah concentration camp high school

    Nov 01, 2003

    Blossoms in the Desert features 60 oral histories that bring to life the bittersweet memories of a limited education in a makeshift school and the lifetime friendships forged during three years. Editor Darrell Hamamoto, professor of Asian American Studies, University of California, Davis, along with members of the graduating class of 1945 will discuss the project and their personal experiences.

  • Harsh Canvas: The Art and Life of Henry Sugimoto

    Jul 12, 2001

    This documentary features rare home movie footage of Sugimoto painting in Jerome concentration camp and the voice of Academy Award-nominated actor Mako. The panel discussion immediately following includes Director John Esaki, musician David Iwataki and Mako.

  • Cold Tofu Improv: Attack of the Killer Tofus

    Jan 30, 1997

    Thursday Evening at the Museum Performance Cold Tofu provides a monthly evening of laughs and entertainment at the Museum. This talented, energetic, multicultural improvisational group has an amazing assortment of entertainment techniques that will keep you laughing all night. This year Cold Tofu will present themed shows collaborating with guest artists and musicians. This evening, Cold Tofu parodies that hig...