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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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  • Cruising J-Town

    Jul 31, 2025 - Dec 13, 2025

    JANM on the Go presents Cruising J-Town in Pasadena, CA Peter and Merle Mullin Gallery Wednesday–Sunday: 12 p.m.–5 p.m. Free admission; ticket reservations recommended. Car culture has long been synonymous with Southern California. What we drive for work and play have been literal and symbolic vehicles of personal expression, community identity, and social mobility. This has been especially true for the Southland’s J...

  • JANM Mourns the Passing of Senator Alan K. Simpson

    Mar 17, 2025

    Editors please note: JANM’s Pavilion is closed for renovation; programs will continue on the JANM campus and at other locations at janm.org/OnTheGo. LOS ANGELES, CA – The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) mourns the passing of Senator Alan K. Simpson, who helped steer the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 through Congress and into law alongside his colleague and lifelong friend, the late Secretary Nor...

  • JANM Mourns the Passing of Kanji Sahara

    Mar 03, 2025

    Editors please note: JANM’s Pavilion is closed for renovation; programs will continue on the JANM campus and at other locations at janm.org/OnTheGo. LOS ANGELES, CA – The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) mourns the passing of Kanji Sahara, a JANM Charter Member and docent, a beloved community member, and visionary in the Japanese American community.Born in Hiroshima, he grew up in Los Angeles with his parents...

  • 2025 Irene Yamamoto Arts Writers Fellowship Applications Now Open

    Feb 06, 2025

    Emerging music critics and journalists of color are encouraged to apply. Applications are open through March 17, 2025LOS ANGELES, CA – The Daniel K. Inouye National Center for the Preservation of Democracy (Democracy Center) and Critical Minded announce the third annual Irene Yamamoto Arts Writers Fellowship (Yamamoto Fellowship) with a focus on music criticism. The Yamamoto Fellowship will provide two emerging arts ...

  • 2025 DOR Los Angeles Save the Date Press Release

    Jan 07, 2025

    LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Day of Remembrance (DOR) Committee announced that the annual DOR will be held on Saturday, February 15, 2025, at 2:00pm. This year we will move from our usual host location at the Japanese American National Museum to LA Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple or “Nishi Betsuin” (815 1st St). DOR commemorates the signing of Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, by President Franklin D. Roose...

  • JANM Announces the Inaugural Class of the Toshizo Watanabe Democracy Fellowship

    Jun 24, 2024

    LOS ANGELES, CA – The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) announces the inaugural class of the Toshizo Watanabe Democracy Fellowship. With generous support from Toshizo “Tom” Watanabe, this fellowship builds the knowledge and expertise of future Japanese leaders working across multiple sectors, promotes global democracy, and strengthens ties between Japan and the US. The 2024 recipients are Yuta Iwakawa, Hiromit...

  • What We Carried - Artist’s Statement

    In 2007, I began interviewing returning soldiers from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. I expected to hear chest thumping and Fox News-like talking points like “We are fighting them over there so we don’t have to fight them over here.” I heard none of that from the soldiers. I heard profound remorse and anger about their participation in U.S. interventions in the Middle East. Many of the vets have become radicals and an...

  • Pictures of Belonging: Miki Hayakawa, Hisako Hibi, and Miné Okubo—JANM Store

    Purchase items related to the “Pictures of Belonging: Miki Hayakawa, Hisako Hibi, and Miné Okubo” exhibition from the JANM Store.

  • History

    Japanese immigration to Hawai‘i began in 1868—more than 140 years ago. From Tokyo and Yokohama, seekers of fortune and adventure responded eagerly to the recruiters sent by the sugar industry in Hawai‘i who promised a wage of four dollars a month, plus food, lodging and medical expenses, with boat passage to the Islands and back after the fulfillment of three-year contracts. In reality, those who came to the Is...

  • Textured Lives - Barbara Kawakami Collection

    The Barbara Kawakami Collection at the Japanese American National Museum is the most significant collection of Issei (first generation Japanese) immigration and plantation clothing in the world. It is an extensive collection of textiles and other artifacts from late 19th century through the 20th century gathered by author and scholar Barbara Kawakami primarily in Hawai‘i. Hawaii-based author, expert storyteller an...