Japanese American National Museum

08/21/2026

JANM is reopening on January 23, 2027!!!

"We look forward to welcoming visitors from around the world to a Pavilion transformed by powerful storytelling, immersive installations, and new technology that connects the stories of the Japanese American community to the urgent issues facing all of us today. These new spaces and experiences will deepen our ability to fulfill our mission, share our extraordinary collection, serve as a beacon for civil rights, and activate memory and the arts to shape a more just and hopeful future, one that inspires, educates, and connects generations to come."

—Ann Burroughs, JANM President and CEO

Read our full announcement: https://www.janm.org/press/release/janm-sets-reopening-date-january-23-2027

08/14/2026

This photograph was taken by J. T. Sata, a Japanese American artist who created some of the most adventurous photographs made in America in the 1920s and ’30s.

James Tadanao Sata (1896–1975) came to the United States in 1918. Despite his good education and the elevated social status of his samurai heritage, he worked a variety of menial jobs, including as a servant and custodian. However, Sata’s artistic ambitions led him to become an amateur art photographer. He photographed in and around Little Tokyo, at the sea, and in the mountains of Southern California. He also created modernist portraits and abstractions.

At the onset of World War II, Sata was forced to abandon photography since cameras were deemed contraband for those of Japanese heritage. During the forced removal of Japanese Americans, the Sata family lived in a horse stall at Santa Anita temporary detention center. Later, they were moved to the Jerome and Gila River concentration camps in Arkansas and Arizona, where Sata made drawings and paintings of life in the camps. Both his prewar photographs and camp artwork expressed a sense of beauty, isolation, and fortitude in the face of a daunting and complicated world.

The photograph here, dated 1930, depicts a water lily surrounded by lily pads.

Japanese American National Museum, Gift of Frank and Marian Sata and Family, 2005.187.57.

08/12/2026

Celebrate summer with us this Saturday, August 15 at Natsumatsuri Family Festival! 🥁🐸

Join us for cultural performances, crafts, and activities for families and kids of all ages.

Featuring:
🌞Cold Tofu Improv and Comedy Group Cold Tofu Improv
🌞Kotolan performance Junko Seki
🌞J-Town Taiko Club J-Town Taiko Club
🌞A special stamp rally with exclusive new stamps by Paul Frank..and much more!!

FREE ALL DAY

Natsumatsuri Family Festival is generously sponsored by Dwight Stuart Youth Fund, The Port of Long Beach Port of Long Beach , and media sponsor Rafu Shimpo L.A. Japanese Daily News

08/07/2026

We got a special tour of Boyle Heights with Mike LittleTokyo Historical Society and of course had to stop for lunch at Otomisan Otomisan the longest running Japanese restaurant in LA!

Join us this Saturday at the 5th Annual Nikkei Celebration in Boyle Heights 🎉

08/07/2026

Join us at the 5th Annual Nikkei Celebration in Boyle Heights!

Saturday, August 8
5 p.m.–10:30 p.m. PDT

Visit JANM’s booth and celebrate the history of the Japanese American community in Boyle Heights

https://boyleheightscommunitypartners.org/NikkeiNisei/5thAnnualNikkei/5thnikke.php

08/04/2026

Dr. Anthea Hartig, director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, will join us for Making History, Making Change on Saturday, August 22!

https://www.janm.org/democracy/events/2026-08-22/making-history-making-change

In 2026, the Smithsonian and 25 Smithsonian Affiliate organizations nationwide will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with the Making History, Making Change Lecture Series.

From January to September, Smithsonian experts—curators, scientists, educators, and historians—will visit communities across the country to share stories that reflect the richness and complexity of the American experience. Each lecture will explore how people, moments, and ideals have shaped our history and continue to drive change.

JANM is honored to welcome Dr. Anthea Hartig, director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, for a conversation exploring the enduring significance of the Declaration of Independence and the ideas that have shaped the American experience for nearly 250 years.

Following the keynote discussion, participants will have the opportunity to consider many of the same questions that confronted the nation's founders. Young adults from across the country have taken part in this exercise, discussing the issues they believe are most important, and drafting declarations that reflect their aspirations for the future.

Now it’s your turn. This interactive activity invites participants to reflect on the principles of the Declaration of Independence, discuss issues that matter to them, and create their own declaration for the future.

Saturday, August 22
11 a.m–2 p.m. PDT

Visit janm.org/democracy

08/04/2026

Celebrate summer with JANM’s Natsumatsuri Family Festival on Saturday, August 15, at the Terasaki Budokan in Little Tokyo! The free family festival features cultural performances, crafts, and activities for families and kids of all ages.⁠
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Come enjoy bon odori community dance, taiko performance, and much more!⁠
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Saturday, August 15⁠
11 a.m.–3 p.m.⁠
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Get tickets: https://www.janm.org/events/2026-08-15/2026-natsumatsuri-family-festival

07/30/2026

Finding Okinawan Roots with Okinawa Prefectural Library

Saturday, August 1
2 p.m.–4 p.m. PDT

The Okinawa Prefectural Library has been providing a genealogical reference service since 2016 that assists Uchinanchu people in the diaspora in doing research around their lineage. Join representatives from the Library to discuss their methodology, resources, and research processes. They will be joined by representatives from the Okinawan Association of America to talk about their library in Los Angeles and researchers from the Okinawan Memories Project.

Get tickets: https://www.janm.org/events/2026-08-01/finding-okinawan-roots-okinawa-prefectural-library

07/21/2026

Our statement on the independence of the Smithsonian Institution and America's museums.
AAM condemns continued efforts to politicize how museums present history, art, science, culture, and the natural world, as well as personal attacks on the museum professionals entrusted with preserving and interpreting our shared heritage.

Museums are among America's most trusted institutions because they are grounded in evidence, scholarship, and public service; not political influence.

As our nation's flagship museum system and an AAM-accredited institution, the Smithsonian represents the highest standards of scholarship, stewardship, and public service. If our nation’s leading museum system can become subject to political influence, no museum is beyond reach. The precedent would jeopardize the independence of 22,000 museums of every size and discipline across the country.

We stand firmly with museum professionals across the country and call on all elected leaders to reject efforts to politicize museums and uphold the public trust and independence that enable them to serve all Americans.

📖 Read the full statement:

https://www.aam-us.org/2026/07/20/aam-statement-on-the-independence-of-the-smithsonian-and-americas-museums/

📝Use our template to contact your representatives: https://www.congressweb.com/aam/103/