A favorite quarantine activity for many has been taking long walks around our neighborhoods. We get to experience the streets at new times of day and through a new lens. One treasure of the JANM collection is the Sakamoto-Sasano family collection, which contains a hand-drawn map of the Amache concentration camp. Find inspiration in the memories captured in the Sasano map to document your own neighborhood.

Download the Sasano map activity and share your maps on social media using the hashtag #JANMinspired.

Author Akemi Johnson discussed and read from her debut book, Night in the American Village: Women in the Shadow of the U.S. Military Bases in Okinawa at JANM on January 25, 2020. Johnson was joined in conversation by historian Lily Welty Tamai, followed by a Q&A with the audience.

Dodgers’ team historian Mark Langill shared stories about the 1956 tour of Japan by the Brooklyn Dodgers which set the stage for many significant moments in baseball history that connected Japan and Los Angeles baseball, including visits by Tokyo Giants players to Dodgers’ Spring Training and additional tours to Japan in the ’60s and ’90s. Hear how dugout seats in the Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo influenced the original dugout seats in Dodger Stadium and about the Japanese lantern at Dodger Stadium. All of these events culminated in the signing of Hideo Nomo.

JANM is proud to be a part of this collaborative undertaking between the National Park Service and the

Japanese American Memorial Pilgrimages (JAMP), involving representatives from many different contingents of the Nikkei community, as well as scholars, artists, and educators committed to actively memorializing the history of Japanese American incarceration during World War II. Tadaima! means “I’m home!” in Japanese —it is our way of acknowledging that we are all home and the important reasons for why that is, while also celebrating the history, diversity, strength, and vibrancy of the Nikkei community.

This pilgrimage will run continuously for nine weeks, with new content provided

daily. The pilgrimage is free and open to the public and is available online at

jampilgrimages.com.

Director of Collections Management & Access and Curator, Kristen Hayashi, provides an overview of JANM’s permanent collection through a behind-the-scenes look in collections storage. Additionally, she highlights the Kondo Family and the Sakamoto-Sasano Family’s collections, which are just two of many within JANM’s permanent holdings that provide poignant perspectives on the Japanese American World War II experience.

Jamie Henricks, JANM’s archivist, gives a peek into the museum’s archival collections and provides an introduction to caring for papers and paper-based collections at JANM. Look for highlights from multiple collections to follow the journey of a donation from box to shelf.

Madame Kansuma’s daughter, Miyako Tachibana, and long time student, June Aochi-Berk, both featured in the film Madame Fujima Kansuma , joined us in conversation with filmmaker Yuka Murakami around the legacy of kabuki dancer and teacher, Madame Kansuma. The Q&A explored Kansuma’s extensive career—including dancing and teaching during World War II while incarcerated at the Rohwer concentration camp, and the impact of her work today.

June Aochi-Berk, Barbara Keimi, and Masako Iwawaki Koga-Murakami have together logged almost 100 years of volunteer service at the Japanese American National Museum. These volunteers are so dedicated and really keep the Museum running; and yet we don’t always know their entire story. Here we talk with them about their experiences growing up and the impact that America’s concentration camps had on their families.

Dr. Curtiss Takada Rooks, Program Coordinator of Asian Pacific American Studies and Assistant Professor at Loyola Marymount University, takes us through his own ethnic and multiracial identity journey in this latest article on Discover Nikkei.

Inspired by the Letters for Black Lives campaign, We will be taking the time to reflect on the anti-Blackness in ourselves, our families, and our communities and writing letters to begin the difficult conversation with those we love about why we must say Black Lives Matter. We will also have a guest speaker from Letters for Black Lives.

In 2014, JANM collaborated with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Peter O’Malley and Family to present the Dodgers: Brotherhood of the Game exhibition, which explored the team’s storied past through four players and a Hall of Fame manager, each of whom made history in his own right: Jackie Robinson, Fernando Valenzuela, Chan Ho Park, Hideo Nomo, and Tommy Lasorda.

Join the exhibition’s co-curators—Dodgers’ team historian Mark Langill and Koji Steven Sakai—for a Q&A moderated by Chris Komai. They will discuss the impact of Hideo Nomo on Major League Baseball, what it was like for him, and what his success meant in Japan and to Japanese Americans. They will also talk about the enduring legacies of the other featured individuals.

Visit the award-winning JANM Store for that unique gift! Follow the new store Instagram @ShopJANMStore

This week ’ s featured item: GAMAN x JANM Mask .

JANM Members get 10% off!

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