Japanese American Museum of San Jose

1pm-4pm, September 7, 2008
Issei Memorial Building
565 N 5th Street, San Jose

		Have you ever driven into Japantown for lunch and wondered how this district maintained its colorful character and traditions? Were you ever curious as to how tofu was made at the San Jose Tofu Company? Did you realize that during World War II, the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin was used to store the belongings of over twenty families who had been interned and that the building suffered damage due to vandalism and arson during that time?
You can learn about San Jose's historic Japantown, one of the three major Japantowns remaining in the United States, and you can then share your knowledge with others by becoming a JAMsj Japantown docent. Aggie Idemoto, JAMsj Education Director, has created a fascinating docent training session that includes a captivating presentation by Museum Curator, Jimi Yamaichi, and as an added bonus, you will also receive Jimi's personal tour of Japantown. No previous experience is required and we are simply seeking enthusiastic volunteers who want to learn more about the history, culture and traditions of Japantown. No commitment to volunteer is required at the time of training. Contact Aggie Idemoto at (408) 268-4440 or at aidemoto@comcast.net if you would like to register for this free training session or if you have any questions.

5:30-8:30, Thursday, May 24, 2007
Issei Memorial Building
565 N 5th Street and other locations in Japantown, San Jose

Sake San Jose combines tasting with a walk through Historic Japantown San Jose on May 24 from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. Yu-Ai Kai Senior Community Center will host this benefit sake tasting walk through Japantown's various businesses and restaurants, each having different types of sake at special tables. Sakes made in Japan and the US, such as daiginjo, ginjo and junmai grades of premium sake will be available for tasting, providing a great opportunity for connoisseurs and novices to sample and learn about the variety of sakes.

Tickets are $35 and may be purchased at Yu-Ai Kai (588 N. Fourth Street, San Jose), participating merchants in Japantown or online here. All proceeds will benefit Yu-Ai Kai's programs.

Additional Event Information

Issei,The Shadow Generation
An Afternoon with Tsukasa Matsueda

1pm, Sunday, May 19, 2007
Yu-Ai Kai Senior Center
588 N 4th Street, San Jose

Dr. Tsukasa Matsueda will speak on "Issei, The Shadow Generation" and its impact on the subsequent Nikkei generation. Dr. Matsueda recounts that the Issei suffered severe hardships, discrimination, and scorn in the early days after immigration to the U.S., and yet managed to succeed to such a degree that in 1984, President Reagan praised the Japanese Americans for helping preserve the American Dream by living up to the "bedrock values of America."

Believing that the "bedrock values" were not so much "of America," but more those brought by the Issei from Japan, Dr. Matsueda identifies the Issei values which guided them: community spirit, cooperation, tolerance, religious faith, sacred worth of human life, fiscal responsibility, among others.

He further believes that these moral values were passed on to the successful Nisei generation, accounting for their success as well. His engaging discussion will be of great interest to the Nisei, Sansei, and subsequent Nikkei generations, pointing out the powerful legacy that the Issei left behind.

Additional Event Information

Nikkei Matsuri Festival

Sunday, April 29, 2007
Japantown, San Jose

JAMsj will have a booth at the the 30th Annual Nikkei Matsuri festival. Ralph Pearce will autograph copies of his book, "From Asahi to Zebras," which tells the story of Japanese American baseball. We will sell other items from our museum and we will tell you about upcoming events.

The festival features continuous live entertainment, arts and crafts, San Jose Taiko, Chidori Band and Wesley Jazz Band, a feast of Japanese foods, Bonsai-miniature trees, Ikebana-flower arrangements, Yu Ai Kai Health Fair, martial arts demonstrations and much more

Additional Event Information

The 27th Annual San Jose Day of Remembrance

5:30-7:30pm, Thursday, February 18, 2007
San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin
640 N 5th Street, San Jose

In the days following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the FBI rounded up thousands of Japanese immigrants who were detained without charges. Then, on February 19, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, forcing 120,000 people of Japanese descent, two-thirds of whom were American citizens, into concentration camps.

The 2007 Day of Remembrance commemorates E.O. 9066 in San Jose. This year's program will feature a book signing with Shizue Seigel, author of the compelling book, "In Good Conscience," which tells the story about extraordinary individuals who acted acted out of conscience when others did not during the incarceration. The chronicled acts of those who reached out to another community while fighting against injustice, inequality, and prejudice provides us with important lessons for today's tumultuous, wartime environment.

The program will also include a presentation by JAMsj, an electrifying performance by San Jose Taiko, a speech by Congressman Mike Honda, and the traditional candlelight procession through San Jose's Japantown.

Additional Event Information

Artistic Reflections: A Place Where Sunflowers Grow

6:45-8:30pm, Wednesday February 21, 2007
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
Suite A&B, 2nd Floor
150 East San Fernando St.,
San Jose, CA

In this RSVP-only event, Felicia Hoshino will present her children's book, "A Place Where Sunflowers Grow". The program will also feature story-telling by Megumi and a talk by Congressman Mike Honda.

Inspired by the experiences of the author's Japanese American grandparents at Utah's Topaz Relocation Center during World War II, this picture book follows a young girl and her family into the harsh, desert conditions of an internment camp. Within this difficult environment, she finds a "sense of purpose and peace" with the planting of her desert sunflowers.

Additional information: Flyer Available

Norm Mineta Tribute Dinner

Saturday February 24, 2007
Cocktails 6pm, Dinner 7:30pm
San Jose Fairmont Hotel

A tribute dinner will held on Saturday, February 24 at San Jose's Fairmont Hotel in honor of San Jose's native son, Norman Y. Mineta. The dinner is a fundraiser for the Japanese American National Museum which will house Mineta's historic papers. San Jose's JAMsj suports this effort.

Mineta started his career in his family's insurance business before winning election as San Jose's mayor. Before long, he moved on to the U.S. Congress, and finally into two Cabinet posts - serving as Secretary of Commerce under President Bill Clinton and as Secretary of Transportation under President George W. Bush.

For more information or for a formal invitation,
Contact Dona Maurillo at (831) 234-4009

The Art of Gaman

Tuesday, February 27, 2007
7:00-9:00pm
Yu-Ai Kai
588 N 4th Street
San Jose, CA 95112

RSVP before Feb. 20th attendance/pre-purchase book $25 (retail $35)
408-294-2505

Delphine Hirasuna will present her book, “The Art of Gaman, Arts and Crafts from the Japanese-American Internment Camps 1942-1946", followed by a question/answer period, artifact display and book signing. This book shows beautiful handmade work by Japanese Americans while incarcerated in U.S. internment camps during World War II. Books will be available for sale and autographed by the author. The Japanese American museum of San Jose has graciously offered artifacts from their collection to be displayed. If you have any artifacts from camp that you would like to share with this group, please contact us to make arrangements to have them displayed. <

Bay Area author, Delphine Hirasuna, once found a small bird carving among her recently deceased mother's belongings which started her on an odyssey to find other camp artwork and to make them available to others to appreciate. This event sponsored by Yu Ai Kai and Midori Kai, Inc., features arts and crafts made by Japanese Americans incarcerated in U.S. internment camps during World War II. JAMsj is a major contributor of artwork to the exhibit and to Hirasuna's beautifully photographed book. The craftsmanship and originality of the internees’ work make the show an inspirational experience.

Additional information: Flyer Available

Wisdom of Humor Internment Story

Sunday, March 4, 2007
2-3:30 pm @Engineering Auditorium, Room 189,
San Jose State University

Bilingual storyteller Megumi will tell the story of how Japanese Americans used humor to deal with the hardships of World War II in Japanese American Internment Camps, with digital images of Jack Matsuoka cartoons. Two former camp internees will also discuss their experiences.

Free and open to the public.
Please RSVP by Thursday, February 22, 2007
(415)356-2466 or culture@cgisf.org

Additional information: Flyer Available

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