Discover the Japanese American History Museum in Los Angeles, California.

The Japanese American History Museum is one of Los Angeles’s most fascinating Japanese American museums to date. Located in Los Angeles’s Little Tokyo (Arts District) area, this amazing state of the art museum is dedicated to preserving the history and culture of the Japanese American. It offers visitors education into the Japanese culture by exploring the arts, rare artifacts, and film.

One of the first museums in the United States dedicated to sharing the experience of Americans of Japanese ancestry, this museum contains over 130 years of Japanese American history, some of which dates back to the first Issei generation.

The idea behind the creation of this riveting museum was originally thought up by Bruce Kaji. A local to Los Angeles, Kaji was born nearby in the neighborhood of Boyle Heights. With help from his local peers, Kaji was able to make his idea come to life. The reinvented museum first opened its doors to the public in 1992. Shortly thereafter in 1993, the museum was handed hundreds of rare artifacts from children in internment camps.

On a side note:

In 1999 – The museum added a new 85,000 square foot venue.

A museum unlike any other in Southern California, the Japanese America History Museum offer it’s visitors a mass archive of moving images that showcase the Japanese Americans history from the 1920’s to the 1950’s. Home movies like Masao Akiyama Collection, Setsuo Aratani Collection, and Ben Fukuzaki Collection. It is also home to rare artifacts such as the Buddhist Churches of America Collection, Hideo Date Collection, and the Clara Breed Collection. Among other precious selections, the museum is home to priceless textiles, artworks, and photographs.