Japanese American National Museum, Cultural museum in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, US
The Japanese American National Museum stands in Little Tokyo and presents objects, photographs, and documents about Japanese American history across several gallery spaces. The rooms spread over multiple floors and include both permanent displays and rotating presentations.
The institution opened in 1992 as the first facility dedicated exclusively to documenting Japanese American experiences. It grew from the community's desire to record its story for future generations.
The museum's name reflects its mission to preserve the stories of all generations of Japanese immigrants and their descendants. Visitors today see how this community maintained its identity through all difficulties.
The exhibitions are accessible and offer explanations in multiple languages. Visitors should plan at least an hour and a half to two hours to see the different areas comfortably.
A sacred book called Ireichō contains over 125,000 stamps, each representing a Japanese American held in internment camps during World War II. Each stamp was created by hand and remembers a person who lived through that experience.
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