FREE ADMISSION ALL DAY!

Celebrate the new year with fun arts ‘n crafts, exciting cultural performances, and learn more about traditional Japanese New Years.


11:00 – 5:00: Craft and other fun activities for the entire family:

• Japanese spinning tops called koma are a traditional Japanese toy. Put a fun spin on 2010 by making one of your own!
   
• Make a tiger to celebrate 2010: the year of the tiger!


• Make nengajo (postcards) to send to family and friends to wish them a Happy New Year.


• Construct a daruma doll to bring you luck in the new year!


• Make your own kagami mochi fukuwarai game. Kagami mochi is a traditional Japanese New Year decoration and fukuwarai is a Japanese game that is similar to Pin the Tail on the Donkey.


• Ruthie’s Origami Corner: Make your own flapping crane!


• Join Giant Robot artist Stella Lai as she leads an art-making workshop for kids of all ages!


• Omikuji, or sacred lottery, will help you find out what kind of year you’ll be having!


• 12 & 2 PM: Drum circle with Drumtime
  
  1 PM: Chef Andy from The Sushi Chef Institute will teach Japanese Traditional New Year Food Mochi: Cooking Zoni and mochi desserts ($15 for non members, $10 for members, Maximum 30 people)
  
  1 - 5 PM: Kidding Around the Kitchen will make a zaru soba (buckwheat noodles), a Japanese New Year's tradition, because soba noodles indicate longevity. It's simple to make zaru soba at home.
  
  2 - 4 PM: 25th Anniversary Celebration Reception (by invitation only)
  
  4 PM: Shishimai (or the Japanese Lion Dance) by Kinnara Taiko
  
  4:30 PM: Mochitsuki demonstration and performance by Kodama Taiko
  
  This program is sponsored in part by:
  Toyota
  Department of Cultural Affaris, City of Los Angeles
  
  About our Friends:
  
  DRUMTIME
  Drumming is a very direct and powerful way to connect mind, body and spirit, invigorating a person with their own life force. And anyone can do it!
  
  The heart beats and the body reacts—we are drumming all the time. Drumming as a group gives the human spirit an opportunity to play with its two deepest desires—to express its uniqueness and to contribute to a greater whole.
  
  A Drumtime drum circle is guided with high energy and caring support to ensure that all its participants may access their innate vitality. And a Drumtime drum circle, no matter how large or small, literally transforms a gathering of people—most with no prior musical experience—into a percussion orchestra!
  
  Participants experience the power of having their personal risks transformed into the elation of group success—giving everyone hands-on shared experiences in joy, transformation and success!
  
  For more information, visit: www.drumtime.net
  
  SUSHI CHEF INSTITUTE
  Would you like to get the high quality education of Sushi making? Would you like to be a master Japanese cooking? We are sure to meet your expectations. Sushi Chef Institute (SCI) is a Sushi School for anyone who wants to learn Sushi making and Traditional Japanese cooking. The Instructor, Chef Andy Matsuda, is the first person who is authorized to serve as an instructor in California Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education Institution. He had appeared on famous magazines, People magazine and New York Foody magazine. And he also had appeared on Fox 11 TV show. Now, he teaches not only regular students, but also instructors of Le Cordon Bleu, French culinary school. We hope we could support your dream and see you soon in our class at SCI.
  
  For more information on Sushi Chef Institute go to: www.sushischool.net
  
  KINNARA TAIKO
  Kinnara Taiko was formed at Senshin Buddhist Temple in Los Angeles in 1969, the second such group in the America (San Francisco Taiko was founded in 1968). Kinnara was created as a way to express the group’s Buddhist beliefs through their performances. As a grassroots group, Kinnara literally built their own drums out of old wine barrels and wrote their own music which often articulated a Buddhist point of view.
  
  Under the direction of Rev. Masao Kodani, Kinnara also opened its practices up to interested visitors and even traveled around the country. The group was instrumental in helping other temples form their own taiko ensembles. Today, there are over 150 taiko groups in North America.
  
  Kinnara Taiko is known for performing the shi shi mai. Shi shi mai is the lion dance, used in olden times in Japan to scare pests away from crops or to ward off evil spirits. Regional variations use one, two or multi-person lions. As a New Year’s event, tradition states that if the shi shi bites you, you will have good luck the rest of the year.
  
  KODAMA TAIKO
  Kodama is a group of percussionists from the greater Los Angeles area who are dedicated to performing both traditional and contemporary pieces through the sounds of taiko. The group is primarily composed of working professionals who enjoy spending their ³off² time learning and creating entertaining performance pieces.
  
  Kodama is well known for their unique Mochitsuki (rice cake pounding) performance which combines the age-old tradition of hand-pounding mochi (sweet rice) with the sounds of taiko. This energetic custom is typically performed during the Japanese New Year¹s (Oshogatsu), but has lately been expanded to include any celebratory occasion. Makoto Fujii of the Japan based group Medetaya instructed Kodama in combining the art of taiko and Mochitsuki.
  
  For more information, visit: www.kodamataiko.com
  
  
  2010 TARGET FAMILY FREE SATURDAY SCHEDULE
  February – Valentine's Day!
  
  March – Wear This!
  
  May 8: Theme Children's Day
  "Kids' Day"
  
  June 12: Theme: Exploring your Roots
  "Uniquely You!"
  
  July 17: Theme Travel
  "On the Go"
  
  Oct 9: Theme Martial Arts:
  "Just for Kicks"
  
  Nov 13: Theme Fall
  "Fall into Fall”
  
  Dec 11: Theme: Origami
  “Fold, Crease, and Crinkle”
   

  OTHER FAMILY EVENTS AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM
  January 23: Kidding Around in the Kitchen Family Cooking Adventure: Wok & Roll Cooking Workshop