little boy playing taiko drum wearing hand made paper hat during natsumatsuri family festival

Special Events

Youth & Families

Members

2024 Natsumatsuri Family Festival

little boy playing taiko drum wearing hand made paper hat during natsumatsuri family festival

Special Events

Youth & Families

Members

2024 Natsumatsuri Family Festival

FREE ALL DAY

Join our annual summer celebration featuring free cultural performances, crafts, and activities for families and kids of all ages!

  • Performances by Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko and East LA Taiko
  • Book readings with Nadine Sachiko Hsu
  • Souvenir photos by cre8tive outlets
  • Fun summer-themed crafts and origami
  • Scavenger hunt for prizes
  • And so much more!

 

Plus, free admission all day to see all of our exhibitions Giant Robot Biennale 5, J. T. Sata: Immigrant Modernist, The Interactive StoryFile of Lawson Iichiro Sakai, and Common Ground: The Heart of Community.

Special perks are available for JANM Members! Check in when you arrive to get a Member sticker and take advantage of all the benefits including a Members-only check in line and a chance to win prizes!

Can’t join us in person? We’ll post select performances and activities on our YouTube channel throughout the day!

 

Sponsored by:

Department of Cultural Affairs City of Los Angeles logo            dwight stuart youth fund logo           Nissan Foundation logo        

       port of long beach the greenport logo

Media Sponsor: rafu shimpo logo
 

FREE

Saturday, Aug 10, 2024

11:00 AM - 5:00 PM PDT

Japanese American National Museum

100 North Central Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90012

FREE ALL DAY

Join our annual summer celebration featuring free cultural performances, crafts, and activities for families and kids of all ages!

  • Performances by Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko and East LA Taiko
  • Book readings with Nadine Sachiko Hsu
  • Souvenir photos by cre8tive outlets
  • Fun summer-themed crafts and origami
  • Scavenger hunt for prizes
  • And so much more!

 

Plus, free admission all day to see all of our exhibitions Giant Robot Biennale 5, J. T. Sata: Immigrant Modernist, The Interactive StoryFile of Lawson Iichiro Sakai, and Common Ground: The Heart of Community.

Special perks are available for JANM Members! Check in when you arrive to get a Member sticker and take advantage of all the benefits including a Members-only check in line and a chance to win prizes!

Can’t join us in person? We’ll post select performances and activities on our YouTube channel throughout the day!

 

Sponsored by:

Department of Cultural Affairs City of Los Angeles logo            dwight stuart youth fund logo           Nissan Foundation logo        

       port of long beach the greenport logo

Media Sponsor: rafu shimpo logo
 

Activities

family taking their photos at photo booth

PHOTO BOOTH

Grab some fun props from Cre8tive Outlets and take a souvenir photo with friends and family.

Express lane for Members!

LA public library booth Librarian

LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY

Sign up for a library card with friends from the Los Angeles Public Library! Stay for fun crafts perfect for kids!

origami frog and lantern

RUTHIE’S ORIGAMI CORNER

Learn to fold a jumping frog or a paper lantern—a colorful festival decoration!

This activity is named in honor of JANM Volunteer Ruthie Kitagawa (1937–2020), who led origami activities for many years.

hand made fan craft

FAN CRAFT

Keep cool in the summer heat and decorate your very own paper plate hand fan!

handmade sketchbook craft

SKETCHBOOK CRAFT

Inspired by Felicia Chiao’s sketchbooks on display in Giant Robot Biennale 5, decorate a sketchbook and use it to document your adventures this summer!

boys with parent doing scavenger hunt in exhibition

SCAVENGER HUNT

Explore  J. T. Sata: Immigrant Modernist, with a scavenger hunt and win a special prize!

While supplies last. Members receive two chances to win!

books on table

BOOK SALE

Purchase secondhand books to benefit JANM’s Collections Management and Access!

Schedule

Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko group

11:15 AM - 11:45 AM

Performance by Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko

Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko will kick off the festival with an eisa (traditional Okinawan obon festival drum dancing) performance!   

Reserved seating for Members!

visitors participating in the obon dance

11:45 AM - 12:30 PM

Obon Lecture and Community Dance

Learn about Japan’s obon festivals, which honor and celebrate the spirits of ancestors with a lecture from Rev. Briones. A group bon odori (traditional dance) will then be led by Elaine Fukumoto.

sachiko goes racing book cover

12:45 PM - 1:15 PM

Sachiko Goes Racing Book Reading

Join author and former pro race car driver Nadine Sachiko Hsu for a reading of Sachiko Goes Racing.

There will be a second reading at 3:15 p.m.

children listening to storytime

1:30 PM - 2:00 PM

Los Angeles Public Library Storytime

Join friends from the Los Angeles Public Library for a fun storytime session!

Reserved seating for Members!

group at table drawing and chatting

2:15 PM - 2:45 PM

Giant Robot workshop with Giorgiko

Join Giant Robot Biennale 5 artists Darren and Trisha Inouye, the duo known as Giorgiko, for a short drawing workshop!

cold tofu improv and comedy group performing in front of crowd

2:45 PM - 3:15 PM

Cold Tofu Improv and Comedy Group

Enjoy a performance by the nation’s longest running, Asian American improv and sketch comedy group Cold Tofu as they improvise scenes and games based on audience suggestions.    

Reserved seating for Members!

sachiko goes racing book cover

3:15 PM - 3:45 PM

Sachiko Goes Racing Book Reading

Join author and former pro race car driver Nadine Sachiko Hsu for a reading of Sachiko Goes Racing.

little boys playing taiko with mom help

4:00 PM - 4:30 PM

Taiko Workshop

Join JANM volunteer Hal Keimi for an energetic lesson in basic taiko drumming.

East La Taiko performs at janm

4:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Performance by East LA Taiko

Enjoy a performance from East LA Taiko! A fiery eclectic blend of world rhythm that travels the globe with Latin-rock-punk taiko beats and takes you right into the heart of Los Angeles.

Reserved seating for Members!

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