CARTOONIST STAN SAKAI TO APPEAR AT MUSEUM'S TARGET FREE FAMILY SATURDAY JULY 9

Stan Sakai, famed creator of the iconic comic book samurai rabbit, Usagi Yojimbo, will highlight the Japanese American National Museum’s Target Free Family Saturday, "Once Upon A Time", on Saturday, July 9, with a personal appearance to mark the opening of the Museum’s latest exhibition, Year of the Rabbit: Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo.

For over 25 years, Sakai has researched, written and drawn the adventures of Usagi Yojimbo, set in the late 16th and early 17th Century in feudal Japan. Its popularity has grown steadily and the comic books are translated into 12 different languages. When Empire Magazine listed the greatest comic book characters of all time, Usagi Yojimbo placed 31st, ahead of Green Lantern, Daredevil and Hellboy and on an elite list with Superman, Batman, Wolverine and Spider Man.

Sakai will speak at 2 p.m. and give a demonstration on how he draws his heroic rabbit. This will coincide with the opening of the Museum’s exhibition featuring original art by Sakai, a short documentary on the cartoonist’s activities at last year’s Comic Con, a full sized cutout of Usagi Yojimbo with a space of someone’s face to take photos and a place for visitors to draw their own version of this famous character.

The Target Free Family Saturday, which runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., has several hands-on activities for the entire family, including making rabbit ears, a walkthrough of the Museum galleries to see how many rabbits are depicted, and Ruthie’s Origami Corner, where participants can learn to fold a samurai helmet in honor of Usagi Yojimbo. Other activities feature continuous screenings of vintage Japanese anime films from the 1920s and 1930s, considered the Golden Age of such films.

In keeping with the theme, "Once Upon A Time", We Tell Stories will perform "Let Them Eat Books" at 1 p.m. It will highlight the works of Lewis Carroll, Mark Twain and Carl Sandburg. We Tell Stories is a multi-ethnic group of artists that seeks to educate, nurture, and strengthen communities by reconnecting young audiences with the ancient powers of storytelling and theatre. For more information, go to www.wetellstories.org.

Kidding Around the Kitchen will show visitors how to make a broccoli carrot slaw fit for a bunny, a prince or princess or just a hungry chef from 1 to 4 p.m. Kidding Around the Kitchen brings a "hands on" cooking experience and lesson to the classroom in which the kids actively participate in the preparation of recipes. The result of their cutting, measuring cooking and then eating their creations is more than simply a lesson in health. They get to see, touch, smell and taste the fruits, vegetables, nuts, cheeses, eggs, meats and other ingredients that they may never have previously see in their raw form. For more information, go to www.kiddingaroundthekitchen.com.

At 3 p.m., Patricia Bulitt will lead a storytelling tea party that includes tasty treats and audience participation. Bulitt is a dancer/interdisciplinary artist and storyteller from Berkeley, California. Having produced 14 years of an annual storytelling tea party, Patricia was honored as guest artist in Japan in 1984 and 2010.

Generously sponsored by Target, these special free Saturdays are filled with fun activities giving families unique ways to learn, play, and grow together. The National Museum organizes eight different second Saturdays each year, thanks to Target.