Message from asarnoff

[Anonymous]

Just read the last posting on the Japanese American National Museum and I'm very jealous! I went for another class two Saturdays ago and cruised it solo, so I didn't get all of the neat activities or helpful information from a guide.

The museum itself is gorgeous; you feel at peace just walking through the doors. The Japanese architecture is minimal and fluid, and like the Getty is it's own piece of art to appreciate. The building was probably my favorite part of the museum.

The artifacts themseves were well displayed. Basically it traces the history of Japanese in America starting around the 1800's. Of course the main focus is on the Japanese internment during WWII. They start with a lot of images / posters of anti-Japanese sentiments, photos of homes with banners reading "White neighborhood! No Japanese!" and racist caricatures of Japanese people.

What was really neat was that they had an actual barrack from one of the camps rebuilt inside the building. There is a whole display devoted to those who went and dismantled the barrack with the intention of housing it in the museum.

My only critique of the museum was that it is very small and limited. I wanted there to be more, but the reality is that it covers such a short amount of time and the focus is so specific that there isn't a whole lot more they can display. The tour the last teacher described sounds amazing. The incoroporation of origami immerses the students into a piece of Japanese culture, and getting to hear a person talk firsthand about their experiences in the camps is priceless. When I went to the Museum of Tolerance, that was the most memorable part for me. If I ever get the opportunity to take my students, that's what I want them to experience most.