Upcoming Events
The Four Immigrants Manga, with Frederik L. Schodt
"The Four Immigrants Manga", translated by Frederik L. Schodt, has become an engaging teaching resource on Japanese American immigrant history, chronicling the adventures of four Japanese immigrants in a world of possibility and prejudice in turn-of-the-century San Francisco.
Connecting Across Generations: LGBTQ+ Allyship Across Generations
Join us to continue the dialogue across generations, to share our stories and learn how to support and uplift one another.
Honor Bound Revisited: Retracing My Father's Path with the 442nd
Come watch this Emmy award-winning documentary with Wendy and with photographer/archivist Brad Shirakawa.
Wendy Hanamura at Col de Braus, September 13, 2025. Photo is courtesy of Brad Shirakawa.
Topaz Toddlers Exhibit @ the Berkeley Library
On display at the Berkeley Library from July 1-July 31.
Short film screening and panel discussion on Saturday July 25 from 11am-1pm.
Topaz Stories: Echoes in the Present
Saturday, March 28, 2026, 2-3:30 pm
JACL Hall, Monterey
424 Adams St., Monterey, CA
(831) 648-8830
Join us to hear the stories of five Topaz survivors, and how their stories resonate with what's happening today. Sponsored by the JACL Monterey Peninsula and the Topaz Museum. Admission to this event is free.
Topaz Toddler Exhibit
Topaz Toddlers: Children's Art from an American Concentration Camp
On view February 4-Mar 14 (Wed-Sat, 12 noon-5 pm or by appointment)
Oakland Asian Cultural Center
388 9th Street, Ste 290, Oakland
Gambatte! Legacy of an Enduring Spirit exhibition
Special Event: Meet Photographer Paul Kitagaki, Jr – Saturday, March 1, 2025, 2 pm
Photographer Paul Kitagaki’s exhibit explores the legacy of an enduring spirit as Japanese American’s triumphed over adversity in the WWII incarceration camps.
As he searched through photos at the National Archives in 1984, Kitagaki found a photo taken by famed documentary photographer Dorothea Lange of his grandparents and father preparing to board a bus in Oakland enroute to a World War II incarceration camp. Through slow and painstaking research, Kitagaki has spent 15 years locating and winning the trust of the families who lived through the incarceration, documenting their stories of survival and inner strength to overcome injustice, racism, and wartime hysteria.
“Many of the Issei and Nisei never shared their stories with their own families. As some of the subjects recounted their experiences, they were overcome with tears and emotion as long-forgotten memories returned. For many, this was the first time for them to publicly speak about what they endured.” Paul Kitagaki, Jr.
Photographer and videographer Paul Kitagaki Jr. has traveled the world covering natural and human-caused disasters, and international athletes competing for gold at ten different Olympic Games. His work has been honored with dozens of photo awards – including the Pulitzer Prize and Emmy nominations – and his photos have been published in news outlets world-wide including National Geographic, Time, Smithsonian Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Stern, People, Mother Jones, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post, as well as in his home paper, The Sacramento Bee.
Exhibit is free and open to the public. Gallery hours: Mondays and Thursdays 10 am -4pm and by appointment. https://j-sei.org/
SOLD OUT! Topaz Art Pilgrimage 2024
Join us for the Topaz Art Pilgrimage, May 2-4 in Salt Lake City and Delta! Registration open now!
Pictures of Belonging: Miki Hayakawa, Hisako Hibi, and Miné Okubo
Dr. ShiPu Wang, Professor of Art History, UC Merced, will discuss his new exhibit, Pictures of Belonging.
Long-Overdue Reparations for African Americans: Why Japanese Americans and other AAPIs Should Care
Don Tamaki, JD, will discuss the final report from the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans.
Sashiko & Senninbari-Knot Doodles: Workshop (all ages welcome)
Participants will learn about sashiko and senninbari, as stitching traditions of Japan, and how to sew them. Each participant will sew small sashiko and knot doodles using traditional materials to make a 4” x 6” composition that will be mounted in a frame and 5 mini-doodles that will be mounted onto blank notecards with envelopes.
Threads of Camp: Sewn from Japan to the United States
Lucy Arai will present photographs of surviving objects and artwork that illustrate life behind barbed wire fences, as she illuminates how threads were used in camp with stories of how sewing, knitting and crocheting were more than the means to provide warm and durable clothing, bedding and items to make barracks into homes where Japanese Americans were forced to live during WWII.
Koto and Trumpet Concert
Come enjoy a free family concert at Delta High School on May 16 at 6:30 performed by Topaz descendants Shirley Muramoto and Mark Inouye! Shirley is a traditional Japanese koto player, skilled in both classical and jazz styles. Mark is the principal trumpet player for the San Francisco Symphony and a jazz player who has been a soloist in symphonies across the country. Bring the whole family to what is sure to be a great event!
