Built in 1992, the Japanese American Museum is dedicated to preserving the rich history and culture of Japanese Americans right here in Los Angeles. Aptly located in Little Tokyo, it is right at the heart of where Japanese culture thrives. Blending traditional Japanese influences and contemporary American design in its architecture, it covers over 130 years of Japanese-American history. Housing over 200 homemade movies, these movies are specially curated, made by the Japanese Americans themselves and also of them!

Aside from the unique showcase of the homemade movies, there are various artefacts exhibited here. From photographs taken at the infamous Heart Mountain concentration camps, to personal letters received during the World War II incarceration and also a deeply personal recount of a student studying whilst at the concentration camp. The exhibits presents the rawest form of emotion during that time, aptly telling the heart-wrenching stories of their lives. As you embark on your trip here, wander and enjoy the Japanese influences in the Manabi and Sumi Hirasaki Garden and also the George & Sakaye Aratani Central Hall. A trip here is sure to lend you some insight on the horrors of war, better understanding a vital part of Japanese American History.