Japanese American Museum of OR

Before this was Chinatown, this was Portland’s Japantown. Inside the Japanese American Museum of Oregon (JaMo), you begin to see what was once here — businesses, families, and a community that was built over generations. And how, in 1942, it was all taken away. This isn’t easy history to sit with. But it’s an important one. From the incarceration camps, to the story of Minoru Yasui, to the bravery of the 442nd — this museum preserves a part of American history that should never be forgotten. If you want to understand Old Town Chinatown, you have to understand this too. Old Town Spotlight ⸻ Hashtags #OldTownChinatown #PortlandOregon #JapaneseAmericanHistory #PDXHistory #pdx

The Japanese American Museum of Oregon is pleased to announce the upcoming exhibition Minidoka on Our Minds, on view at the museum February 21-June 14, 2026. The Minidoka National Historic Site was officially established in 2001 as part of the National Park Service after years of Japanese American advocacy. This exhibition celebrates 25 years of preservation at this site where many Nikkei from Oregon and Washington were incarcerated during World War II. Artwork by survivors, descendants, and Japanese American youth explore the park’s history and its importance as a site of memory. We hope you will join us to celebrate the community-powered accomplishment of the site's preservation. Friends of the Japanese American Museum of Oregon are invited to join us for an exhibition reception on Friday, February 20, from 5-7pm. RSVP at jamo.org/mindoka-reception. Learn more about the exhibition and programming at at jamo.org/minidoka. Minidoka on Our Minds was created in partnership with the National Park Service and is generously supported by the JA Community Foundation, Ronald W Naito MD Foundation, Betty Lou Roberts Fund of Oregon Community Foundation, and Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation. Poster artwork is courtesy Eugene Tagawa, Erin Shigaki, and Marie Okuma Johnston. #Minidoka #OregonNikkei #NationalParks

Want free tickets to @omsi 's Pasifika and Asian American Community Science Night? Comment "OMSI Tickets" below, and we'll DM you a coupon code for free tickets to this event! On Friday, May 22, from 6-9pm, join community members and OMSI for the fourth-annual Pasifika and Asian American Community Science Night. This event welcomes visitors of all ages for a night of museum exploring, science demonstrations, vendor tables, and cultural entertainment – all in celebration of the local Pasifika and Asian American community. All are welcome! Use the coupon code at checkout here: https://omsi.edu/events/pasifika-and-asian-american-community-science-night/ Be sure to reenter the coupon code and hit "apply" for each ticket you are purchasing. #FreeMuseum #ScienceMuseum #AANHPI #OMSI

This weekend! Hear from Frank Abe and Kelly Goto on the intersections of graphic arts and the Japanese American experience. Lines of Resistance with Frank Abe, Kelly Goto, and Lori Matsukawa Saturday May 16, 1PM 220 NW 2nd Avenue Portland, Oregon 97209 RSVP at the link in bio or jamo.org/lines-of-resistance/ Sam Goto drew over 250 Seattle Tomodachi comic strips for The North American Post, detailing the lives of early Japanese immigrants to the Pacific Northwest and their children. His daughter Kelly Goto recently produced the definitive collection of Seattle Tomodachi in the book Seattle Samurai. We Hereby Refuse, a graphic novel written by Frank Abe and Tamiko Nimura, details the stories of three Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during WWII and their acts of resistance. Kelly Goto and Frank Abe will be in Portland this Saturday, May 16, at 1PM at the 220 PDX Building in a discussion moderated by Lori Matsukawa. Come meet the authors and learn about the graphic approach to telling the Japanese American story. #ComicBooks #GraphicNovel #Art

Thanks to @powellsbooks for hosting Tamiko Nimura and to our cosponsor, the Japanese American Museum of Oregon. Tamiko will discuss her new book, A PLACE FOR WHAT WE LOSE, in conversation with Hanako Wakatsuki-Chong, executive director of @jamopdx . 📅 Tuesday, May 19, 2026, 7:00 PM 📍 Powell's City of Books

Come see us at the @timbersfc AAPI night! There is a limited amount of 2026 Cherry Blossom Scarves on sale using the link in our profile. The special ticket and scarf offer includes a general admission ticket in the Pub Beer Patio. Day: Saturday, May 9th Time: 7:30 PM Where: Providence Park, 1844 SW Morrison St, Portland, OR 97205

Thank you to the Oregon Heritage Commission for honoring the Japanese American Museum of Oregon with an Oregon Heritage Excellence Award! JAMO was recognized for the Japanese American History in Oregon Traveling Trunks, which brings Japanese American history to classrooms in Oregon and Idaho. Each traveling trunk contains lesson plans, primary resources and artifacts, and biographies of Japanese Americans from Oregon that supports students in third through fifth grade. To ensure a wide reach, five identical trunks are available for checkout from the Japanese American Museum of Oregon, the Oregon Historical Society, the History Museum of Hood River County, the Benton County Historical Society, and, in Idaho, the Minidoka National Historic Site. The project was completed last year and this is the first school year the trunks have been in wide use. Many community members and educators contributed to this project, providing guidance and biographical information, with Elissa Dingus, JAMO's Director of Education and Engagement, leading the way. Thank you all for your amazing work on this project! The Oregon Heritage Excellence Awards took place on Wednesday, April 29, in Mt. Angel, Oregon, and recognized the work of 12 different individuals and organizations from around the state. The Oregon Nisei Veterans WWII Memorial Highway and Historical Marker Project, which JAMO proudly supported, also received an Oregon Heritage Excellence Award at the same ceremony. Congratulations to all! Photo courtesy the Oregon Historical Society/Robert Warren. #awards #OregonHeritage #MuseumAwards

Come down to Old Town Chinatown this weekend for FREE FUN! On Saturday, May 2, as part of @oregonrisesabovehate enjoy FREE ADMISSION and cultural performances at @lansuchinesegarden , and well as pay-what-you-will admission to the @jamopdx , @portlandchinatownmuseum , and @ojmche . Sunday, May 3, is Free First Sunday at the Japanese American Museum of Oregon. Fold an origami samurai helmet in celebration of Children's Day, sponsored by Oregon Rises Above Hate! Learn more at jamo.org/events.

Japanese American artist Roger Shimomura was incarcerated along with his mother, father, and extended family, at the Minidoka concentration camp when he was 2 years old. In many of his paintings, you can see references to the incarceration and the racism that led to the imprisonment of innocent Japanese Americans during World War II. In this lithograph, two children are wrestling in traditional Japanese clothing and hairstyles behind the barbed wire of camp. It comes from the series Mistaken Identities that touches on the inability or unwillingness of many Americans to distinguish between Nikkei who were their neighbors and the enemy being fought overseas, and the continued assumption that Japanese Americans and Asians in the United States are foreigners. This is just one of 25 artworks you can see on display now at the Japanese American Museum of Oregon’s exhibition Mindoka on Our Minds, on view through June 14. You can also read more about For Hatate Family in JAMO’s 25th anniversary digital exhibit, 25 for 25: jamo.org/25-objects. Image: For Hatate Family (artist’s proof), by Roger Shimomura, 2005. Gift of Roger Shimomura. Additional images are details of the same print.

Join us in Portland on May 16 for "Lines of Resistance" as Kelly Goto and I join with Lori Matsukawa to "explore how graphic storytelling gives voice to the lived experiences of Japanese Americans incarcerated at Minidoka in WWII. Set against JAMO’s 'Minidoka on Our Minds' exhibit, this conversation considers how drawn lines—ink on paper—become acts of remembrance and conscience. How does art help us see Minidoka not only as history, but as lived experience? What lessons about civil liberties and belonging continue to resonate today?" Book signing to follow – books by each author, published through Chin Music Press, will be available for purchase at the event. Free RSVP in bio and here: /lines-of-resistance/

Thank you so much to all the volunteers, donors, and shoppers who made the Cherry Blossom Bazaar a success this year! Over 1,000 people came through the vintage sale, and 400 chose to also visit the museum. Our volunteer crew, many of whom have been working on the Bazaar since its first year back in 2013, are what really make it all happen. This event would truly not be possible without their expertise, generosity, and hard work. A huge thank you to Steve Bloch for donating the beautiful space for the Bazaar this year and for always being a good partner to JAMO. Thank you to our donors, who generously gave from their personal collections of beautiful Japanese vintage items. It was uplifting to see the enthusiasm of our shoppers this year - we know many of you came away with some true treasures! Thank you all for supporting the Japanese American Museum of Oregon and doing your part to share and preserve Japanese American history and culture in Portland’s Old Town neighborhood, where Japantown once thrived. We look forward to seeing you all again in two years at the next Cherry Blossom Bazaar.

⏲️ Educators - don’t miss out on this deeply meaningful learning experience! If you would like to join the Japanese American Museum of Oregon at the Tule Lake Pilgrimage for the Teacher Workshop this year, be sure to get your applications in by MAY 1 here: /tule-lake-workshop/ The annual pilgrimage at the site of the Tule Lake concentration camp is a gathering of incarceration survivors, their descendants, and allies to honor the experience of Japanese Americans through educational sessions, tours, and community building. Participants in the Teachers Workshop will hear from Japanese American community members, scholars, and local educators about the forced removal and incarceration of over 125,000 Japanese Americans from the West Coast during World War II. A group of 8 educators (K-12) will be selected to participate in the Teacher Workshop. If selected, you will spend 3 days in Portland and 3 days at the Tule Lake Pilgrimage. Transportation to and from the Pilgrimage is provided, and a $500 stipend is offered to help offset any additional costs. Priority is given to Oregon educators, but educators from other states are also welcome to apply. Read more at jamo.org or message us for details. (Image from the 2025 Teacher Workshop at the Minidoka Historic site in Idaho.)