Cultural News

08/29/2026

Explore the history and evolution of kintsugi with «Healing with Gold: The Art of Kintsugi on Ceramics & Beyond», featuring more than 30 contemporary artworks alongside traditional kintsugi ceramics ✨🏺

Curated by Japanese art historian Meher McArthur () the exhibition traces how the centuries-old Japanese practice of repairing broken ceramics with lacquer dusted in gold has evolved from a tea ceremony tradition into a global artistic philosophy. Through ceramics, painting, sculpture, textile art, lacquerware, and installation, the works explore kintsugi as a powerful metaphor for healing, renewal, and the enduring beauty found in repair.

📍 George J. Doizaki Gallery
📅 September 12, 2026 - October 18, 2026
⌛ Tuesdays-Sundays • 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
🎟️ Free, RSVP now required

Join us for the Opening Reception on Saturday, September 12, from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm, or explore the exhibition during a special Curator’s Tour on Saturday, September 19, at 11:00 am.

Learn more at jaccc.org 🔗

This exhibition is supported by the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from Mitsuko and Dave Felton.

Image: Christen Austin, Inner Child I, 2022.

08/29/2026

Yayoi Kusama, famous for her artworks featuring polka dots and the author of various novels, has died at 97, it has been learned.

https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/culture/art/20260827-345697/

08/29/2026

Breaking News: Yayoi Kusama, the Japanese artist whose polka dot-covered paintings and mirrored “Infinity Room” installations became blockbuster museum and gallery attractions in recent decades, has died at 97. Read more: https://nyti.ms/46oo3Ad

08/29/2026

George Lucas’s long-awaited $1 billion museum is finally opening.

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will open in Los Angeles on September 22, 2026. Designed by Ma Yansong of MAD, the roughly 300,000-square-foot building is defined by its sweeping, spaceship-like form and landscaped roof.

Founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the museum will focus on narrative art across painting, illustration, photography, film, comics, and digital media.

The museum also announced this week that its rooftop Skywalker Grill will open alongside it on September 22.

08/29/2026

Please join the Japanese American Museum of Oregon and Manzanar National Historic Site, on Saturday, September 12, for a special 50th Anniversary film screening of Farewell to Manzanar at the actual site where the film took place.

The day will feature three events. First, at 11 am, a slideshow of photos from the making of the film curated and delivered by Wes Fukumori. Second, at 1 pm, a screening of the film Farewell to Manzanar. Third, after the film concludes, Hanako Wakatsuki-Chong will moderate a panel discussion with Cory Houston, Josh Houston, Wes Fukumori, and James Saito to talk about the making of the film and its impact. The event will take place at the Manzanar NHS interpretive center in the west theatre. Seating is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Farewell to Manzanar holds profound importance for Japanese Americans as the first major film adaptation to portray the wartime incarceration camps. Based on Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston’s memoir, the film gave voice to over 120,000 Japanese Americans who were forcibly removed from their homes and detained during World War II. For many survivors and their descendants, this film represented the first time their families’ experiences were validated and shared with mainstream America.

Farewell to Manzanar Film Screening Saturday, September 12, 11 am – 4 pm, Manzanar National Historic Site 5001 Highway 395 Independence, CA 93526

[Image Text] – Reproduction of the sign at the official entrance to the Manzanar. Anyone who entered or exited the camp passed this sign and armed military police at the nearby sentry post. (NPS Image)

08/29/2026

08/29/2026

It's fall workshop time! We've scheduled three beginner workshops so that you can come and try taiko with us!
https://pittsburghtaiko.com/classes

These workshops take place starting THIS SUNDAY August 30, Sunday mornings at our Bellevue PA studio.

Each workshop is two hours, from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.

Dates:
- Sunday, August 30 - https://www.japansocietypa.org/event-6788570
- Sunday, September 6 - https://www.japansocietypa.org/event-6807606
- Sunday, September 20 - https://www.japansocietypa.org/event-6807607

Check out the details and register on the Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania website: https://www.japansocietypa.org/events

Preregistration is required!

Check out our Beginner Classes webpage - https://pittsburghtaiko.com/classes- to learn more about what happens in our classes.

08/29/2026

This session will explore how intergenerational relationships continue to strengthen the bonds between Japan and Japanese American communities, and what it means to carry these legacies forward into the future.

Taro Kono, Member of the House of Representatives
Paul K. Yonamine, Chairman Emeritus, Central Pacific Bank
Yuko Kaifu, President, JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles

Register for our Annual Conference today: https://www.usjapancouncil.org/annual-conference/

01/20/2026

令和7年の熊本県知事表彰が、南加熊本県人会の沖田義邦さんと安藤みちよさんに贈られる

【ロサンゼルス】南カリフォルニア（南加）熊本県人会の会長・沖田義邦さんと副会長・安藤みちよさんに、熊本県とロサンゼルスの友好に貢献したことで、令和7年11月21日付けで木村敬・熊本県知事から表彰状と記念品が贈られた。沖田さんの表彰状は、80歳を祝って「祝状」となっている。

沖田さんは、2010年から15年にわたり南加熊本県人会長を務め、新年会やピクニックなどのイベント活動を通じて会員の団結に大きく貢献きた。2016年の熊本地震発生時には、ロサンゼルスから熊本への募金活動のリーダー役を果たした。

沖田さんは第二次世界大戦中の1945年にテキサスの日系人強制収容所で生まれ、戦後すぐ、家族と帰国した。18歳まで両親の故郷・熊本県上益城郡御船町で過ごした。1963年にアメリカに戻ったところ、徴兵があり、ベトナム戦争に従軍した経験がある。

安藤さんが南加熊本県人会に入会したきっかけは2016年の熊本地震で、熊本復興支援ボランティアグループ「LOVE FOR KUMAMOTO IN LA-TOGETHER STAND FOR JAPAN!」を始めたことで沖田さんに出会った。2016年以降も募金イベントを継続していて、2018年にはガーデナ市で「くまモンとチャリティ・コンサート」を行っている。

安藤さんは毎年、自身が主宰するミカエラ・カイ・フラメンコ・ダンス・アカデミーのリサイタルでも熊本被災地への募金活動を続けている。コロナ禍の時は、動画配信やドレスセールの収益を熊本に送ったところ、熊本県球磨人吉大雨災害への義援金、熊本市にある「こども本の森くまもと」や被災した熊本県葦北郡芦北町の佐敷小学校の備品の購入、民間ボランティアへの活動資金などに活用された。

安藤さんの次の熊本復興支援は2026年６月14日にロサンゼルス市サンペドロ地区で行われるミカエラ・カイ・フラメンコ・リサイタル「LA RAIZ ES LA FAMILIA-EL TIEMPO INVALUABLE（ルーツは家族―かけがえのない時）」です。

イベントの詳細は下記リンクから参照ください。
南加熊本県人会ウエッブサイト : https://nankakumamotokenjinkaiusa.blogspot.com/
Mikaela Kai Flamenco Website: https://mikaelakaiflamenco.blogspot.com/

12/26/2025

Obituary: Community leader Dr. Shinichi Hirokawa passed on Dec. 24 at the age of 62. As the lead singer and founding member of Team Kawachi Ondo, he brought the joy of traditional folk music to Los Angeles. https://www.culturalnews.com/?p=47227