Japanese American National Museum

Los Angeles Top 9 in Must-Visit Museums

As a long time visitor to JANM, I highly recommend this to locals and travelers alike! I think it rounds out the Little Tokyo experience nicely, which is always such a "Japangeles" experience (there is a streetwear brand of the same name, which you can find in the village area at a kiosk cart booth thing!!) - a mix of rich history, traditional culture, and modern Los Angeles, a blend of which is the core of Los Angeles' identity to begin with. The bookstore alone has such great Japanese treasures and a ton of literature to purchase to continue with your education! The exhibits are always a great blend of Japanese innovations both technological and cultural, and the state of Japanese Americans, past, present, and future. The building itself is gorgeous, and there's a traditional tea room that you can have tea at too! :) If you have any interest in history or Japanese American culture, this place is for you, hands down!! :)

This review is mostly in regards to their Hello Kitty Panel Discussion where 4 university professors came and analyzed the icon that is Hello Kitty.Their interpretations were very interesting as they stated that Hello Kitty doesn't have a mouth and is oppressed. Sometimes Hello Kitty is featured in different things, but usually that of stereotypical "women" roles. The branding of Hello Kitty has really taken off now the popular icon reaches people age 4 to 64! Yes, I'm guilty of also being a Hello Kitty fan.Anyway, the workshop was very interesting and engaging as the professors presented their viewpoints, then answered questions.I will be visiting the Hello Kitty exhibit before it ends, but I've been to JANM other times for other specialties. Each time has been a great experience with topics ranging from the Japanese Internment Camp to Japanese Tea Ceremonies. The flow of each exhibit has always been wonderful, engaging, and fun.

Ever since I was young I've been a huge fan of Hello Kitty. So lucky for me when I came down to LA For the holidays the Hello Kitty exhibit was still going on! The exhibit ends on April 26, 2015 so have no fear there's still time to see it! General admission is $20 and there are no student are senior discounts for this exhibit unless you're a member of the museum, then it's free!

A really interesting place.

Japanese Cultures :)