I visited the Japanese American Museum of San Jose in San Jose Japantown, about an hour’s drive from San Francisco. Unlike San Francisco and Los Angeles, San Jose Japantown is not a place that attracts many tourists, but it is one of the places where Japanese culture remains deeply rooted in the local community.
There are not many tourist spots in San Jose Japantown, but the Immigration Museum is one of the places you should definitely visit. This museum is a great place to learn about how our Japanese ancestors survived in a foreign land, something that Japanese textbooks don’t tell you.
Japanese American Museum of San Jose
- 535 N 5th St, San Jose, CA 95112 Google Map
- Admission: Adult $8, Student & Senior $5, Kids under 5 Free
- Hours: Thursday – Friday Noon – 4 pm
- https://www.jamsj.org/
Admission Fee
We need to pay admission fee.
When you pay the entrance fee at the reception desk on your left as you enter, a receptionist will ask you if you need a guide. When I said that I didn’t need a guide, I received an instruction booklet of about 20 pages! It contained a detailed explanation of each exhibit. This is the first time I’ve been to a museum and received such a detailed explanation!
It’s a must-have for anyone who wants to know more about Japanese immigrants. There was a store next to the entrance, selling books about Japanese immigrants and Japanese goods (accessories, hanafuda, etc.).
Exhibits at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose
You can learn about the history of Japanese immigrants who came from Japan to the San Jose area in the Meiji era (1860’s).
A life in old Japantown
There is also a map of the time that shows that San Jose Japantown actually developed together with Chinatown, and you can learn about how people from the Orient cooperated with each other in America at that time.
This article introduces the history of the development of San Jose Japantown. See this article for San Jose Japantown.
Many of the Japanese immigrants at that time made their living from farming, so the tools used for farming and daily life are on display. There were also old sewing machines and katsuobushi shavers, which made me feel nostalgic for the tools I had seen at my grandparents’ house.
There were a lot of trunks which Japanese immigrants used at the time. They look a little heavy. But the design is retro and stylish.
A life during World War II
There is also a model of the living space in the Japanese American internment camps on display, which gives you a pretty good idea of the harsh conditions of life back then.
There were also several internment camps for Japanese Americans, not just one, and there are displays about the conditions in the various camps. In fact, more than 110,000 people were forced to live in the camps.
I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t know that Japanese immigrants were in internment camps during World War II. Japanese public schools did not teach this fact if I remember correctly. Do I feel upset to know this fact? I feel sad to know and make me think how I should do if we have another war. At the same time I feel proud of Japanese immigrants who survived such a tough era. Thanks to their effort, I can live comfortably in the U.S.A. I would like to say big “thank you” to all immigrants.
Other places to learn Japanese immigrants
Japanese American National Museum (Los Angels, California)
Manzanar National Historic Site Visitor Center (Manzanar, California)
Kobe Center for Overseas Migration and Cultural Interaction (Kobe, Japan)
In fact, there is still a place in Sannomiya, Kobe where Japanese immigrants used to visit before emigrating to the US and Brazil. This museum was also really interesting, with many interesting exhibits about the personal stories of the immigrants. If you are interested, visit Kobe Center for Overseas Migration and Cultural Interaction.
Overview
This is an introduction to the Japanese American Immigration Museum in San Jose. If you are ever in San Jose Japantown, you should definitely visit it!
However, please note that the museum is only open from Thursday to Sunday. But please note that the museum is only open from Thursday to Sunday. For more information about the tourist attractions in San Jose Japantown, please see the article “How to visit San Jose Japantown”.