A visit to the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles was inspiring and an enlightening experience. There were stereotyped beliefs that were eventually acknowledged to be erroneous. For one, I thought the museum would be a place where I would find only Japanese people been angry about how they were treated after World War II. Instead I found people from various ethnic groups: visitors, museum staff, guests, and participants in various exhibitions. Likewise, I also found the Japanese people to be very welcoming. In fact, the feeling of welcoming was so overwhelming that I felt comfortable like I was hanging out at a very familiar place. In this regard, the current discourse contends that the visit to the JANM affirmed the venue as an effective learning medium tracing historical roots and showed that the Japanese Americans in contemporary times have effectively assimilated to the American culture as manifested through exhibited interpersonal behavior, works of art, and various achievements.
As learned from Min, “the socioeconomic profiles of Japanese Americans resemble those of white Americans, and they are highly assimilated into the mainstream U.S. culture” (p. 171). Through the welcoming behavior, exemplary courtesy, and commitment to profess mutual understanding between Japan and the United States, the behavior of the museum staff confirmed conformity to the mission statement. As disclosed, “the mission of the Japanese American National Museum is to promote understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Japanese American experience” . From the programs, events, exhibitions, collections and major projects, it was observed that Japanese Americans have lived the way of life that traditional Americans live – further validating their assimilation in the Western culture. The behavior, code of conduct, as well as conformity to ethical, moral, and legal standards abide by regulations from American policymakers and judicial law. Therefore, despite the challenges and difficulties posed by World War II as it affected the Japanese living in the United States at that time and thereafter, contemporary Japanese Americans have used the historical experience as an opportunity to learn and to eventually move on. Min had actually described various historical information highlighting the discrimination experienced by Japanese and the Japanese Americans through different points in time during and after World War II. The recent occupational and educational adjustments confirmed that contemporary Japanese Americans have looked beyond the pains that history had revealed. The remarkable achievements in managerial professions, politics, financial institutions were a far cry from the original Japanese who came to America to work as laborers .
Concurrently, when I visited the JANM, I observed that there were people from multi-racial orientations who serve and visit the organization to achieve different goals. The presence of these kinds of patterns also affirm that “among the Asian American groups, Japanese
Americans are most likely to marry people outside of their heritage” . The manifested trend was attributed to the increasing numbers of Asian Americans who migrated to the United States. As such, the trend further confirms assimilation of the Japanese American in the Western culture. Min revealed that “Japanese Americans are also highly amalgamated into the mainstream through intermarriages” (p. 171). American society has openly promoted equality and access to human rights despite disparities in racial or cultural origins. The JANM promoted cultural diversity and their fact that their personnel and visitors come from different walks of life attest to this commitment. In addition, I strongly believe that the presence of personnel from various cultural and demographic origins stem from the fact that JANM signified commitment to being an Equal Opportunity Employer . The Department of Labor has always been observed to promote equal employment opportunities for all private and public organizations in
America, including the JANM. Therefore, from observing other contemporary organizations, it is evident that promotion of cultural diversity is of paramount importance. The ability of people from diverse socio-cultural origins to express themselves freely enables sharing of personal and professional experiences more dynamic.
One’s visit to JANM also enabled the realization that the museum promotes talents and skills of artist from diverse cultural orientations. Currently, the exhibitions included ‘Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty’, ‘Common Ground: The Heart of Community’, and an exhibition of different portraits taken by Kip Fulbeck showcasing the hapa, a terminology attributed to people of mixed racial heritage. From the exhibitions, one could deduce that the JANM does not focus only on arts and works of Japanese people or Japanese Americans. Yet, it was commendable that they were able to preserve historical evidence which enriched the learning of visitors on what actually transpired during the trying times. I could therefore empathize with the Japanese who lived in America during that time, especially those who were openly discriminated on by the Americans. By showcasing historical and contemporary works of art, as part of their exhibit, confirms that JANM is a holistic and balanced institution that promotes socio-cultural understanding. This also proves that the orientation of the management of the museum is to promote cultural diversity, as embodied in their mission statement. The promotion would only be made possible through inviting artists from other racial and cultural origins to share artistic talents and to be an instrumental contributor to the enhancement of knowledge through arts.
In addition, another observation made from the visit to the JANM is the professionalism and discipline exemplified by museum management and staff. Their ability to exude the kind of discipline and conduct stems from the educational attainment noted to be achieved. According to Min, “the overall occupational and financial accomplishments of Japanese Americans clearly suggest that they have, to a great extent, been structurally assimilated into the mainstream American society” (p. 166). As such, sharing of knowledge through educational programs in the museum was observed. The official website of the museum promoted programs that would enhance learning experiences of children, guests, and visitors through group visits, educator resources, a specifically designed resource center, as well as the National Diversity Education Program . The promotion of these educational programs is consistent with the high achievement drives of Japanese Americans, which seem to be imbibed in their culture.
Finally, the air of professionalism, honor, and distinction achieved by Japanese Americans were observed through the visit to the JANM. Their imbibed structural assimilation in the American culture was noted to stem from various factors. As Min stressed, “in addition to the high levels of educational and occupational achievements among Japanese Americans, the presence of prominent Japanese American political figures provides further evidence for this structural assimilation” (p. 171). Politics is considered one of the highest professions exemplified through public service. The fact that this highest achievement is possible to have been reached and attained by Japanese Americans confirms the high achievement drive that is continuously exuded.
In sum, my visit to the JANM was an exhilarating and illuminating experience that widened my knowledge on the historical events that evolved among the Japanese Americans through different art works. The actual visit enabled a realization that contemporary Japanese Americans have learned to move on. The exemplary accomplishment and achievements of Japanese Americans today affirmed that today’s generation focused more on what they could contribute to the growth and development of both economies. In retrospect, I strongly believe that the pain of being discriminated previously after World War II somehow contributed to the determination to surpass what other people from other cultural orientations have achieved. As such, the visit to the JANM was definitely an effective learning medium that enabled me to appreciate historical backdrops; yet enabled me to realize that these painful and challenging experiences were instrumental to the significant progress and achievements made by contemporary Japanese Americans. The works of art, exhibits, collections, educational programs, behavior of personnel, and various accolades received confirmed that learning through actually seeing what transpired, as noted in history books, are worthy of one’s time. The opportunity accorded me through the visit to JANM made me confirm that learning was not only beneficial, but also fun, motivating, and an inspiring experience.
Works Cited
JANM. "About JANM." n.d. 2014. 7 December 2014 <http://www.janm.org/about/>.
—. "Education." 2014. janm.org. 7 December 2014 <http://www.janm.org/education/>.
Min, Pyong Gap. Asian Americans: Contemporary Trends and Issues. SAGE Publications, 2006.
