by Jill Shiraki | Feb 9, 2026 | Classes & Events, Other News
Am I an American or Am I Not?, a traveling exhibit by Fred T. Korematsu Institute
J-Sei Group Visit & Docent Tour
Wednesday, February 18
San Leandro Public Library, 300 Estudillo Ave, San Leandro
Inspired by Fred Korematsu’s courageous resistance against the violation of his constitutional rights, the exhibit examines the mass incarceration of over 125,000 Japanese Americans during WWII and invites visitors to reflect on historical injustice and its relevance today. Developed in partnership with the Korematsu Institute, the exhibition emphasizes stories of resilience and civic engagement, encouraging all of us to stand up for equal rights. Exhibit Dates: January 6 to Feb 28, 2026. The opening event for the exhibit will be January 10th.
Travel as a group to see the exhibit and docent lead tour on Feb 18th at the San Leandro Public Library. To join the group visit, RSVP to jill@j-sei.org with “Korematsu” in the subject line for more details.
by Jill Shiraki | Feb 9, 2026 | Classes & Events, Featured, Other News
From Scraps to Sentiments, Lunar New Year Collage Card-Making Workshop
Friday, February 27, 1 to 3 pm
Join us for a mindful card-making workshop celebrating the Year of the Fire Horse. Using collage, we’ll create unique holiday cards from images, textures, and words—crafting personal messages of hope, memory, or blessing to share with loved ones. This gentle, hands-on session emphasizes presence over perfection, exploring how fragments come together to tell stories, just as we show up for our communities. No art experience needed—just bring curiosity and openness. All materials and reflective prompts provided. Leave with a handmade card infused with intention, ready to gift as an offering of care, gratitude, and connection during this season of renewal.
Trisha Mah (she/they) is a Chinese-Japanese American artist from the East Bay blending analog collage and taiko to explore cultural identity, intergenerational memory, and liberation.
Workshop Fee: $25 to $45 sliding scale, all materials included. RSVP to jill@j-sei.org with “Lunar New Yr” in memo.
by Jill Shiraki | Feb 9, 2026 | Classes & Events, Featured
KOMEBUKURO: Boro inspired “rice bag”
Two Mondays, 1 to 3 pm –
Choose from March 2 & 9 or March 23 & 30.
KOMEBUKURO, drawstring rice bags, were traditionally used to carry rice as offerings to temples and shrines. They were often made from repurposed fabric and hand stitched.
BORO (rags, tatters). Due to economic hardships, the peasants of 17-19th century Japan had to extend the life of their clothing and textiles with patches of fabric reinforced with SASHIKO, (running stitches.).
Today, these pieces have become highly revered, not only for their utilitarian purposes, but as artistic expressions as they embody the Japanese concepts of WABI SABI (seeing the beauty in the imperfect, the impermanent) and MOTTAINAI (waste not).
Our Komebukuro bags will be boro-inspired. Workshop fee is $40 (includes some materials). Participants are asked to bring their own 1/8 or 1/4 yard of fabric, can be recycled or repurposed.
RSVP to jill@j-sei.org with “Boro” and preferred date.
by Jill Shiraki | Feb 9, 2026 | Classes & Events, Featured
Multigenerational Movie Watch: Lu, Over the Wall
Sunday, March 8th, 3 pm
From visionary anime auteur Masaaki Yuasa, comes a joyously hallucinogenic but family-friendly take on the classic fairy tale about a little mermaid who comes ashore to join a middle-school rock band and propel them to fame. Kai is talented but adrift, spending his days sulking in a small fishing village after his family moves from Tokyo. When his classmates invite him to play the keyboard in their band, their practice sessions bring an unexpected guest: Lu, a young mermaid whose singing causes humans to compulsively dance – whether they want to or not.
Winner of the Grand Prize at the prestigious Annecy Animation Festival, and premiering in English as an official selection of Sundance 2018, Lu Over the Wall is a toe-tapping, feel-good demonstration of Yuasa’s genre-mixing mastery that will leave you humming long after you leave the theater.
Imagine Nikkei Village Cinema seeks to create a multigenerational space at J-Sei to come with family and friends to watch a movie, join a conversation, and participate in a hands-on activity with people of all ages – children, youth, adults, elders.
by Jill Shiraki | Feb 9, 2026 | Classes & Events, Featured
Circling Back: A Retrospective of Artwork by Ruth Yoshiko Okimoto
Opening Program: Saturday, March 14, 2026, 1 pm, gallery opens at noon.
J-Sei, 1285 66th St, Emeryville
Exhibit Dates: February 1 – April 2, 2026
Gallery Hours: M Tu Th Fr 2-5 pm, or by appointment: 510-654-4000
Join us to hear from artist Ruth Okimoto as she reflects on her healing journey and call to action through art. She will be joined in conversation with filmmaker Satsuki Ina, following a screening of “Children of the Camps” (1999), a documentary that captures the experience of six Americans of Japanese ancestry who were confined as innocent children to U.S. concentration camps during WWII. The film that includes Okimoto, vividly portrays the personal journey to heal the deep wounds they suffered from this experience.
Ruth Yoshiko Okimoto, Ph.D., long-time Bay Area community member, held her first exhibition of paintings at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC ) in 1990. In stark and riveting paintings, Ruth Yoshiko Okimoto rendered her childhood memories of life held in the Poston Arizona prison camp during WWII. Working in brilliant colors of the American flag and self images as a child, Okimoto invites viewers to consider the issue of loyalty and childhood innocence. Today, this exhibit brings to light Ruth’s journey to healing from the trauma of unjust incarceration and its meaning in today’s resonant context of racist government policies of forced removal, family separation, and child detention.
