America’s Last Concentration Camp: Crystal City

America’s Last Concentration Camp: Crystal City

by | Apr 28, 2026 | Classes & Events, Featured, News

America’s Last Concentration Camp: Crystal City

Exhibit Dates: May 20 – July 22, 2026

J-Sei Gallery, 1285 66th Street, Emeryville
Gallery Hours: M Tu Th Fr 2-5 pm, or by appointment: 510-654-4000

About the Exhibit

The Crystal City Pilgrimage Committee will premiere its national traveling exhibit, based on their permanent exhibit at the My Story Museum in Crystal City, Texas. Additional interpretive panels will depict stories of the individual families who were incarcerated at Crystal City. Crystal City  Family Internment Camp, as it was called during the war, administered by the Department of Justice, held thousands of Japanese, Germans, and Italians in addition to Latin American residents of Axis nationalities.

Created as a family reunification center for immigrants arrested under the Alien Enemies Act in 1942, Crystal City remained open until 1948, long after WWII ended. Several hundred families were moved to Crystal City after their applications for reunification were approved. Several hundred families were moved to Crystal City after their applications for reunification were approved. In some cases, families waited a year or more to be reunited with their husband or father.

Crystal City was also used as a detention facility for individuals awaiting deportation in a prisoner of war exchange with Axis countries. The State Department devised a secret program called “Quiet Passages” to exchange prisoners held in DOJ prison camps for US civilians held behind enemy lines. Some prisoners went willingly, others were forcibly deported to Axis war zones. This included some children with US birthright citizenship whose parents were ineligible for naturalization, and Japanese Latin Americans who were kidnapped and brought to the US.

“By sharing our nation’s hidden histories and the powerful stories of survivors, we can begin to undo the historical amnesia that allows our government to harm children and families today,” said Crystal City Pilgrimage President Kaz Naganuma, whose family was forced to leave a flourishing laundry business in Peru and travel for three weeks by boat and train before being imprisoned in Texas.

Exhibit Programs

May 23, 1-3 PM – Opening Program
June 20 1-3 PM – From WWII Kidnapping to Reparations
July 11, 1-3 PM – One Fighting Irishman: Wayne M. Collins

Opening Program

Saturday, May 23, 2 pm

The opening program will include a panel presentation with survivors Kaz Naganuma, Hiroshi Shimizu, Heidi Gurke and the showing of the short documentary, Then Becoming Now.

Then Becoming Now (2019, 24 min.), directed by Emiko Omori, follows the journey of three men who went from incarcerated children to social activists. Seventy-seven years ago Hiroshi “Shim” Shimizu, Kaz Naganuma, and Hiroshi Fukuda met as toddlers in the Crystal City Family Internment Camp. Today, their childhood experiences motivate them to join the protest of current immigration policies of detaining and separating families.

RSVP for Opening 5/23
America’s Last Concentration Camp at the My Story Museum in Crystal City, Texas opened in October, 2025.

KOKUHO and Kabuki Talk

KOKUHO and Kabuki Talk

by | Apr 6, 2026 | Classes & Events, Other News

KOKUHO and Kabuki Talk at J-Sei

Thursday, April 16, 4 pm (hybrid)

KOKUHO (2025), directed by Sang-il Lee, a theatrical masterpiece to experience, has become the top-grossing Japanese live-action film of all time. J-Sei movie fans have clamored to the local theaters and are eager to talk about it and learn more about the art of kabuki.

Whether you have or have not seen the film, join us to meet special guest Nakamura Gankyō (aka Bandō Hirohichirō), the first American-born professional kabuki actor and teacher, who will talk about the art and tradition of kabuki. In addition to performing and lecturing nationwide, Sensei Kirk Kanesaka teaches kimekomi doll at J-Sei, and coordinates the Asian Studies program at California State University San Bernadino.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts and having a lively group discussion of the movie KOKUHO (2025).

RSVP for this free event.

The Making of a Japanese, film screening and Q&A with Ema Ryan Yamazaki

The Making of a Japanese, film screening and Q&A with Ema Ryan Yamazaki

by | Mar 31, 2026 | Classes & Events, Other News

The Making of A Japanese

a film screening and Q&A with Ema Ryan Yamazaki

Sunday, April 19, 4 pm

Join us for a film screening of “The Making of A Japanese” and Q&A with filmmaker Ema Ryan Yamazaki. 

Intimately capturing one school year from the perspective of 1st and 6th graders at Tsukado public elementary school in Tokyo, The Making of A Japanese has the magic of childhood with precious moments of joy, tears, and discovery — as they learn the traits necessary to become part of Japanese society.

While living in New York, Ema realized that her core values stemmed from experiences during her public elementary school years that she experienced in Osaka, as she learned crucial values of discipline and responsibility. That became her thesis: 6-year-olds around are pretty similar, whereas a 12-year-old Japanese child is distinctly Japanese. With no narration or interviews, the viewer is invited to experience what it’s like to go through the Japanese school year, where the balance of freedom and restraint is at question, and every life lesson tows the line of growth and sacrifice.

RSVP for the free event

Listen to the podcast.

In episode 6 of Hibiku Kotoba, Oscar-nominated and award-winning documentary filmmaker Ema Ryan Yamazaki joins Kathleen on the podcast. Together they talk about Ema’s origin story as a filmmaker, her menteeship with Sam Pollard, and all three of her feature films along with her Oscar-nominated “Instruments of a Beating Heart.

Ema’s decision to go back to Japan and create documentary films about Japanese society is to share to the world her experiences as a Japanese person and to showcase the nuances of living in a country where culture is deeply instilled in every part of its society. For aspiring documentary filmmakers, this episode is definitely worth listening to as she shares her insight and advice for those who also want to be a documentary filmmaker.

About the Filmmaker

Ema Ryan Yamazaki is a Japanese/British documentary filmmaker based in Tokyo, with roots in New York. With a unique perspective as an insider and outsider in Japan, Ema strives to tell stories that empathetically show human struggle and triumph. Ema is the Director of Instruments of A Beating Heart and Editor of Black Box Diaries, which were both nominated for the Academy Awards in 2025. She has directed three acclaimed feature documentaries; The Making of A Japanese, Koshien: Japan’s Field of Dreams, and Monkey Business: The Adventures of Curious Georges Creators.

Japanese Americans and Anti-Asian Violence, a conversation on racism and resistance with Scott Kurashige

Japanese Americans and Anti-Asian Violence, a conversation on racism and resistance with Scott Kurashige

by | Mar 31, 2026 | Classes & Events

Japanese Americans and Anti-Asian Violence, a conversation on racism and resistance with Scott Kurashige

Saturday, April 25, 1 pm

Join author/scholar Scott Kurashige in conversation with local community activists Eryn Kimura and Eddy Zheng on building multiracial solidarity.

Written in the radical spirit of Howard Zinn, American Peril represents the culmination of thirty-five years of study and activism, and is the new book by award-winning scholar Scott Kurashige. From the lynching of Asian immigrants during the exclusion era to the ongoing slaughter of Asian civilians by the U.S. military, the book connects domestic and global events that have been erased from the official record.  It shows us how the racism motivating the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans was part of a broader pattern of dehumanization underlying the firebombing of Tokyo, the dropping of the atomic bombs, and subsequent acts of mass murder and genocide throughout Asia that evaded war crimes prosecution. Going beyond victimhood, Kurashige traces the rise of Asian American community protest and activism in response to the 1982 “Japan-bashing” murder of Vincent Chin and other overlooked tragedies. While many have worked to legislate and prosecute hate crimes, Kurashige argues that hope lies in grassroots activism for multiracial solidarity.

Scott Kurashige is author of “The Shifting Grounds of Race: Black and Japanese Americans in the Making of Multiethnic Los Angeles” and coauthor, with Grace Lee Boggs of “The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century”. Books will be available for sales and signing.

Eryn Kimura is a fifth generation San Franciscan and Japanese-Chinese American mixed media artist, filmmaker, cultural producer and community builder. She currently works for Booker T. Washington Community Service Center, the oldest Black-led community-based organization in San Francisco.

Eddy Zheng is the founder of New Breath Foundation, dedicaed to the healing and transformation of  AANHPI, harmed by the unjust U.S. immigrtion and criminal legal systems and to unite communities of color.

American Peril will be available for sales and signing.  To order a book in advance.

The event is co-sponsored by Eastwind Books of Berkeley and J-Sei.

RSVP for this free event.

The Japanese Way of Parenting, a book talk with Lisa Katayama

The Japanese Way of Parenting, a book talk with Lisa Katayama

by | Mar 31, 2026 | Classes & Events

The Japanese Way of Parenting, a book talk with Lisa Katayama

Saturday, May 2, 4 pm

Join us for an engaging conversation with Lisa Katayama on her new book, The Japanese Way of Parenting. For this special book debut, Lisa will chat with book editor Kevin Toyama and educator/activist Joemy Ito-Gates.  She invites others to share their thoughts on instilling Japanese values and culture in the next generation.

In this fascinating half-memoir, half-parenting guide, The Japanese Way of Parenting, Lisa Katayama shares her quest to raise her American kids using Japanese parenting principles—combining unconditional love with unwavering rules.

Japan is well known for its culture of respect, technological innovations, delicious food, peaceful vibes, and deep connection to nature. The source code to all of it is the way the Japanese view childhood—as a time of rigorous training for societal participation, where they learn from the start that they are just one part of a larger whole.

 Book sales and signing, and refreshments to follow.  Children are welcome to attend.

RSVP for this free event.

I met Lisa 20 years ago when she was a writer at Wired magazine and I convinced her to write her first book with Chronicle Books (which sold out and had to be reprinted!). All generations would be interested in this new book!  Hear Lisa’s interpretation of Japanese parenting, reflect on how our kids have turned out, or figure out how to instill Japanese values in raising kids today.

Kevin Toyama

J-Sei Board Member, Books Editor at Make:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lisa Katayama is a working mom and writer who was born and raised in Tokyo. She is the author of two books, including Urawaza: Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks from Japan, and is a former tech and culture journalist for Wired, Fast Company, and The New York Times Magazine. Katayama is a US-Japan Leadership Program Fellow and an Asia Society Young Leader and was named one of Forbes Japan’s Top Women to Watch in 2018.

My lens is that of a mother who approaches parenting with a cultural context as well as a social justice/activist orientation. I’m part of Japanese American Families for Justice and an ethnic studies educator.

Joemy Ito Gates

educator, Berkeley Unified School District

Temporary Detention and The Mis-Adventures of A Former Nisei Week Queen

by | Mar 31, 2026 | Classes & Events

Temporary Detention and The Mis-Adventures of A Former Nisei Week Queen

A film and conversation with collaborators, Brian Niiya, Evan Kodani and Sharon Yamato

Saturday, May 9,  2 pm

Hear from historian Brian Niiya to learn more about the temporary detention centers, hastily built for Japanese Americans during WWII. See the short documentary “The Mis-Adventures of A Former Nisei Week Queen,” directed by Evan Kodani and produced by Sharon Yamato.  And be part of reclaiming the stories in place to build awareness of the injustices and detention happening today.

On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced removal of “any or all persons” from designated “military areas” for reasons of “military necessity.” Though it did not specify Japanese Americans by name, it resulted in the mass removal of 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast to primarily inland concentration camps. As a temporary measure, fifteen “assembly centers” were built as makeshift WWII concentration camps providing interim housing for about 82,000 people of Japanese ancestry for an average of three months. When only a few Nikkei left their homes voluntarily, the military resorted to forceful evacuation and incarceration.

Told with poise, humor, and strength, The Mid-Adventures of A Former Nisei Queen shares reflections of spirited 92-year-old June Aochi Berk. Growing up in prewar Little Tokyo, she goes from surviving in a horse stall at the Santa Anita temporary detention center and in a barrack at the Rohwer concentration camp during World War II to being crowned Nisei Week Queen in Los Angeles. Director Evan Kodani has over a decade of experience in filmmaking. He has filmed and edited a multitude of productions, including the Emmy award-winning ARTBOUND episode Masters of Modern Design in collaboration with PBS SoCal.

RSVP for this free event.