This Week’s Japan-related Events
Tuesday, February 18
![VIOLET EVERGARDEN: ETERNITY AND AUTO MEMORY DOLL [Subtitled] - featured image](https://soypaper-f8fe.kxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/violet-evergarden-768x403.jpg)
VIOLET EVERGARDEN: ETERNITY AND AUTO MEMORY DOLL [Subtitled]: Violet Evergarden comes to a private women’s academy to tutor Isabella in the ways of being a lady. Isabella still grieves for the only person to ever bring her happiness — now lost to her. How long does it take to truly heal? Select Movie Theaters | Around Los Angeles | Varies
Wednesday, February 19
![RIDE YOUR WAVE [Subtitled] - featured image](https://soypaper-f8fe.kxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ride-your-wave-768x403.jpg)
RIDE YOUR WAVE [Subtitled]: From visionary director Masaaki Yuasa (The Night is Short, Walk on Girl; Lu Over the Wall) comes a deeply emotional new film that applies his trademark visual ingenuity to a tale of romance, grief and self-discovery. Select Movie Theaters | Around Los Angeles | Varies
Thursday, February 20
Japanese American National Museum Free Day: The Japanese American National Museum is the largest museum in the United States dedicated to sharing the experience of Americans of Japanese ancestry. Free general admission every third Thursday of the month and on SoCal Museums Free-for-All Day. Japanese American National Museum | Little Tokyo | Free
Tabaimo & Maki Morishita: Fruits Borne Out of Rust: Japanese visual artist Tabaimo uses drawings, video installations, and live music to probe unsettling themes that lurk beneath daily existence. REDCAT | Downtown | $22
Friday, February 21
Japangeles x Gudetama Launch Party: Celebrate the launch of Japangeles x Gudetama lazy clothing collection with a Gudetama Meet & Greet, Gudetama’s creator, and more! Sanrio Japanese Village | Little Tokyo | Free
![KWAIDAN [Subtitled] - featured image](https://soypaper-f8fe.kxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/kwaidan-768x403.jpg)
KWAIDAN [Subtitled]: Japanese director Masaki Kobayashi’s rapturously stylized quartet of ghost stories featuring colorfully surreal sets and luminous cinematography. Egyptian Theatre | Hollywood | $12
PERFECT BLUE [Subtitled]: The groundbreaking and rarely screened first film from the legendary director Satoshi Kon (Paprika, Tokyo Godfathers, “Paranoia Agent”) screens in 35mm. Vista Theatre | Los Feliz | $11 and up
Saturday, February 22
Sawtelle Japantown Birthday Bash: Celebrate the spirit, culture, community and legacy of Sawtelle Japantown at the 3rd annual grassroots Sawtelle Japantown Birthday Bash Celebration. Nora Sterry Elementary School | West L.A.
Afternoon of Peace: The Hiroshima and Nagasaki Experience: Honor and remember the victims and Hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) with a special Irei-Sai (Shinto Memorial Ceremony) and multidisciplinary performances. Aratani Theatre at JACCC | | $25 – $30
THE UNTOLD STORY: INTERNMENT OF JAPANESE AMERICANS IN HAWAI’I: Film screening and discussion focused on WWII Japanese American incarceration in Hawaiʻi. Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute (GVJCI) | Gardena | Free
Hitotoki: UCLA Nikkei Student Union’s Cultural Night: Learn more about Japanese American culture and experiences and see live performances by NSU Modern, Kyodo Taiko, and the 2020 Drama Cast. Royce Hall | Westwood | Free
Sunday, February 23
A Day of Japanese Traditional Music: The Japanese Garden in Van Nuys is filled with the beautiful sounds of music created by instruments like the koto, Japanese flute, and shamisen and the gracious movements of Japanese dancers. The Japanese Garden (Suiho-En) | Van Nuys | $5
Japanese Food Lab | Shojin Ryori: An Introduction to Mindful Eating: At this lecture and tasting participants will learn the basics of shojin ryori, a type of cooking that highlights Zen principles. Vegetarian. Japan House Los Angeles | Hollywood | $28.16
RED BEARD [Subtitled]: Akira Kurosawa’s Red Beard (Akahige) chronicles the tumultuous relationship between an arrogant young doctor and a compassionate clinic director. Toshiro Mifune’s last role for Kurosawa. Million Dollar Theater | Downtown | $16 and up
SOLD OUT – Seamless: A Play about Japanese American Incarceration: SOLD OUT. Seamless revisits the Japanese American incarceration and dissolution of the American Dream during World War II, exploring the ways the past haunts the present. Written by USC professor Dorinne Kondo. USC |
HAUSU [Subtitled]: A comic, hallucinatory head trip about a schoolgirl, Oshare (Kimiko Ikegami), who brings six classmates to her aunt’s creaky country home. All come face to face with evil spirits, bloodthirsty pianos, and a demonic housecat. A bona fide cult classic. Million Dollar Theater | Downtown | $16 and up
ONGOING EVENTS
Exhibit: Japanese Embroidery by Shizuka Kusano: The Japan Foundation LA | Miracle Mile | Free
Under a Mushroom Cloud: Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the Atomic Bomb: Japanese American National Museum | Little Tokyo | $16
“METAZEALOT” a Solo Exhibition by snipe1: Avenue des Arts | Los Angeles
Transcendients: Heroes at Borders: Japanese American National Museum | Little Tokyo | $16 (Museum admission)
UPCOMING PICKS
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Note: Some sold out events omitted. Some events sell out after publication.
