Japanese American Museum of San Jose
Museums, Historical Sites, and ZoosCalifornia, United States11-50 Employees
Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj) preserves and disseminates the culture and history of Japanese Americans, with a special focus on the Santa Clara Valley. It traces its roots to a 1984-86 research project on Japanese American farmers in the valley, which collected family histories, photographs, memoirs, and other materials and helped develop a history curriculum later adopted by local school districts. The project also contributed to the award-winning book Japanese Legacy: Farming and Community Life in California's Santa Clara Valley. The institution began in an upstairs room of the Issei Memorial Building with support from the Japanese American Citizens League, San Jose Chapter, and has since moved to the former residence of Tokio Ishikawa, M.D. on North Fifth Street. Based in San Jose, California, JAMsj operates as a small-to-mid-sized museum focused on archives and public programming relating to Japanese American history in the Santa Clara Valley. In January 2025, JAMsj announced the appointment of Taline as executive director.