Museum Opens Doors to Its New Horizon : Japanese American Pavilion Dramatically Expands Little Tokyo Site

David Kamiya watched quietly Friday as 16 Buddhist priests solemnly walked past about 300 spectators to the steady beat of a taiko drum.

Then he gasped as one priest shot a single arrow, sending streams of multicolored ribbons flying through a new $22-million pavilion at the Japanese American National Museum in downtown’s Little Tokyo.

The new pavilion, a major expansion of the 7-year-old museum, opened amid much pomp and pride.

“This is very important to the community,” said Kamiya, 35, of Glendale, after the dramatic opening ceremony. “It gives people a place to see our past and gives us hope for the future.”

Hardwood floors, walls of windows and plenty of open space highlight the 84,000-square-foot pavilion, which was financed through private donations. Inside, the new “Common Ground” exhibit displays the experience of Japanese Americans in the first half of the century through photographs and artifacts such as old baseball equipment, clothing and a mountain of about 100 old suitcases.

Near the exhibit’s entrance, a barracks from an internment camp in Wyoming stands as a haunting reminder of the thousands of Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II by the United States government. Televisions replay film footage of life in the camps.

“As you stand in the galleries, you become inspired with the hardships our parents and grandparents endured,” said Irene Hirano, museum director and a third-generation Japanese American. “They wanted to be American, despite the barriers.”

The museum also shows the role Japanese Americans played in the U.S. civil rights movement.

“It was important for us to tell our story in a multicultural concept to show our similarities with the Hispanic and African American communities,” Hirano said.

A popular exhibit Friday was “J-Town Rhapsody,” an eight-screen video wall that displays home video footage of Japanese American families from the 1930s to the present.

The pavilion also features a 700-square-foot theater, office space and a 4,100-square-foot hall.

A community “Welcome Weekend” ceremony will be held today at 10:30 a.m. in the museum’s courtyard plaza, with activities such as mask making, storytelling and painting. On Sunday, a 2 p.m. concert will feature music ranging from Pacific Asian to blues and Mexican mariachi styles.