Yōkoso: An Online Celebration of Japanese Culture

The Oceanside Public Library, in partnership with California Humanities’ Library Innovation Lab, is proud to present Yōkoso: An Online Celebration of Japanese Culture. The Library Innovation Lab empowers and enables libraries to design and implement new public humanities projects that engage underserved immigrant groups in California. From Monday, September 14 to Friday, September 18, 2020, the Oceanside Public Library will implement a week-long Japanese cultural program series called, Yōkoso, or “Welcome!” in Japanese. Each day the Library will host a Japanese storytime and all-ages special events on Zoom, Instagram, or YouTube.

Special events will include:

• Monday, September 14 - Origami Crane Community Arts Workshop: Participants will learn how to create an origami crane and share their experiences and stories centered around this symbol for longevity and goodwill. 6:00PM on Zoom.
• Tuesday, September 15 - Tour of the Japanese Friendship Garden: Garden docents will provide an online tour of the grounds to discuss the symbology of the Garden and Japanese gardening practices, followed by a Q&A session so that participants may learn more. 9:00AM on Zoom.
• Wednesday, September 16 - Tween Book Club: Children ages 8-12 are invited to read and discuss Sadako and the 1000 Paper Cranes, by Eleanor Coerr. 4:00PM on Zoom.
• Thursday, September 17 - Marble Ink Paper Demonstration: Participants can tune in and learn how to make their own marble ink paper and all about the Japanese history of this art style. 3:00PM on YouTube.
• Friday, September 18 - Okinawa Drumming Performance: Los Angeles-based group Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko will perform the traditional Okinawa style of drumming and folk dance, called eisa. Despite not being together because of COVID-19, they have found a unique way of performing without singing or hitting drums. 3:00PM on YouTube.

Registration is required. Once registered, participants will receive free kit of materials for the week and links to all programs. To sign up for the week’s events, please visit the Library’s website at www.oceansidepubliclibrary.org or call 760-435-5600. Follow the Library on Instagram and Facebook @oceansidelibrary for updates on Yōkoso and more!

This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org. Library Innovation Lab is supported in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.