Screenshot of the Museum’s Website
by Isabelle Roetcisoender, AsAmNews Intern
The Japan Council of New York has officially launched The Digital Museum of the History of Japanese in New York. The launch has come during the celebration of AAPI Heritage Month. The museum will be the first East Coast digital archive to celebrate historical figures of Japanese descent.
The Japan History Council of New York aims to tell the story of the Japanese experience and community in New York to pass on to future generations by collecting, preserving and sharing documents of historical significance, according to NewsDirect. The board members come from a variety of backgrounds, including scholars, musicians, historians and more.
The website archives offer categories such as First Contact with New York, Politics/Diplomacy, Business, Science, and Education. There is also a video component to the website, which offers archived interviews featuring leaders in the Japanese American community in New York City.
“I think this is a very important sort of time. The 19th century is the genesis of U.S-Japan relations and the friendship (between them),” said Honorary Chair and Ambassador Kanji Yamanouchi, Consul General of Japan in New York.
“Especially in New York, not just integration but also the scholars and businesses and diplomacies. Many things took place in this city. So I think this is a very important source of the target of our undertakings.”
The website offers the option to view articles and search for documents in both English and Japanese. The archives are currently only offered digitally. The organization hopes and plans to hold in-person events in the future.
The website continues to be a work in progress and is not a finalized project. If you would like to submit content to the museum or contribute funding, you can contact the Secretariat of the Japan History Council of New York:
The Japanese American Association of New York, Inc. (JAA)
Phone: (212) 840-6942/6899
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: https://www.jaany.org/
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