Plus, the Community is Invited to a FREE Japantown Matsuri Festival on November 7
The Sacramento History Museum, in proud partnership with Reclaim Sacramento Japantown and Asian/Pacific Bar Association Law Foundation, helps to bring Sacramento’s Japantown back to life in a new exhibit titled “Sacramento Japantown: Destroyed By Design” that opens on Friday, November 6, 2026. To celebrate the opening of this limited-time exhibit, a free and family-friendly festival will be held on Saturday, November 7, complete with free museum admission all day.
“Sacramento Japantown: Destroyed By Design” Exhibition – Debuts November 6
The immersive “Sacramento Japantown: Destroyed By Design” exhibit explores the once thriving downtown Sacramento neighborhood, the people who lived there, and Japantown’s place in Sacramento history. It also highlights the resilience of the Japanese American community today. Curated by a team of individuals along with exhibit designer Karen Tsugawa, a number of Sacramento’s Japanese American community members also shared prized family heirlooms and artifacts for display as part of the compelling exhibit. Plus, Japanese American volunteers will be participating as docents on selected weekends during the length of the exhibition.
The exhibit intentionally underscores the thriving nature of Sacramento’s Japantown. Not simply colorful or energetic, the exhibit highlights how it was once an incredibly functioning and growing community filled with businesses, families, institutions, and social life. The goal of the exhibit is to present Japantown as a substantial neighborhood and community integral to Sacramento, not merely a collection of Japanese businesses.
The exhibit draws on memories from former residents and descendants, weaving together personal stories, family artifacts, photographs, sound, and video. In addition, facades evoking Japan Alley will give visitors a glimpse into the neighborhood and the community that once filled Sacramento streets. The exhibit follows Japantown through its prewar years, the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, and postwar redevelopment — ultimately sharing the story of how Japantown was “destroyed by design.” Importantly, the compelling exhibit also tells the story of what survived: families, memories, traditions, and a community that continues to contribute to and shape Sacramento today.
Once on display, the exhibit will be on view in the Agriculture Gallery on the first floor of the Sacramento History Museum through May 24, 2027.
Japantown Matsuri Community Festival on November 7
To further celebrate, a family-friendly Japantown Matsuri festival will take place on Saturday, November 7, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. inside the museum and just outside in the Old Sacramento State Historic Park. Free for everyone, the community-wide festival will feature entertainment, cultural demonstrations, hands-on activities, vendors, a children’s zone, and more. With support provided by SMUD and Bank of Marin, the festival was made possible by the efforts of an events committee through Reclaim Sacramento Japantown and the non-profit ABAS Law Foundation working in collaboration with the museum. In addition, the Sacramento History Museum is holding a Community Day that same day – Saturday, November 7 – with free museum admission for everyone from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m..
For more information about “Sacramento Japantown: Destroyed By Design” or the Japantown Matsuri Festival, please visit www.SacHistoryMuseum.org.
