Welcome to the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center, a Japanese American history museum and center located in Portland's Old Town, where Japantown once thrived.

Upcoming Events
 

121 NW 2nd Ave, Portland, OR 97209
(503) 224-1458

Exhibit hours:
Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sunday, noon to 3 p.m.
 

Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center is a focal point for the preservation and sharing of the history and culture of the Japanese American community. ONLC opened the doors to its new home in September, 2004. The museum now has a larger exhibit space, with exhibits that highlight Issei immigration and early life in Oregon, Nihonmachi (Japantown), and life after Executive Order 9066, including the Portland Assembly Center and contemporary Nikkei life. (photo courtesy Rich Iwasaki, 2004).

Museum hours are Tuesday - Saturday, 11 AM to 3 PM, Sunday noon to 3 PM. Admission is $3 for general public, free for Friends of the Legacy Center. Group tours, speaking engagements, and research appointments are available. To schedule or for more information, call 503-224-1458.

ONLC is located in the Merchant Hotel building built 1880-1885, and is of historical interest, being located in the oldest part of Portland in the heart of what was once Portland's Japantown (Nihonmachi) until World War Two. The building housed a laundry, bathhouse and barbershop run by Japanese families in the early years.

The Center has expanded storage for archives and historical artifacts, a community room for public meetings and programs, and an improved library. The new location has been made possible through the generosity of Naito Corporation, community contributors, corporate and business donors, and foundation grants. We invite you to visit us soon.

Events and Programs

Exhibit Opening
Oregon Nisei Baseball: the Early Years
Sunday, September 14, 1:30 - 3:00 p.m.

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center, we are revisiting the very first exhibit put on in 1998. Originally curated by Miki Yasui and a team of community baseball advisors, Oregon Nisei Baseball features black and white images of local Nisei teams and NW tournaments. Join us for this fun-filled and nostalgic exhibit, which runs through January 11, 2009.

The opening reception on Sunday, September 14th at 1:30 p.m. will feature a talk by Prof. Samuel Regalado of California State University, Stanislaus. He has written several articles on Nisei baseball and softball, as well as books on Latin American baseball.

Please join us at the opening reception to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center, and to welcome Mari Watanabe, new Oregon Nikkei Endowment Executive Director, and David Yamashita, President of the Oregon Nikkei Endowment Board of Directors.
 

Oregon Nikkei Endowment Annual Banquet
September 28, 2008, 5:00 p.m.
Multnomah Athletic Club
1849 SW Salmon Street, Portland, OR

This year, outstanding community leaders Sho Dozono and June Arima Schumann will be recognized for their work and contribution to O.N.E. and the Nikkei community. The banquet will also feature a silent auction, including some very attractive packages and services on offer. In addition, a special appearance by members of the renowned Minidoka Swing Band will be one of the highlights of the evening. As a major fundraising event to support O.N.E. programs, which include the Japanese American Historical Plaza and Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center, we invite everyone to make their reservations early. Tickets are $100 per person, with $50 of each ticket tax deductible. Reservations are requested by September 19, 2008. To reserve a spot or for more information, please contact O.N.E.

Phone: 503-224-1458

 

Matsutake Hunt
October 18, 2008
Zig Zag, Oregon

Join fellow Friends of the Legacy Center on a field trip to hunt and gather Matsutake mushrooms near Mt. Hood. Participate in a favorite fall tradition of the Nikkei community. Call 503-224-1458 for information or to sign up.
 

Oregon Reads 2009

Stubborn Twig has been chosen as the featured book for Oregon Reads 2009, a statewide community reading project that will take place in nearly every public library in every county in Oregon next year. Stubborn Twig tells the story of one Japanese American family's century-long struggle to adjust, endure and ultimately triumph, spanning across Hood River, Portland, and Eugene. Bat 6, about a girls’ baseball game in post-WWII Oregon, by Virginia Euwer Wolff has also been selected for younger readers for the Oregon Sesquicentennial. Available for purchase at the Legacy Center and in our online gift shop.
 

Museum in a Suitcase
Our speakers will share the Japanese American experience in Oregon with your students by bringing exhibits (visual images and artifacts) in a suitcase to your classroom. The exhibits cover the following topics: immigration, life in Portland's Japantown, and the internment story. For more information, contact ONLC at 503-224-1458.
 

Upcoming Exhibit:

Oregon Nisei Baseball: the Early Years
September 14, 2008 - January 11, 2009

ONLC 517 The Mikado baseball team, Portland, Oregon, ca. 1936.
Courtesy of John Murakami

(front row, left to right) Bill Oda, Jim Hongo, Nobi Sumida, George Somekawa, Bob Fukai, George Marumoto. (back row, left to right) John Murakami, George Yamaguchi, George Azumano, Ben Ito, Art Somekawa, Art Hirayama, Hood Shiogi, Salem Yagawa.

Become a Subscriber:

Friends of the Legacy Center
Your support will help to ensure that the history, art and culture of the Nikkei are preserved and shared with the community for generations to come.

Annual subscribers to ONLC receive free admission all year long, a subscription to our newsletter, invitations to openings and other special events, and 10% off all purchases in the gift shop. Additionally, our neighbors at The Monkey & the Rat are now offering a 5% discount in their shop for all Friends of the Legacy Center.

To get involved in these activities, please contact ONLC:

Phone: 503-224-1458