Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Liu Fang Yuan or the Garden of Flowing Fragrance, is one of the finest classical-style Chinese gardens outside of China. Filled with Chinese plants and framed by exquisite architecture, the landscape is enriched with references to literature and art. Visitors can find both physical relaxation and mental stimulation when exploring the dramatic 15-acre garden.

Everyone is invited to celebrate Pacific Islander cultures, including Hawaiian, Tahitian, Samoan, Tongan, Marshallese, Maori, and Fijian at the Aquarium of the Pacific’s 21st annual Pacific Islander Festival. This weekend-long festival features cultural displays, artisanal craft demonstrations, live music and dance performances, and its annual Heritage Award ceremony. Guests are also invited to explore the Tropical Pacific Gallery to see marine life found off the coast of the Pacific islands.

Check the website for ticket prices.

Explore this tranquil Japanese-style garden that blends design elements from four classic garden styles. Cross an arched bridge and walk on shaded paths along a koi-filled stream to the teahouse.

General – $15, Seniors 65 and over and Students with ID – $11, Children (5 to 12 years) – $5, Descanso members and children under 5 – Free

Listen to the calming sounds of water and take in the subdued palette of evergreen shrubbery embracing the Koi Pond. The garden features stone lanterns crafted of Okazaki stone over 200 years ago and a bonsai display maintained by the South Coast Bonsai Association.

Adults – $15, Seniors 65 and over and Students with ID – $11, Children (5 to 12 years) – $5, Foundation members and children under 4 – Free,

Entry on the third Tuesday of each month – Free.

Advance purchase is required to attend on Saturdays and Sundays.

This project honors the spirit and talent of George Hoshida, an incarcerated artist who documented life with pencil and brushwork in a series of notebooks he kept between 1942 and 1945. Through examples of Hoshida’s artwork and personal correspondence with his family, this site hopes to provide insight into one individual’s incarceration experience.

This exhibition highlights an artist’s rare photographs of the Japanese American community in Los Angeles prior to World War II and of urban life in Hiroshima prior to the 1945 atomic bombing of the city.

Latino Theater Company and Playwrights’ Arena present an epic WWII play. Inspired by the true-life experiences of Ralph J. Preiss, Mix-Mix tells the coming-of-age tale of 13-year-old Rudy Preissman, who escapes Nazi Germany at the age of nine with his family to find safety in the Philippines. Their tropical refuge is upended when Japan invades the islands, forcing the family and their Filipino friends to hide in the heights and depths of sacred Mount Banahao.