Japanese American Museum of Oregon

This is one of the best museums in Portland. That is even more impressive considering its small size.

The entrance is on 4th, and you need to be let in. This allows them to greet you, answer questions, and give handouts.

Along with a flyer for an upcoming exhibit, each of us was handed a different passbook, with a photo and information about an internee from Oregon. Group members are encouraged to trade, so you can learn about more people.

The museum is organized around the internment, and done very well. You start with a model of Portland's Japantown.

It is easy to forget that it ever existed, because the traces are gone. How that happened -- and that it happened -- are important to remember.

We then see artifacts of those lives. Many of our residents were farmers, and some had a famous celery variety, Golden Plume:

There are relics of Boy Scouts and beauty queens, and a whole dentist set up.

Then the war comes. You can hear the radio broadcast, looking at a typical living room set up.

Multimedia is an important part of the experience. As well as looking and reading, you can hear the voices of former internees being interviewed.

Little touches make the history more vivid, like full fly strips in the recreated barracks.

 It is worth remembering that there are people alive today who were in the camps as children.

A section followed on those who got out of the camps by enlisting.

The subject of my passbook, Frank Hachiya, was one of them. He was shot when volunteering his translation services, "likely mistaken for an infiltrator".

There were other ways to give distinguished service. Minoru Yasui received a Presidential Medal of Honor for challenging the curfew. The museum has an old jail cell on display that was excavated from Multnomah County Jail, where Yasui spent nine months.

The medals for Hachiya and Yasui were awarded posthumously.

Despite that, there were people who returned, and played an important part in Portland history.

COVID: They take masking seriously here, which was nice to see as it is all too rare.

Accessibility: This seems pretty navigable. The route has a reasonable width, and there are places to sit and rest. In addition, recorded material had text accompaniment which would be a benefit to the hard of hearing.

https://jamo.org/

Portland Chinatown Museum

It was not allowed to take pictures in the museum, so I have two of the entrance, and the rest will be of the area nearby.

Setting is a big part of the museum's appeal. It is not only near the Lan Su Chinese Garden, but also adjacent to the Society Hotel and cafe, where information in the windows and art honors the area's history.

That means that you can absorb a lot without entering the museum, but entry is not expensive, and the displays give a lot of information.

It was lacking in interactivity. Everything was behind screens, but of course many of the objects are quite old.

There was some innovative use of animation, first with an introductory video based on old prints, and then to a more vivid sense of schooling and recreation.

They were between exhibits, so we only saw the permanent displays. How they used the changing space could have enriched the experience.

Accessibility: The space seemed pretty navigable. As you have to ring or knock to have someone let you in, that eliminates the issue of working the door, often a potential drawback.

COVID: Although there was a sign requiring masks, this was not enforced. There was hand sanitizer readily available.

https://www.portlandchinatownmuseum.org/

Beaverton - Asian Family Market

I recently visited the Asian Family Market in Canyon Place, near Beaverton Transit Center. 

Although there was a row of shopping carts out front, most shoppers seemed to prefer the rolling baskets.

I have been to (though not reviewed) Uwajimaya, and I have not been to either H-Mart or S-Mart. That sets a limit to how well I can compare. I would say the primary shortcoming of this location is that there is no hot deli.

There are baked goods and frozen goods and not only a butcher with various cuts but also live fish and crustaceans.

There is a great selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, but also frozen and canned.

I think it's real strength as a store is not just that you can find all of the general ingredients, but also that you can find the specific brand of that ingredient, which can be very important for cooks. That makes this as a cook's store.

That includes cookware of various kinds and tools for keeping your food warm at a party.

Obviously, there are also things that don't require cooking.

While it may very well be a shopping destination, I also think it gets a fair amount of business from people waiting for their table at Happy Lamb Hot Pot next door. But, if you wanted to make your own hot pot, or pho, or hot and sour soup with tofu, you should be able to find what you need here.

That was one thing that I did not realize right away; the other locations (Seattle and Bellevue) have food courts, which may be a reason that there isn't a hot deli. I have to assume that the Beaverton location is smaller, but then look at how much is packed in!

Prices seem reasonable. For some easier to locate items, you could probably find them for less across Canyon at Fred Meyer, but there are many other things that you simply won't find.

Accessibility: Doors are automatic and the aisles seem reasonably wide. There were a lot of people, so the aisles can get crowded. Assistance would be needed with higher shelves.

COVID: There were some masks, but it is not required.

Perhaps the best option for both issues is that online orders are also an option.

The web site is not showing online ordering supported for this area, so it will probably be necessary to use the QR code.

https://www.asianfamilymkt.com/

Subtle Intimacy: Here and There at the Portland Japanese Garden

The Portland Japanese Garden has had its first artist in residence as part of its Japan Institute program, welcoming artist Rui Sasaki. 

Sasaki collected trimmings by the gardeners while there: dead leaves, faded flowers, and technically detritus. They take on a new beauty as Sasaki fires them in sheets of glass.

There is an exhibit in the learning center where you can view (and purchase) some of the pieces separately, as well as watch a time lapse of the art in the kiln.

That provides an interesting context, but it does not convey the beauty that the lighting does.

When waiting in line for the exhibit and reading the warnings about low lighting and seeing that they were restricting how many people could go in at a time, it seemed like it could be overkill.

Once inside it took my breath away.

There is art in the construction and the display, as well as each individual panel, and the installation is set up to allow you to appreciate that.

You may notice a bubbling in the glass that can give the impression of rain, created by gases escaping n the kiln. Sasaki likes that motif, but the process is not completely predictable.

Sometimes there are larger bubbles, that can seem to frame part of the art, or perhaps to act as a vase for the plants. Sometimes it blasts right through.

There are parts that are more exquisite individually...

and then another power to the whole.

Sasaki created two other installation pieces for the garden. There is a casting of one corner of her home in Kanazawa, set up in the middle of the Kashintei Tea House.

It is obviously meant to convey thoughts of home, though I am not sure how effective it was.

Amayadori -- meaning to take shelter from the rain -- was more effective.

A series of glass stringers hung between the trees, they are transparent, but on a sunny day they took on the color of gold. At other times they might be invisible, and the view does change as you move or come from a different angle.

With the interplay of glass, nature, and light, but outdoors and set against the living garden, Amayadori makes a nice contrast with Subtle Intimacy: Here and There.

Accessibility: Subtle Intimacy is in the Pavilion Gallery, with Amayadori nearby. There is one ramp for entering the gallery, in the back, with no obstacles in the exhibit itself.

The low light could potentially be an issue, but visibility still seemed pretty good. Staff was helpful with questions.

I also finally tried the shuttle for getting up the hill. There was no one using a wheelchair at the time, so I did not get to observe that. The shuttle has two long benches facing each other, with not a lot of room in between, but I believe it allows for rearranging when there is a mobility device.

In passing, one of the staff mentioned that there are fifty steps going up. That sounded low, based on my memories, so I took that path down, counting steps. I only got to 43 before the entry and exit paths veered off, but the issue is not the number of actual steps; it is the length and the grade on the parts that are sloped.

I worry that remains a problem once at the top. There is a lot that is steep, and while not completely impassible for a wheelchair, scooter, or someone using crutches or canes, it might be really tiring and frustrating.

I am not sure that getting down to the tea house for The Corner would be worth it, but it would not be impossible.

I can only say that I found Subtle Intimacy and Amayadori really beautiful, and I was glad I saw them.

COVID: The garden itself is largely outdoors, but the pavilion and the shuttle are inside. I will say there were probably more people masked there than most other places I have been, though still the minority.

https://japanesegarden.org/events/subtle-intimacy/