Two Buses Set Out: Japanese American Photography

One photograph has long stood for the forced removal of Japanese Americans from Little Tokyo in 1942: two white buses, and a crowd saying goodbye outside the Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple. On Saturday, Nov. 7, the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) and the Yanai Initiative at UCLA bring scholars together to look at that image again. It is one of the more thoughtful things to do in Los Angeles this month.

When: Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, 11 AM to 5 PM Where: Japanese American National Musuem, Little Tokyo Price: $0 to $10, free to college students with ID and JANM members

What the symposium covers

Jack Iwata took the photograph, and JANM holds it in its collection. The building it shows later became the museum's original home. The symposium presents a new interpretation of the image, looks at how the earlier reading took shape, and asks how photography, history and memory overlap.

Ann Burroughs, JANM's Director and CEO, and Michael Emmerich, Director of the Yanai Initiative and Tadashi Yanai Professor of Japanese Literature at UCLA, open the day. The speakers include independent scholar and curator Emily Anderson, Cal State Fullerton historian Benjamin Cawthra, artist Masaki Fujihata, and James A. Ganz, Senior Curator of Photographs at the Getty Museum. More speakers are listed on the event page.

The larger question is how a photograph earns its historical meaning, how that meaning gets passed along, and how a new reading can change what we think we know. If you care about public history or documentary photography, the program is built for you.

Planning your visit

JANM sits in Little Tokyo, in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, close to Metro's A and E Line stop at Little Tokyo/Arts District. The day runs from late morning into the afternoon, so plan a full block of time. Check the official page for the full speaker list and ticket details before you go, since tickets are priced from free to $10 depending on who you are.

Because the museum is in a walkable neighborhood, it is easy to pair the symposium with a meal nearby or a stroll through the area afterward. For more ideas, browse our arts and culture events and the downtown guide. Anyone scanning LA events this weekend for something with depth will find it here.

Details come from the listing on Discover Los Angeles, which links back to JANM for registration.