AAPI Culture

Learn more about a community that has had a great impact on Pasadena’s culture and history.

AAPI Gardens

Weekend Itinerary

The AAPI, or Asian American Pacific Islander, community has shaped much of modern-day Pasadena with connections deeply rooted in the city’s arts, food, architecture, and even gardens. Walk through their invaluable role in the formation of Pasadena, or enjoy bites of their culture with a delve into the celebration of AAPI culture.

AAPI Gardens: Living, Growing History

Pasadena's horticultural legacy is, in no small part, an AAPI legacy. During the late 19th century, a deep fascination with Asian garden design took root in California, and the results are still flourishing today.

Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden

Created by landscape designer Kinzuchi Fujii between 1935 and 1940, the Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden is the only intact example of a major Japanese-style garden built before World War II for a private residence in Southern California. Monthly programming includes sound baths, evening garden access, and tea ceremonies but even on a quiet afternoon, the garden speaks for itself.

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Japanese Garden at The Huntington

One of the oldest gardens at The Huntington, the Japanese Garden has been welcoming visitors for over a century. Wander through koi-filled ponds, cross the moon bridge crafted by Japanese artisan Toichiro Kawai, and spend time with the bonsai collection, the Zen garden, and a ceremonial tea house originally built in Kyoto.

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Credit

Photo courtesy of The Huntington Library, Art Museums, and Botanical Gardens

Chinese Garden at The Huntington (Liu Fang Yuan 流芳園)

Considered one of the finest classical-style Chinese gardens outside of China, Liu Fang Yuan was designed through a collaboration between artisans in Suzhou and American construction workers. Every plant here carries literary or cultural significance. On Wednesday afternoons, solo musicians perform unamplified on classical instruments, the dizi, pipa, and erhu, making it one of the more transportive afternoons you can have in Southern California.

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Japanese Garden at Descanso Gardens

Designed by Eijiro Nunokawa, the Japanese Garden at Descanso includes a stroll garden, a stream-and-pond garden, a tea garden, and a raked-gravel karesansui garden. The teahouse was once operated by Japanese American restauranteurs, and the adjacent giftshop, designed by architect Kenneth Masao Nishimoto, was built to evoke a traditional Japanese farmhouse.

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Pictured

Descanso Gardens

Museums & Cultural Institutions

USC Pacific Asia Museum

One of only a handful of institutions in the United States dedicated exclusively to the arts and cultures of Asia and the Pacific Islands, the USC Pacific Asia Museum occupies a landmark building in the heart of Pasadena. Rotating exhibitions bring new perspectives throughout the year, and the museum's permanent collection and public murals are worth a visit in their own right.

Pro tip: The exterior mural, A Momentous Moment in the Time of Passage and Landing, features the official national birds of Asian and Pacific Island nations, each one representing a diaspora community that has made Southern California home.

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Asian Art Collection at The Huntington

The Huntington's Asian art holdings span centuries and traditions, with recent acquisitions focused on East Asian garden arts, tea culture, painting, literature, and stone appreciation. A standout piece: a 14th-century Chinese double-gourd vase that was originally used as a serving jug.

Explore the Collection

South Asian Paintings & Sculptures at Norton Simon Museum

The Norton Simon Museum is home to one of the most significant collections of South and Southeast Asian art in the world over 2,000 years of sculptural and painting traditions, all in one place.

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Vroman's Bookstore

Founded in 1894, Vroman's is the oldest and largest independent bookstore in Southern California and its AAPI history runs deeper than most people realize. During World War II, Vroman's staff donated and hand-delivered books to Japanese Americans interned at nearby camps, continuing to make deliveries even after being fired upon by camp guards. Today, Vroman's celebrates AAPI authors through ongoing events, readings, and curated collections throughout the year.

Visit Vroman's

Weekend Itinerary

Looking for a whole weekend of learning and celebrating AAPI culture and businesses? We’ve got you covered with a weekend guide and map to everything Asian American and Pacific Islander.

Friday:

Wake up to coffee and a sweet treat from Copa Vida Coffee (70 S. Raymond Ave.), an AAPI-owned cafe that offers a wide variety of coffees and teas. And with a breakfast menu packed with burritos, sandwiches, and toast, you’ll just have to grab something to go. Follow it up with a short stroll over to the University of Southern California’s campus to visit the Pacific Island Museum (46 N. Los Robles Ave.) before walking over to Vroman’s Bookstore (695 E. Colorado Blvd.) for something new to read. Crack open your book at Nha Trang (28 N. Raymond Ave.)while munching on traditional Vietnamese food.

Insider tip: Vroman Bookstore has a lot of author visits, so timing your weekend just right could mean meeting your favorite writer in person!

Saturday:

Start with breakfast at Dash Coffee Bar (912 E. Union St.), then grab some tickets for a performance at the Pasadena Playhouse (39 S. El Molino Ave.), an award-winning theater with a strong track record of AAPI productions and performers. In the eveing, wind down and head to Pasadena’s Central Park (275 S. Raymond Ave.) to walk the trails and catch some rays before getting a bite to eat.

Pictured

Bone Kettle

Sunday:

Pick out a pair of good walking shoes for Sunday and ready up with a Boba tea from Motto Tea Cafe (100 W. Green St.). Check out the incredible architecture and grab a tour through Old Pasadena. The famous greeting card murals have made their stop in Pasadena, so stop by the Greetings Pasadena mural. End the weekend with the local restaurant, Bone Kettle (67 N. Raymond Ave.), near Old Pasadena.

Insider fun-fact: The iconic greetings murals that swept the nation were created by Asian American artists who ended their mural tour in Pasadena. Read their story here.