Discover the legacy of a unique chapter in Florida's history -- that of the pioneering Yamato Colony of Japanese settlers -- at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens. View changing exhibitions of Japanese art and culture, admire miniaturized potted trees called bonsai, and stroll a nearly mile-long path through Japanese landscaping that features rock arrangements, manicured plants, waterfalls, and ponds in garden sites representing the evolution of garden design over a thousand years of Japanese history.
Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens is a permanent institution that collects, preserves, exhibits, and interprets for purposes of study, education, and enjoyment objects relating to Japanese culture and the Japanese-American experience. Morikami presents programs and events of an educational and cultural nature intended to entertain and enrich the lives of broad and diverse segments of the public. Morikami endeavors to promote tolerance and sensitivity in order to form bridges across cultures.
Our mission is to provide authentic Japanese cultural experiences that entertain, educate, and inspire.
The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens traces its heritage to the historic Yamato Colony of Japanese settlers that existed in Palm Beach County a hundred years ago. One of the colony's recruits was Sukeji "George" Morikami, a penniless immigrant who later achieved success in agriculture and business. In 1974, Morikami gave land that he had acquired over his lifetime to Palm Beach County to develop as a park for the people of his adopted country, out of gratitude for the opportunities he had found here. The original museum building, the Yamato-kan, opened in 1977. A second museum building opened in 1993 and Roji-en, the Japanese garden, opened in 2001.
The Morikami’s original museum, the Yamato-kan, houses two permanent exhibitions. The Yamato Colony: Pioneering Japanese in Florida presents the history of this daring agriculture experiment that brought George Morikami to the Sunshine State. Japan Through the Eyes of a Child transports young visitors to Japan, allowing them to step into the world of Japanese culture.
The collections of the Morikami Museum focus on objects that help generate an understanding of the culture of Japan, particularly the period during which the Yamato, Florida colonists and the museum’s namesake, George Morikami, lived, i.e. mid-19th to late 20th centuries. Central to the collections are Japanese articles of daily life dating from the Meiji Period (1868-1912) to the present, including fine arts and folk arts from the same and earlier periods.
The Morikami Museum offers a variety of educational programs for all ages. Providing informative and unique experiences in learning Japanese culture through classes, workshops, lectures, family programs, cultural demonstrations, and educational outreach. In addition, gallery talks, discussions, videos and film showings are held in conjunction with the lecture series and exhibits, enhancing and adding a new dimension to the educational programming.
Auditoriums
Lecture Halls
The museum’s (non-lending) Donald B. Gordon Library houses 7,000 volumes on all topics Japanese.
Access: General Public, Members
Appointment required: False
Gift Shop
Online Gift Shop
Event Rental
Restaurant
Group Tours