Japanese American community · Hollywood, Los Angeles

Hollywood Japanese Cultural Institute

A neighborhood home where Japanese and Japanese American culture is learned, practiced, celebrated, and carried forward.

Established 1947 · 3929 Middlebury Street

A large multigenerational community gathering in the Hollywood JCI Social Hall.
Community members together in the HJCI Social Hall.
Three taiko performers play large drums on the Social Hall stage during HJCI’s seventy-fifth anniversary celebration.
Taiko at HJCI’s seventy-fifth anniversary.
Five attendees from different generations stand together in the Social Hall during HJCI’s seventy-fifth anniversary gathering.
Generations gathering in the Social Hall.

Programs & Classes

Come learn, practice, and belong.

Meet the communities that make HJCI an active home for language, martial arts, music, faith, and cultural connection.

Hollywood Judo Dojo participants lined up in the dojo.

Martial arts

Hollywood Judo Dojo

Practice, discipline, and community in a dojo connected to HJCI since 1951.

Visit the dojo website
Preserved wooden signs for the Hollywood Japanese Language School and California Japanese Language School Association.

Language & learning

Japanese Language Class

Continue a learning tradition rooted in Hollywood Gakuen. Find current class and enrollment information from the school.

Visit the language school
Participants seated together during a community gathering at HJCI.

Faith & community

Community groups

Find faith communities, music, martial arts, and stewardship groups connected through HJCI.

See all programs and groups

Looking for L.A. Daiku Chorale, karate, Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu, or the Hollywood Gardeners’ Association?

View every program and group

History

A place carried forward.

From Hollywood Gakuen’s early home to today’s shared campus, generations have sustained a place for learning, culture, and community life.

Read HJCI history
Black-and-white 1936 photograph of the Hollywood Gakuen executive committee gathered on a flower-decorated stage.
Hollywood Gakuen, 1936. From HJCI’s documented history.

Events · announcements · newsletters

Community noticeboard

See what is coming up, then explore documented gatherings and news from HJCI’s public archive.

Upcoming activities

New dates will appear here when confirmed.

There are currently no confirmed upcoming events. Programs and community groups continue to share their current information directly.

Clearly archived

Past community activities

Browse the event archive
A group gathered in the HJCI Social Hall after caring for the facility.

From the archive

Spring Pancake Fundraiser

A community fundraiser published by HJCI for spring 2025.

View archived event
Two people caring for landscaping beside the HJCI facility.

From the archive

Spring Facility & Gardening Cleanup

A scheduled community work period for care of the facility and grounds.

View archived event
People actively caring for the stage area inside the HJCI Social Hall.

Membership & Volunteering

Help sustain the next chapter.

Membership and volunteer service support the shared space and programs that connect HJCI’s community.

From the noticeboard · Newsletter archive · 2016–2024

Community news, kept together.

The newest issue in the verified public archive is May 2024. Browse every available issue without mistaking archived material for a current announcement.

Support HJCI

Keep a place for community life.

Donations help sustain the community center and the activities that bring people together.

Donate securely with PayPal

Visit & Contact

Find Hollywood JCI on Middlebury Street.

Programs and groups may keep their own schedules. Contact HJCI before visiting when you need current activity information.

3929 Middlebury StreetLos Angeles, CA 90004-2208
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Exterior sign for the Hollywood Japanese Cultural Institute at 3929 Middlebury Street, surrounded by the building and garden.
Hollywood Japanese Cultural Institute