Mingei International Museum

On our list of the best activities in San Diego.

Housed in the House of Charm, a 1915 exposition building on the Plaza de Panama since the museum relocated there in 1996, the collection runs past 25,000 folk-art, craft, and design objects gathered from 141 countries. It takes its name from mingei, a Japanese term meaning art of the people coined by scholar Sōetsu Yanagi, and it was founded in 1974 by potter and San Diego State art professor Martha Longenecker. Exhibits have ranged from Japanese ceramics and indigenous basketry to folk toys, and the building also holds a restaurant, ARTIFACT, and a grab-and-go café. Admission drops to a discounted rate every Friday evening from 5 to 8.