Tod Kaneko’s 1973 Datsun 510.
The Japanese American National Museum (JANM), in partnership with ArtCenter College of Design, will present “Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community” as part of JANM on the Go.
On view from July 31 to Nov. 12 in the Peter and Merle Mullin Gallery located at ArtCenter’s south campus, 1111 S. Arroyo Parkway, Pasadena, the exhibition celebrates Southern California’s love affair with the automobile through the eyes of Japanese Americans.
Exploring the community’s influence on car culture in the U.S. over the past century, the exhibition will feature more than 100 objects, including rare photographs and home movies; memorabilia from car clubs, service stations, race car drivers, and collectors; concept car designs; plus five classic cars that embody the exhibition’s themes of speed, style, work, and community.
Curated by writer and scholar Dr. Oliver Wang, “Cruising J-Town” chronicles the people and stories behind the vital roles that Japanese Americans have played in countless car scenes, from hot rods and fish trucks to the import tuner craze and drift racing. The exhibition draws on the oral history testimonies of over 100 Nikkei car enthusiasts, racers, mechanics, designers, industry professionals, and many others.
“Japanese Americans have long been a part of Southern California’s car culture. From a humble gardener’s truck to a customized hot rod or a stout family sedan to a professional race car, generations of Nikkei have been behind the wheel and under the hood, working at the gas pumps, and designing concept cars,” said Wang.
Larry Shinoda with his Chopsticks Special IV, mid-1950s, Los Angeles.
“‘Cruising J-Town’ broadens our understanding and appreciation of Southern California car scenes by exploring the many ways that Japanese Americans have participated and innovated within them. It also asks visitors to consider how Japanese Americans used cars and trucks not only to make a living but to assert their belonging and make their presence known.”
“JANM is thrilled to partner with the ArtCenter College of Design, noted for its transportation design program, to bring this exhibition to the LA area while our museum is closed for renovation,” said Ann Burroughs, JANM president and CEO. “The exhibition not only reveals a previously unexplored aspect of the Japanese American story, it presents an engaging look at America’s love affair with the car in a way that will appeal to all car lovers and design enthusiasts.”
“No college has had a greater impact on automobile design than ArtCenter,” said Karen Hofmann, president of ArtCenter College of Design. “We are delighted to join JANM in presenting on our campus ‘Cruising J-Town,’ an exhibition that honors the legacy of Japanese Americans in shaping car culture and celebrates the deep connections between design, innovation, and community.”
The exhibition is anchored by five classic cars:
George Nakamura’s “Meteor” hot rod from the early 1940s;
Brian Omatsu’s custom 1951 Mercury coupe known as the “Purple Reign”;
A 1956 Ford F-100 pickup truck once owned by West L.A. gardener Yoshio Shimazu and newly restored by his son, Kirk Shimazu;
Tod Kaneko’s 1973 Datsun 510, one of the models that launched the import car craze;
A hot pink 1989 Nissan 240SX from professional drift racer Nadine Sachiko Toyoda-Hsu, founder of the Drifting Pretty team.
Through photographs and memorabilia, the exhibition will revisit historic locations such as the original Ascot Speedway in South Los Angeles, the site of the “world’s first Japanese race” in 1915; F&K Garage in Little Tokyo; sites of the Mojave dry lake racing scene; Lion’s Drag Strip in Wilmington; and classic service stations like Harry’s Texaco in Gardena and Jack’s Auto Service in Little Tokyo.
“Cruising J-Town” tells the stories of influential figures and everyday car lovers alike, including racing mechanic Takeo “Chickie” Hirashima; Shige Suganuma and Chico Kodama of hot rod outfitter Mooneyes in Santa Fe Springs; the first international go-kart champion, Jimmie Yamane of North Hollywood; Larry Shinoda, the designer behind the 1963 Corvette Stingray and other iconic cars; and members of teenage social clubs and car clubs like The Atomettes, The Buddhaheaders, The Shogans, The Paladins, Shoreline Racing, and KMA.
The exhibition also looks at the central role that cars and trucks played in the working lives of Japanese Americans. Nikkei gardeners’ prominence in the local economy was made possible by their trucks, and fish truck drivers, or sakanaya, brought fresh fish and hard-to-find Japanese foods to the postwar suburbs six days a week.
Takeo “Chickie” Hirashama, the renowned Nisei racing mechanic, with George Takei at Ontario Speedway, 1965. Hirashima is wearing the mechanic’s shirt for his character, Kato, from the film “Red Line 7000.”
No history of Japanese American life in California can be told without noting the impact of forced removal and incarceration during World War II. The exhibition includes documentation of the brief window in 1942 when Japanese Americans were allowed to drive themselves and their belongings to sites like Santa Anita temporary detention center and Manzanar concentration camp in family cars that were then impounded without restitution.
A companion book by Wang, with a foreword by George Takei, is published by Angel City Press. The 272-page book, illustrated with vintage and contemporary photographs, will be available for $50 at JANM’s online store, janmstore.org.
JANM plans an array of public programs both at ArtCenter and on JANM’s campus in Little Tokyo. JANM will host a panel discussion about Southern California Nikkei fish trucks on Saturday, Aug. 30, and another panel discussion about the import car scene on Saturday, Oct. 25.
The Atomettes’ Karlene (née Nakanishi) Koketsu and Sadie (née Inatomi) Hifumi sitting in the backseat of Susan Uemura’s Bel Air en route to San Francisco, 1956.
JANM will also host a series of Cars and Coffee events through the run of the exhibition. More information on these and other programs will be available at janm.org/events.
“Cruising J-Town” is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, with additional support from the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Sunco Industries, Co. Ltd., and Don & Ellen Mizota. The media sponsor is The Rafu Shimpo.
Hours: Wednesday–Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call (213) 625-0414 or visit www.janm.org.