MOONEYES CRUISED J-TOWN IN THE NISEI WEEK GRAND PARADE

Recently, we had the honor of documenting MOONEYES participating in the long-running Nisei Week Grand Parade in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles with MOONEYES President USA Chico Kodama’s record-setting land speed race car. Geared for high speed, his rear engine modified roadster was hauled on a trailer by the MOONEYES dually truck. Its blue, light blue, red, and orange livery is in honor of Chico’s mentor, Fred Larsen, a MOONEYES machinist and multiple land speed record holder. His record-setting streamliner, which is in the NHRA Museum in Pomona, California, is in the same colors.

It was an incredible sight to see the MOONEYES land speed race car, which just returned from racing at the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, cruise J-Town (also known as Little Tokyo) along with 25+ more classic vehicles. It paraded by many of Little Tokyo’s landmarks, from historic temples to legacy businesses to beautiful murals to important museums. Best of all, it passed by the enthusiastic Los Angeles community who came out to celebrate Japanese American history and culture.

This grand procession honored many of the people who were involved in the Japanese American National Museum’s “Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community” exhibit at the ArtCenter College of Design / Peter & Merle Mullin Gallery (running through 11/12/2025). With its own rich history, MOONEYES is part of this groundbreaking exhibit—the first of its kind.

A heartfelt thank you to Oliver Wang, the curator of “Cruising J-Town,” the Japanese American National Museum, and the Nisei Week Grand Parade for allowing MOONEYES and “Craft of Speed” to be a part of this special event. Many thanks to all the MOONEYES fans and people who attended the parade.   

To learn more about the “Cruising J-Town” exhibit and book:
https://www.janm.org/exhibits/cruising-j-town

To learn more about the “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary and our upcoming screenings in Oahu, Hawaii on Sunday, 8/24/2025 and Tacoma, Washington on Saturday, 8/30/2025:
craftofspeed.com

To pre-order the “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book:
https://www.craftofspeed.com/store/photographybook

TO SOME, IT’S JUST A PARADE. TO OTHERS, IT’S AN INCREDIBLE CELEBRATION OF HISTORY, CULTURE, AND COMMUNITY.

This weekend, as part of the long-running Nisei Week Japanese Festival, the Nisei Week Grand Parade will take place in historic Little Tokyo, Los Angeles on Sunday, 8/10/2025, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. According to the Rafu Shimpo newspaper, it’s “one of the longest running ethnic festivals in the U.S.” The first Nisei Week was held in 1934.

The Nisei Week Grand Parade will be special this year. As part the Japanese American National Museum’s “Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community” Exhibit at the ArtCenter College of Design / Peter & Merle Mullin Gallery (running through 11/12/2025), MOONEYES’ record-setting land speed race car and 25+ vehicles will be cruising J-Town (also known as Little Tokyo), bringing back this rich tradition.

The festival and parade are a grand celebration of Japanese American history and culture, bringing the diverse Los Angeles community together. Best of all, they merge with car culture this year on the bustling streets of Little Tokyo.

To learn more about Nisei Week:
https://niseiweek.org/

To see the Nisei Week Grand Parade route:
https://niseiweek.org/festival/#map

To learn more about the Japanese American National Museum’s “Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community” Exhibit & Book:
https://www.janm.org/exhibits/cruising-j-town

To learn more about the “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary and Photography Book as well as our upcoming screenings in Oahu, Hawaii on Sunday, 8/24/2025 and Tacoma, Washington on Saturday, 8/30/2025:
craftofspeed.com

MOONEYES: FROM RACING AT BONNEVILLE TO CRUISING J-TOWN

MOONEYES President USA Chico Kodama’s land speed race car at CineMakina

This Sunday, 8/10/2025, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., MOONEYES will participate in the Nisei Week Grand Parade in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. As part of the Japanese American National Museum’s “Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community” Exhibit at the ArtCenter College of Design / Peter & Merle Mullin Gallery (on view until 11/12/2025), MOONEYES will be cruising J-Town (as Little Tokyo is affectionately known) with 25+ other vehicles. Just back from racing at Speed Week at the epic Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, MOONEYES will be bringing MOONEYES President USA Chico Kodama’s record-setting land speed race car, a rear engine modified roadster. It will be an incredible sight seeing this history-making race car on the streets of historic Little Tokyo. For MOONEYES fans and automotive photographers, it will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

To learn more about the Nisei Week Grand Parade:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DMVyZQiyg1S/?img_index=1

To see the Nisei Week Grand Parade route:
https://niseiweek.org/festival/#map

To learn more about the Japanese American National Museum’s “Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community” Exhibit & Book:
https://www.janm.org/exhibits/cruising-j-town

To learn more about the “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary and Photography Book as well as our upcoming screenings in Oahu, Hawaii on Sunday, 8/24/2025 and Tacoma, Washington on Saturday, 8/30/2025:
craftofspeed.com

MOONEYES IS PART OF THE JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM’S “CRUISING J-TOWN” EXHIBIT

We had the honor of attending the opening reception for the Japanese American National Museum’s “Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community” Exhibit at the ArtCenter College of Design / Peter & Merle Mullin Gallery. It was an incredible event gathering the community to celebrate Japanese American history and car culture.

Congratulations to our friend Oliver Wang, who curated the exhibit, and the entire JANM team for this huge accomplishment! The exhibit and its companion book of the same name are massive in scope, taking almost a decade to research, write, and design. They are monumental in that this expansive story hasn’t been documented, shared, and celebrated until now.

With its own rich history, MOONEYES is part of this extensive exhibit. It was wonderful to see how this iconic company fits into Japanese American history and car culture and how everyone is interconnected in this community. The exhibit opens on 7/31/2025 and runs through 11/12/2025.

To learn more about the exhibit and book:
https://www.janm.org/exhibits/cruising-j-town

To learn more about the “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary and our upcoming screenings in Oahu, Hawaii on Sunday, 8/24/2025 and Tacoma, Washington on Saturday, 8/30/2025:
craftofspeed.com

NAMSAYIN PRESENTS "CRAFTED THROUGH CULTURE"—MOONEYES DOCUMENTARY "CRAFT OF SPEED" BY HUMANIST FILMS

Namsayin presents “Crafted through Culture”—MOONEYES Documentary “Craft of Speed” by Humanist Films on Saturday, 8/30/2025 at Griot’s Garage in Tacoma, Washington.

Four years in the making, this 2-hour documentary covers the entire history of MOONEYES. In the film, Shige Suganuma and Chico Kodama, two Japanese/Japanese American hot rodders, helped save MOON Equipment Company, an iconic American speed parts company, rebrand it as MOONEYES, preserve legendary founder Dean MOON’s legacy, and popularize hot rod culture in Asia. This year, MOONEYES celebrates its 75th anniversary.

We’re thrilled to screen our film in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. We love the region with its diverse people, rich culture, and strong community.

To continue our goal of producing unique cinema events, we’re working with some amazing partners—Namsayin and Griot’s Garage. In addition to a film screening, we’re curating a showcase of vehicles, post-film discussion, music, food vendors, limited edition merch, and more to create an unforgettable experience.

We’re honored to work with Namsayin, a community-based car culture brand and media platform founded by brothers Al-Michael Franco and Walter Franco. They showcase and tell the stories of the people behind the car culture in the greater Northwest and beyond. They convey these stories through different mediums such as apparel, vehicle design projects, and curated automotive experiences. We love their powerful message, “Community over Cars.”

In addition to being the Co-Founder and Creative Director of Namsayin, Walter was the Curator and Collection Manager of the world-class Lemay - America’s Car Museum. We’ll be having an engaging discussion after the film with Walter, Al-Michael, and special guests TBA.

We’re excited to work with Griot’s Garage, which is known for their high-quality car care products. This cinema event will take place at their beautiful Griot’s Garage Corporate Headquarters and Flagship Retail Store. The original building was built by Coca-Cola in the 1950s as a bottling and distribution warehouse. Now, it has been fully restored and has become a car lover’s destination. It houses a museum-quality Auto Display and hosts many car events, namely their monthly Caffeine & Gasoline cruise-in car shows.

We’re also excited to announce our “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book, which documents the world of MOONEYES, from the famous MOONEYES headquarters in Santa Fe Springs, California to Shige Suganuma, the Owner of MOONEYES, conducting a test & tune of his MOONEYES Dragster at the beloved Irwindale Dragstrip in Irwindale, California to Chico Kodama, the President of MOONEYES USA, building and racing his new rear engine modified roadster at the epic Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. The book will be officially released at the upcoming Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show 2025 in Yokohama, Japan. Learn more about the book and pre-order here and at the Namsayin event: https://www.craftofspeed.com/store/photographybook

Our deepest gratitude to Al-Michael Franco and Walter Franco of Namsayin for presenting this screening with us. Thank you to Griot’s Garage for their warm hospitality. Mahalo to Tad Matsuno of MOONEYES Hawaii for his thoughtful introduction and longtime support. As always, thank you to Shige Suganuma, Chico Kodama, and the entire MOONEYES family for all their support.

NAMSAYIN PRESENTS “CRAFTED THROUGH CULTURE”—MOONEYES DOCUMENTARY “CRAFT OF SPEED” BY HUMANIST FILMS

GRIOT’S GARAGE
Tacoma, Washington

Saturday, 8/30/2025
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Curated Vehicle Showcase / “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book Preview / Music / Food
7:00 p.m - 9:00 p.m. Film Screening
9::00 p.m - 9:30 p.m Discussion with Al-Michael Franco and Walter Franco of Namsayin, director Ming Lai, and Special Guests TBA
9:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Curated Vehicle Showcase / “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book Preview / Music / Food

Griot’s Garage
3333 S. 38th Street
Tacoma, WA 98409

Buy Tickets:
craftofspeed.eventive.org

*Limited seating. Please buy your tickets in advance.

*VIP Admission includes choice of limited edition hat or T-shirt as well as free appetizers and beverages.

namsayin.com / @namsayin
griotsgarage.com / @GriotsGarage
craftofspeed.com
humanistfilms.com / @humanistfilms
mooneyesusa.com / @mooneyesusa

MOONEYES TO CRUISE J-TOWN, LOS ANGELES

An “uchiwa” (“fan” in Japanese) against the backdrop of Little Tokyo. The image on the uchiwa is MOONEYES 533, a front engine modified roadster that MOONEYES President USA Chico Kodama set a land speed record with earlier. See his new MOONEYES 1533, a rear engine modified roadster that he set another land speed record with, at the Nisei Week Grand Parade.

Living in Los Angeles, we had the experience of cruising J-Town (Little Tokyo, as it’s affectionately known) during Nisei Week in the 80’s. During that time, Little Tokyo in Downtown Los Angeles near the Civic Center was a vibrant Japanese American community, filled with bustling stores, markets, and restaurants.

“Matsuri” (“festival” in Japanese) season in July and August, which celebrates Japanese and Japanese American heritage, was especially exciting, with many pageants, parades, and community events.

One of the highlights was cruising J-Town. People with fixed up cars would drive through the quaint streets of Little Tokyo—Toyota Celicas, Datsun 510s, and Datsun 240Zs. It was a glorious time for the car community.

Eventually, safety, noise, and liability issues would put an end to this era. In the 90’s, after the economic downturn in Japan, Little Tokyo would also suffer from loss of business. Over time, they would also battle against gentrification, like many ethnic neighborhoods.

Today, Little Tokyo is thriving again because of passionate interest in Japanese culture. Nisei Week will take place on 8/9/2025 through 8/17/2025. The Nisei Week Grand Parade will be on Sunday, 8/10/2025, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Thanks to the invitation by the Japanese American National Museum’s “Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community” Exhibit, MOONEYES will be participating in the Nisei Week Grand Parade with MOONEYES President USA Chico Kodama’s record-setting land speed race car, a rear engine modified roadster, along with 40 to 50 other incredible cars.

Watch as history unfolds—the car community cruises J-Town again.

To learn more about the Nisei Week Grand Parade:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DMVyZQiyg1S/?img_index=1

To learn more about the Japanese American National Museum’s “Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community” Exhibit:
https://www.janm.org/exhibits/cruising-j-town

To learn more about the “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary and our upcoming screenings in Hawaii and Washington:
craftofspeed.com

To pre-order the “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book:
https://www.craftofspeed.com/store/photographybook

ANNOUNCING THE MOONEYES HAWAII 2025 OHANA WEEKEND FEATURING MOONEYES' PINSTRIPER WILDMAN & HUMANIST FILMS' "CRAFT OF SPEED" MOONEYES DOCUMENTARY AT THE BOB BOSLEY MUSEUM, PRESENTED BY NAPA HAWAII

Announcing the MOONEYES Hawaii 2025 Ohana Weekend, featuring MOONEYES’ Pinstriper “Wildman” and Humanist Films’ “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary at the Bob Bosley Museum, presented by NAPA Hawaii.

MOONEYES 2025 Ohana Weekend is a festive gathering of family, friends, and community. On Saturday, 8/23/2025, MOONEYES Hawaii will be exhibiting at SPOCOM Hawaii, the largest and strongest lineup of vehicles in the state. “Wildman” will be displaying at the “Art of Pinstriping.” On Sunday, 8/24/2025, “Wildman” will be doing a pinstriping demonstration at the Bob Bosley Museum, and then there will be a screening of the award-winning “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary. MOONEYES Owner Shige Suganuma, MOONEYES President USA Chico Kodama, and MOONEYES Imagineer emi will be in attendance.

Four years in the making and two hours long, “Craft of Speed” covers the entire history of MOONEYES. In the film, Shige Suganuma and Chico Kodama, two Japanese/Japanese American hot rodders, helped save MOON Equipment Company, an iconic American speed parts company, rebrand it as MOONEYES, preserve legendary founder Dean MOON’s legacy, and popularize hot rod culture in Asia. This year, MOONEYES celebrates its 75th anniversary.

Because we’re independently distributing our documentary, we’ve been producing unique cinema events to offer special experiences to our attendees. In addition to a screening of our award-winning film on Sunday, 8/24/2025, there will be an exciting pinstriping demonstration by “Wildman”; meet & greet with MOONEYES Owner Shige Suganuma and MOONEYES President USA Chico Kodama; museum visit; island hot rods display; “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book preview; discussion with the filmmakers; raffle giveaways; and food trucks.

We’re also excited to announce our “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary Photography Book, which documents the world of MOONEYES, from the famous MOONEYES headquarters in Santa Fe Springs, California to Shige Suganuma, the Owner of MOONEYES, conducting a test & tune of his MOONEYES Dragster at the beloved Irwindale Dragstrip in Irwindale, California to Chico Kodama, the President of MOONEYES USA, building and racing his new rear engine modified roadster at the epic Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. The book will be released at the upcoming Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show 2025 in Yokohama, Japan. Learn more about the book and pre-order here and at our cinema event: https://www.craftofspeed.com/store/photographybook

The Bob Bosley Museum is located in the vibrant Kaka’ako District of Oahu, Hawaii. The building which houses the museum has a rich history. Built in 1930, it was originally The Novelty Foundry, a casting shop that produced tools and other equipment. In 1969, it was turned into an art gallery, showcasing the work of local artists. In 1993, Bob and Teri Bosley bought it for their business, Diamond Head Sprinkler Supply. After selling the company in 2014, they transformed it into a museum of antiques, collectibles, and vintage automobiles, including a rare 1907 Ford Model N, 1931 Cord, and 1931 Packard.

MOONEYES Hawaii, owned by Tad Matsuno, reminds us of MOON of Japan when it first started in Yokohama, Japan. Located in Kaimuki, Oahu, MOONEYES Hawaii is a popular destination for local and international car enthusiasts. Not only can you find MOONEYES speed equipment and the latest collabs with in4mation and other brands, you can talk story and enjoy the passionate car community.

NAPA Hawaii is part of the vast NAPA Network, which offers 800,000+ unique parts, distributed across 6,000+ NAPA Auto Parts stores and NAPA Auto Care centers throughout the United States. The company started in 1925, when a group of independent auto parts sellers met in Detroit to form the National Automotive Parts Association. Their stores and warehouses quickly became the go-to sources for parts. The company is now celebrating 100 years.

We’re proud to say that many of our family are from Hawaii. So it’s a very special place to us. We love Hawaii’s rich history, culture, and diversity. We’re deeply honored to be able to share our film with the Hawaiian community.

Mahalo to Tad Matsuno of MOONEYES Hawaii for his generous support of our project. Our deepest appreciation to Kirk Hubbard and his family for bringing our film to Hawaii. A heartfelt thank you to Bob Bosley and the Bob Bosley Museum for hosting our event. Thank you so much to our presenting sponsor, NAPA Hawaii. Many thanks to the Auto Lunch Bunch for their hard work and warm hospitality. As always, thank you to Shige Suganuma, Chico Kodama, Hiro “Wildman” Ishii, and Emi Suganuma of MOONEYES for being a part of our special event.



MOONEYES HAWAII 2025 OHANA WEEKEND, FEATURING MOONEYES’ PINSTRIPER “WILDMAN” AND HUMANIST FILMS’ “CRAFT OF SPEED” MOONEYES DOCUMENTARY AT THE BOB BOSLEY MUSEUM, PRESENTED BY NAPA HAWAII
Oahu, Hawaii



Saturday, 8/23/2025
4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. MOONEYES Hawaii Exhibitor at SPOCOM Hawaii / “Wildman” Display at the “Art of Pinstriping”

Blaisdell Exhibition Hall
777 Ward Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96814

To buy tickets to SPOCOM Hawaii:
https://spocomusa.com/spocom-hawaii/

Sunday, 8/24/2025
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. “Wildman” Pinstriping Demonstration / Meet & Greet with MOONEYES Owner Shige Suganuma and MOONEYES President USA Chico Kodama / Museum Visit / Island Hot Rods Display / “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book Preview / Raffle Giveaways / Food Trucks
4:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary Screening / Discussion with Filmmakers

Bob Bosley Museum
899 Waimanu St.
Honolulu, HI 96813

Parking is on surrounding streets.

To buy tickets to the “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary screening:
http://craftofspeed.eventive.org
*Limited seating. Please buy in advance.



To learn more about MOONEYES Hawaii 2025 Ohana Weekend:
https://www.mooneyeshawaii.com/s-projects-basic?fbclid=PAQ0xDSwLZijxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABp4buVibUfSd2hJnPnHi8gmFq11HnzJm6yTLc1CY81yfgXavj61VdpE5qsz-p_aem_g5qqUErkzukmz9yYZyjz1g

To pre-order the “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book:
https://www.craftofspeed.com/store/photographybook

MAKINA MEANS FAMILY

This past weekend was a busy one. On Saturday, 7/12/2025, we exhibited with our friends at the Japanese American National Museum “Cruising J-Town” Exhibit at the MOONEYES 75th Anniversary Open House. And then on Sunday, 7/13/2025, we attended the G’s on Sunday X Makina Drivers Club Carrera Arroyo. G’s on Sunday and Makina Drivers Cub are both rising car culture lifestyle brands. The Arroyo Seco Parkway is the first freeway in America. The event started in L.A.’s iconic Chinatown, cruised up the historic Arroyo Seco, and met at the tasty Guisados Pasadena, a culinary institution in L.A., serving some of the best tacos in the city. It’s a car lover’s Rose Parade. This popular event has grown immensely, attracting a diverse group of cars and people. In many ways, it’s a family reunion through the invitation of cars.

Stay tuned as we plan something special with Makina Drivers Club.

To see more Carrera Arroyo event photos:
https://www.craftofspeed.com/newsarchive/makina-means-family

To learn more about Makina Drivers Club:
https://makinadriversclub.com/

To learn more about G’s on Sunday:
https://www.gsonsunday.com

To learn more about Guisados:
https://www.guisados.la/

To learn more about the “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary:
craftofspeed.com