Thank you to everyone who attended our “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary screening as part of the Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute (JCI) Car Show Fundraiser!
Thank you so much to Lyndon Baines, Andrew Bacon, Wayne, Ken Kawamura, Alan Kita, and the entire JCI Team as well as all of the volunteers for the wonderful opportunity to work with you on this important event.
We deeply appreciate all of the people who participated in the car show, including Brian Omatsu with his Purple Reign, Brian Karasawa and his 1977 Toyota Celica Liftback, and many others with their incredible cars.
It was a huge honor to have Dr. Oliver Wang, the curator of Japanese American National Museum exhibit, “Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community” lead our discussion.
Special thanks to Mitchell Matsumura for sharing his short film, “Japanese American Legacy on Wheels” and referring ours.
Mahalo to Okamoto Kitchen and Island Rootz Cafe by Auntie Mailes, one of our favorite restaurants in the South Bay, for the ono food.
Many thanks to all of our family and friends from Gardena and beyond for your love and support.
As always, a heartfelt thank you to Chico Kodama, Jeremy Kodama, and the entire MOONEYES family for your inspiration and assistance.
We very moved by audience’s reaction to MOONEYES’ powerful story about not only hot rodding, racing, and car culture but also the Japanese/Japanese American experience.
We hope through this event, we were able to increase awareness about and raise funds for the JCI’s vital work for the community.
To support the Gardena Valley JCI:
https://www.jci-gardena.org/donate.html