We love Gardena. This quaint city along with adjoining Torrance in the South Bay region of Los Angeles has one of the largest concentrations of Japanese and Japanese Americans in the U.S. With its diverse population, rich culture, and temperate weather, it’s an ideal place to live and visit. A good friend of ours from Maui compared it to old Hawaii, which is a fitting tribute.
Japanese Americans had settled in Gardena even before WWII. They established a small Japan Town, Gardena Buddhist Church, Gardena Valley Baptist Church, and Moneta Gakuen, a Japanese language school that would eventually become the Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute (JCI). After internment, many Japanese Americans returned to the city and re-built their community through these important institutions.
The Gardena Valley JCI has been serving the South Bay and beyond since 1919. As a thriving community center, it offers extensive classes, services, and programs for seniors, adults, and children. To raise money for the institute, it created its successful Car Show Fundraiser. We're honored to screen our “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary as part of this year’s event.
Legendary MOONEYES will be attending and displaying their record-setting land speed race car. Dr. Oliver Wang, professor, writer, and the curator of “Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community,” will be in conversation with Ming Lai, the director of “Craft of Speed.” This exciting event will not only celebrate car culture but also the JCI as a driving force for the community.
GARDENA VALLEY JAPANESE CULTURAL INSTITUTE CAR SHOW FUNDRAISER / “CRAFT OF SPEED” MOONEYES DOCUMENTARY SCREENING
Gardena, California
Saturday, 8/22/2026
7:00 a.m. Vehicle Check-In Time
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Event
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Film Screening
Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute
1964 W. 162nd Street
Gardena, CA 90247
To learn more about the Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute:
jci-gardena.org / @gardenavalleyjci
To learn more about “Craft of Speed”:
craftofspeed.com / @humanistfilms
To learn more about “Cruising J-Town”:
https://www.janm.org/exhibits/cruising-j-town / @cruisingjtown