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