Celebrate Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel with the Nikkei Community with an opening reception hosted by the ArtCenter College of Design!

See the exhibition’s five classic cars: George Nakamura’s 1940s “Meteor” hot rod; Brian Omatsu’s custom 1951 Mercury coupe known as the “Purple Reign”; a 1956 Ford F150 pickup truck owned by Kirk Shimazu; Tod Kaneko’s 1973 Datsun 510, one of the models that launched the import car craze; and a hot pink 1989 Nissan 240SX from professional drift racing driver Nadine Sachiko Hsu’s days with the Drifting Pretty team. Revisit historic Los Angeles racing locations through photos and memorabilia, discover the central role that cars and trucks played in the work of the Japanese American community, and learn how Japanese Americans played vital roles in countless car scenes throughout Los Angeles.

From hot rods and lowriders to the import craze and drift racing, there is something for everyone at Cruising J-Town. We’ll see you in Pasadena!