Dive into the world of import tuners from the 1970s to the present day. Cruising J-Town exhibition curator Oliver Wang will be in conversation with a panel of key contributors to discuss how a generation of street racers helped shape the future of American car culture through their adoptions and innovations with Japanese import cars. Special guests to be announced soon.

Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community tells the stories of influential figures and everyday car lovers alike who have played vital roles in countless car scenes—from hot rods and lowriders to the import craze and drift racing.

See the five classic cars that anchor the exhibition: 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 locations such as the original Ascot Speedway in South Los Angeles; F&K Garage in Little Tokyo; sites of the Mojave dry lake racing scene; Lion’s Drag Strip; the Irwindale Speedway; and classic service stations through photos and memorabilia; and discover the central role that cars and trucks played in the working lives of Japanese Americans.

Come for the cars, stay for the stories, and take Cruising J-Town home with you when you purchase the companion book. Filled with insightful essays, vintage and contemporary photographs, drawings, and more, it’s available for purchase online at the JANM Store. 

Photo courtesy of Ken Hashimoto