Cruising J-Town: Nikkei Car Culture in Southern California

FAIN: GE-280570-21

Japanese American National Museum (Los Angeles, CA 90012-3911)
Clement Hanami (Project Director: January 2021 to present)

Planning for an exhibition on Japanese Americans’ car culture throughout the twentieth century in California.

The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) is seeking support for the design and development for “Cruising J-Town: Nikkei Car Culture in Southern California”, an exhibition that will explore Nikkei (Japanese emigrants and their descendants who have created communities throughout the world) car culture from the early 1900s, before and after World War II, to the present. The exhibition will examine how Japanese Americans have played a vital role within this culture since the early 20th century. As racers, designers, customizers, and general enthusiasts, Nikkei youth have long embraced the automobile to express creativity, build community and lend their own innovations to the broader culture.