Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Cruising J-Town: Japanese American Car Culture in Los Angeles by Oliver Wang explores how generations of Japanese Americans in Southern California shaped, and were shaped by, local automobile cultures and industries, from desert lakebeds to concrete speedways, gas stations to design centers, souped-up import tuners to humble gardening trucks.
Interviews and oral histories chronicle the people and stories behind how Japanese Americans have played vital roles in countless car scenes throughout the region. Cruising J-Town is filled with vintage and contemporary photographs, drawings and ephemera that bring the story to life.
The exhibit Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community presented by JANM and ArtCenter College of Design 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.
Cruising J-Town: Japanese American Car Culture in Los Angeles by Oliver Wang explores how generations of Japanese Americans in Southern California shaped, and were shaped by, local automobile cultures and industries, from desert lakebeds to concrete speedways, gas stations to design centers, souped-up import tuners to humble gardening trucks.
Interviews and oral histories chronicle the people and stories behind how Japanese Americans have played vital roles in countless car scenes throughout the region. Cruising J-Town is filled with vintage and contemporary photographs, drawings and ephemera that bring the story to life.
The exhibit Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community presented by JANM and ArtCenter College of Design 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.
