At noon on October 9th, I visited the currently running " Cruising J-Town " exhibition, and I'd like to share my thoughts on the exhibit. The exhibition is being held at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo, which is currently undergoing renovations. It is located in part of the campus of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, north of Los Angeles, and focuses on Japanese American car culture in the Southern California region. The exhibition is scheduled to run until December 14th of this year.
What I honestly thought after seeing the exhibit was that while the main theme was Japanese American culture, it offered a different perspective from traditional martial arts and sports, it mentioned gardeners, mobile seafood vendors, and past history such as internment, and it incorporated perspectives that transcended differences in generation and position, all of which I thought were extremely wonderful.At the same time, I felt it was significant that it indicated a direction for how the history of Japanese American society should be exhibited in the future.
Although the exhibition was held in a limited space, it was packed with content and I was able to learn a lot. I think that even people who are familiar with car culture will be able to enjoy the exhibition. On the other hand, even for those who are not familiar with car culture, it may be a surprising entry point, but I think it will be a wonderful opportunity to learn about the history of the Japanese American community.
I'd like to go into more detail on each of the exhibits. First, the exhibit makes use of the image of the Nisei Week Festival. This effectively communicates to visitors that automobiles are an important part of the culture of Japanese American society. At the same time, it shows that in addition to traditional cultures such as judo, kendo, baseball, and swimming, Japanese American society also has a fascinating culture of automobiles, which I believe is extremely important for understanding the diversity of Japanese American society.
I was also very impressed by the use of photographs of families involved with cars in the exhibit. I believe that in order to understand the history of Japanese American society, it is necessary to focus on families and generations. I also believe that the best way to study that history is to first understand a language such as English, Spanish, or Portuguese, and then learn about the experiences of each generation - Issei, Nisei, Sansei, and Yonsei - through the perspectives of the people involved and their families.
Additionally, among the photographs selected for the exhibition is one of a Japanese-American family living in Lancaster in the 1930s, and I believe that the fact that the exhibition covers the history of the Japanese-American community before the war between Japan and the United States is also an important perspective that should not be overlooked.
Next, I would like to mention the fact that cars were used by gardeners and mobile food vendors, which were featured in the exhibit. I believe the main purpose of this exhibit was to convey the eye-catching cars and the spirit of the people who participated in the races. However, as someone who is constantly involved in the history of the Japanese American community, I would like to express my gratitude to those involved in the planning of the exhibit for not overlooking the fact that cars are deeply connected to everyday life.
In particular, many Nikkei living in urban areas worked as gardeners. Although the word is often translated as "gardener" in Japanese, the work of gardeners was very different from that of gardeners involved in traditional Japanese gardens, and their main job was garden maintenance (such as pruning standing trees and mowing the lawn). Armed with a pickup truck and pruning and lawn-mowing tools, many Nikkei worked to maintain the gardens of various residential areas. Like dry cleaners, gardeners were deeply involved in the daily lives of people in the local community and were a way to build trust. In fact, their work was much more important than many people realize.
In addition, mobile food vendors selling seafood and other foods were important not only for Nikkei living in urban areas, but also for the families of Japanese expatriates. It was particularly difficult for the families of Japanese expatriates to become accustomed to American food culture. For this reason, the presence of Nikkei vendors who regularly sold ingredients that were also available in Japan must have been extremely useful.
What interested me most about this exhibit was the drift racing car owned by a Shin-Nisei (new second generation) immigrant. The combination of Nikkei and drift racing is intriguing in itself, but what caught my attention was the way in which Japanese people who immigrated to America after World War II and their descendants were portrayed as cultural bearers of the Nikkei community. Up until now, the cultural role of postwar immigrants hadn't received much attention, so I felt this was a major change.
Traditionally, when it comes to the history of the Japanese American community, those who immigrated to America before the outbreak of war between Japan and the United States and their descendants have been considered to be at the forefront of history. As a result, Japanese who immigrated to America after the war, such as war brides, have tended to be discussed in a different context from the history of the Japanese American community. The term "Shin-Issei" is used to refer to Japanese who immigrated from America after the war, and is a product of the political stance of Japanese Americans. This is not something that can be easily explained. Regardless, it is true that there was a certain "distinction."
The presence of the Shin Nisei drift race cars is not just a way to talk about the car culture of Japanese American communities, but also an attempt to recognize the presence of Shin Issei and Shin Nisei, Japanese people who immigrated to America after the war, and their descendants, as bearers of Japanese American history and culture. At the same time, this kind of cultural and historical inclusion is likely to bring about a variety of possibilities. It is not just the superficial fact that Shin Issei and Shin Nisei are involved in the car culture of Japanese American communities, but also interesting future potential from a fundamental perspective of who is carrying the history and culture of Japanese American communities, and to whom it belongs.
Finally, and this is something we must never forget, the exhibit also made extensive reference to various events related to cars, such as photographs of Japanese Americans who had no place to live in the immediate postwar period using vehicles as housing, photographs of Japanese Americans who served in World War I reporting to the Santa Anita assembly facility in military uniform, and records of people giving up their trucks during the chaotic period after the outbreak of war between Japan and the United States. While the exhibit allows visitors to experience fascinating car culture, I hope that it will also encourage them to think a little about these tragic events of the past.
While the main theme of this exhibit was the relationship between Japanese Americans and automobiles, it also had the important responsibility of communicating the mission of the currently closed Japanese American National Museum, which I thought was accomplished beautifully. Furthermore, it also showed a promising future for the historiography of Japanese American society. While it resembled an advertisement for a snack that lets you enjoy multiple flavors in one, I thought it was a very well-thought-out exhibit.
© 2025 Takamichi Go
