JANM on the Go presents Cruising J-Town in Pasadena, CA

Car culture has long been synonymous with Southern California. What we drive for work and play have been literal and symbolic vehicles of personal expression, community identity, and social mobility. This has been especially true for the Southland’s Japanese American community, starting back over one hundred years ago and continuing through current day.

Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community chronicles the people and stories behind how Japanese Americans have played vital roles in countless car scenes throughout the region. Be it a humble gardener’s truck or a customized hot rod, a stout family sedan or a professional racer, look closely and you will find generations of Nikkei steering their personal, family, and professional stories via their relationship to car culture.

Curated by cultural scholar and writer, Dr. Oliver Wang, our exhibition will feature rare photographs, car-related ephemera, and the oral history testimonies of dozens of Nikkei car enthusiasts, racers, mechanics, journalists, industry professionals, and many others. Cruising J-Town will feature both a companion book and documentary content to accompany the exhibition.

Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities.