Japanese Chicano

March 7, 2019 2:33 PM

How My Southeast L.A. Culture Got to Japan, alt youtube link: Inside Japan’s Chicano Subculture.

Lifting the lid on Japan’s underground Chicano culture. Direct links to the video Chicano チカーノ and gallery.

Some of the people featured in the NY Times video:

• Junichi Shimodaira builds custom lowriders like his Model T Roadster "Galaxian". He's featured in this short video How Chicano Lowrider Culture Found a Home in Japan.
• Night tha Funksta's artwork on Instagram.
• MoNa a.k.a. Sad Girl's youtube channel. Try Sadgirl, Few City Lights, or Postman for a taste of her music. She's also the subject of an academic paper if you have institutional access.

Some bonus links on the Japanese lowrider scene:

Pictures from autosports photographer wheelsbywovka
Japan Times: Japan's lowriders get a little higher
Jalopnik: Welcome to the Wild World of Tokyo's Underground Lowrider Culture
CNN: The elaborate customized cars of Japan's 'lowriding' subculture
Vloggers take on the Mapona car show: 2017, 2018
PRI's The World: Low and Slow Around the Globe: Mexican-American Subculture of Lowriding Around the World

posted by peeedro (3 comments total)

There's a store in Little Tokyo in LA that I've pass by on some occasions: Kools

It sorta made sense to me. Little Tokyo and Boyle Heights / East LA are neighbors and considering the stores I tend to peruse, I'm used to these types of cross-pollinations, though not exactly like this. This store makes much more sense now.

Also explains the surprising amount of flannel in the second hand shops in Harajuku.
posted by galleta monster at 3:21 PM on March 7, 2019

“In America, everyone knew Chicanos were in a minority. It is because they are in a minority that they didn't express their political opinions to the surrounding society directly. They did it through their cars or fashion.”

That would be news to multiple generations of Chicano activists in my family. I can't think of anyone I know that self-describes as Chicano (as opposed to Mexican-American, Mexican, Hispanic or Latino) that doesn't use it as a political statement, similar to the way many have been using Latinx. It's a political usage.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 3:25 PM on March 7, 2019 [9 favorites]

I wouldn't get too fighty about that quote. I wouldn't say it's wrong. There's a lot to unpack there, if one has the energy. The interesting thing about specifically mentioning the use of Chicano as political would be to point out that all those descriptions (Mexican-American, Mexican, Hispanic or Latino... don't even get me started with Latinx) are used politically. And of course, I can't speak for you or anyone you know, but I've described myself as Chicano without thinking it meant some kind of political statement. I've used most of those terms, and continue to do so depending on the context, where the finer distinctions of each may be called for.

As for the post, Japan always fascinates. It's baffling and seems like cosplay to me, I don't even know where to begin. All I can say for now is, when these folks take up something, they really go all in. Some of the men in the photos could play a better Chicano than I ever could.
posted by 2N2222 at 8:23 PM on March 7, 2019 [1 favorite]