‘Cruising J-Town’ Chronicles JA Car Culture in L.A.

Angel City Press at the Los Angeles Public Library announces the publication of “Cruising J-Town,” a visual history of Japanese American car culture in Los Angeles, from gardeners’ trucks and family sedans to hot rods and race cars.

“Cruising J-Town” by Oliver Wang, with a foreword by George Takei, explores how generations of Japanese Americans in Southern California shaped, and were shaped by, local automobile cultures and industries. From desert lake beds to concrete speedways, gas stations to design centers, souped-up import tuners to humble gardening trucks, automobiles impacted Japanese Americans in profound ways.

Along the way, cars and trucks became literal and figurative vehicles for Japanese American self-expression, social mobility, community identity, and much more. “Cruising