The people in Japan are building nicer rides than most of the r@trod crap guys are building here. And they respect the scene and the traditions. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
AGREED! I have not been over there in 2 years - but the Japanese are totally into it - and for those that get into the hobby - I can tell ya - they will be INTO it for life most likely. I have been able to go to Japan many times since 1999.... just about every encounter, business or friends, has been positive. I look forward to going back.
...the thing i really apreciate about the Japanesse and the (Europeans for that mater) is that for the most part, they dont try to re-write history to suit their taste.... ...from what i have seen over the years ,most is pretty spot on..
I've seen a few other threads and they do seem to "get it". But that can also be said for a lot of places outside the states. 'Getting it" is an "inner" type thing. It knows no race, creed or nationality. That's why most of us get along.
I haven't been to the Mooneyes show in Yokohama for sixteen years. You're rite, I've left, they're Gone.... Real Gone Cats that is! But I still suspect that the cultural relivance of the Traditional Hot Rod is not fully understood by the Japanese.
Really ? I can't see where you're coming from. The Japanese add their own twist to the stuff they build and their attention to detail is astounding. I think the Japanese get it way more than we do.
Drivel. If I judge Aussie rodders by attendees at 1996 Rod Runs, what would I think? Pick up a 90's Aussie Street Rodding magazine and open your eyes. 15" Billets and Centreline 'mags' as far as the eye can see! Cultural Relevance is not understood??? for Japanese to go against the grain, they need to go all the way, and basically get rejected by society at large for their efforts - and that's forever.....and you think they don't understand being an outlaw outcast from Joe Square???? Even the seemingly goofy 'dancers' from Yoyogi Park on Youtube aren't stupid.....they know that Black leather jackets in summer, with ridiculous 10 inch quiffs are about THE most obnoxious thing in the whole world that they could be!!! But they do drive around in a real, never-pampered, stone-chipped, touched-up with their girlfriend's nail polish, pink 5os Caddy.....EVERY day. not just on sunny Sundays or when they have spare petrol money...It's their REAL LIFE. The average Aussie show today has 50% imports from ebay, unchanged from the day they were shipped over, and you can always tell their owners by the level of effort thet they have put into their 'costumes' for the car show......., and you accuse Japanese of being simple copiers????? Dudes taking their nice cars with expensive WWWs in mud racing....fun? sure.....traditional???? But you want to suggest that Japanese are making their own offkey 'interpretations' of the "Good Old Daze"??? Have you ever seen 'Rodriguez' or the 'Galaxian'? (10 years ago, now). Post photo of the cars you think they are copied from..... If you're not gonna be strictly traditional.....at least be imagainitive and entertaining! As John (CoolStuff) can tell you....Many of the Japanese Rodders are definitely that!
Oh Yeah........Number One question by every Japanese dude that you talk to at Yokohama.... "What did you build?" Sounds like a good place to start......
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=8327579#post8327579 OK Mick, perhaps it's a matter of definition. IMO there's more to "getting it" than the ability to build a perfect Hot Rod. Mark, you don't have to convince me about Japanese "Scene" dedication and commitment, I've been tattooed with young Japanese friends in Tokyo and Osaka. As much as I enjoy a civil discussion, I've made my point (however misunderstood) and have taken enough space in this thread. I'm done.
The Japanese are pathalogical about customer service. They take it to a whole new level. I never once got the wrong part when I lived in Japan. Unlike the USA, you carry your title in your car and must use this when you request a part. Perfect everytime. Alot of thier cars come from GI's since you cannot bring a US car to Japan newer Than 1976, GI's import Chevelles, and all types of 50/60's stuff. A stock 6 cyl 67 Mustang brought $28k in 2001. They are very big into 1950/60's American pop culture. Some of thier Greaser meets were a blast. Japan is cool, but nothing beats the good ol USA!!
My only wish is that North American Teenagers should look so Clean Cut while enjoying their Fore Fathers Heritage. nuff said .
The Betty's are cuter over there,too. I met a real "tuner" from Singapore who moved to Phoenix to pursue his automotive dreams.Even he got it and appreciates it.
Well Autobilly, then I'm not sure I understand the 'cultural relevance' of the Traditional Hot Rod either!! If it's about making your car the way you want it against all the obstacles in your way then I think it's been well established that the Japanese have it much harder, certainly than the Yanks, but even us Aussies. If it's about making your car the central part of your whole life, with all the other parts of your life coming from that, then the photos and stories speak for themselves. The ones I've met have not only 'got it' but been a million times more humble and generous than the 'hot rod heroes' you see strutting around at our shows. If they can't 'get it' because they were on the other side during the war (which I'm not suggesting is your assumption) then what better way to show that the world has improved then by them getting into our traditional cars and us getting into their food (and betties)!
I lived in Japan for 12 years. My Japanese niece's boyfriend has a 51' Chevy with a 327 in it. The kid works two jobs so that he can keep the car. You will never find a person more dedicated to his hobby than he is. She dresses the pinup part when they go out with thier hotrod friends. They have a great time. I had great fun teaching him and his buddies how to set valves on a solid lifter engine. It was like a seminar complete with notebooks. Mark in Japan has it right. I think you almost have to be there to understand that it truely becomes a lifestyle.
There is a similar discussion going on over at the Jockey journal(obviously bike related )but there are some interesting comments on design philosophy. http://www.jockeyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=98999 http://www.jockeyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=97524 Bottom line is the Japanese get "it" and pursue it with a passion,they might not have the historical roots of hot rods inbuilt in their culture (which is my guess to why some say they dont get it)but that is not a reason to discount their integrity when it comes to their Hot rods/bikes etc. I find the Japanese Hot rod / custom bike culture inspirational -I've got my tickets for Yokohama this year,cant wait!!! Cheers R
Makes me all the more excited, and humbled to be going over to their show in December, with a group of my very best friends!
It was the fall of 1973 when I got word that we were moving from Yokohama, Japan to th Pacific Northwest. I was 15 & a half and there I was, signed up for drivers ed'. In Japan, you can't drive until you're 18 so it was so off the radar. My previous cars were all slot cars! I couldn't afford a car so "here's the deal" my parents said... We'll help you with the purchase and insurance in exchange for being the "fleet" manager; learn to keep them up and fix them. My first high school job in the US was in an autobody shop---perfect! It was the seventies so I HAD to have a van! Next was the surplus Montgomery Ward Econoline delivery van, mags, 60's on rims and yes, a CB with a PA speaker. Within months, I was scorned for putting glasspacks on my mom's '69 Caprice with a 427. I've come full circle and have a hot-rod '77 Chevy Step Van with a 350 stuffed in it. It's been a couple years since my mom's passed but I'll always remember that even she got a bit of speed in her heart. She wanted a Ford Pantera with a 351! Here's to ya, my mom Fumiko...
Well, usually, to the FNGs we say do an introduction... But I think you just covered that. Welcome to the HAMB 22Blades . .
Sorry guys... I'm a little chunk of analogue floating through a digital world. It's just that the article hit me with so many emotions, I had to relate. I still go to Tokyo four times a month so I enjoy the cars there a lot. One thing that struck me was that in the US, we have a field of vision as big as a wheat field. In Tokyo, you see things from a block away. They can't escape the the aesthetic details in the view. Kids play with drastically different things there. I remember hearing a HONDA dirtbike for the first time even though they were made right in the area...
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