Inside Japan’s Chicano Subculture | NYT

And I’m Walter, your host. If you grew up in L.A. like I did, then you kind of understand just how big of a deal Chicano and Chicana culture is out here. And it’s a way for people like myself to both honor the lives that we have here and the lives our parents left behind in Mexico. When I first heard that there were people copying Chicano culture in Japan, it seemed surreal. I really had no idea that this world could exist outside of L.A. So I decided to go and find out how this spread so far away and why. Our first stop: the lowrider scene in Nagoya. Lowriders are iconic to the Chicano community in Los Angeles, and were created in the 1940s. They came to represent rebellion, resilience and beauty. And so I’m curious about how these cars got here. That’s Junichi. He’s one of the godfathers of the Japanese lowrider scene, and founded one of the oldest car clubs in Nagoya. Junichi’s been in this role for more than 30 years. For questions about lowrider culture and Chicano culture, he’s someone who people in Japan really look up to. [cheering] My first introduction to lowriders were actually people in my neighborhood. My best friend and I growing up, we used to build these little lowrider model cars. All we wanted to do in life was just own these lowrider cars. Being here has me thinking about all of the cultures Japan has taken on at different points. So it’s not surprising that there are thousands of people here that are into Chicano culture. For our next stop, we’re heading to Osaka, the cultural capital for Chicano fashion and art. Miki Style! Miki Style is a D.J., and he runs a shop called La Puerta that imports clothes from L.A. What’s your most popular shirt? “DGA.” Why do you think people love this shirt so much? Miki Style reminds me of someone who I went to middle school with. You know, like, shaved head, baggy pants, baggy T-shirt. He goes to L.A. He buys clothes, and he buys gear. And he brings it back to Japan and has a thriving business. So when I thought about cultural appropriation and how oftentimes there is money being made from a certain culture and a certain community, he potentially fit into that. Even though Miki says he respects the culture, it was weird seeing so much of the allied Chicano gang scene represented in his store. So I wanted to meet Night tha Funksta, an artist based in Osaka whose artwork focuses on the positive aspects of Chicano culture. MoNa a.k.a. Sad Girl is one of Japan’s most popular Chicano-style rappers. She’s released four albums, and her international fan base has taken her to perform in places like L.A. and San Diego. “She’s Mousey.” “Mousey.” “Sia.” “Sia.” “Maiko.” “Maiko.” “Wella.” “Wella.” “Wella.” “Which one of these women still dress like this?” “Nobody.” “Nobody? Just you?” “Just me. Just me.” [laughs] “And what do you think is the future of Chicano fashion and culture here in Japan?” “One, two. Check one, two.” “Sounds great.” This story attracted me because it was asking a question about belonging. Here you had a group of people really committed to copying Chicano culture, but also deeply Japanese. And so for them, it wasn’t a question of “either/or,” but more so, “and.”

Channel: The New York Times

Views: 6,170,172

Rating: 4.8421564 out of 5

Keywords: chicano culture, east l.a. culture, what are chicanos, japanese subcultures, japanese culture, mexican american cultures, lowriders in japan, vice news japan, how lowrider culture got to japan, subcultures in the world, mona sad girl, night the fungsta, lowrider culture, news, new york times, nytimes, nytimes video, video from the new york times, Junichi Shimodaira, night tha funksta, Mona “Sad Girl”

Id: r8bMLcCxxAA

Length: 6min 46sec (406 seconds)

Published: Wed Feb 20 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/CelestialSerenade]

And people who dress Japanese in LA are called the "Weeb Subculture"

[u/[deleted]]

It’s finally 1995 in Japan.

[u/Herry_Up]

But do they know La Chona

[u/Minotauros_Artus]

Her homegirls call her "La China".

[u/albinorhino215]

You can say mexaboo, it’s easier

[u/RaiderNationalist]

Tranquilo

[u/L_S_2]

Repetitive titles- titles that are repetitive.

[u/killerbass]

I was surprised to know that there are Chicanos in Russia too https://daily.afisha.ru/pokolenie/6589-tatuirovki-rep-gta-chem-zhivut-moskovskie-chikano/ (the article is in Russian sorry)

[u/emarceleno]

Asian cholas? I ... I want to go to there.