[0:02]Most of what you're about to see was shot on cellphones. Hi, hi, everyone. My name is MoNa, a.k.a. Sad Girl. I am Miki Style. Night tha Funksta. Junichi Shimodaira. And I'm Walter, your host. If you grew up in LA 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.
[0:30]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 LA. So I decided to go and find out how this spread so far away and why. Our first stop, the low rider scene in Nagoya.
[0:51]Low riders are iconic to the Chicano community in Los Angeles, and we're created in the 1940s. They came to represent rebellion, resilience, and beauty. And so I'm curious about how these cars got here. Until the 80s, no one in Japan knew about lowrider culture, and there weren't any lowriders. That's Junichi. He's one of the godfathers of the Japanese low rider scene, and founded one of the oldest car clubs in Nagoya. All these imported magazines and Japanese journalists abroad gradually brought the concept of lowriders to Japan. From there, the culture blossomed. 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. Now it is not just cars, but it's the music, the clothing, and most importantly, to like the people and culture over there. Without that, we are just some people who drive around in lowrider cars.
[2:00]Whoa! That's a car. Wow.
[2:08]My first introduction to Low Riders were actually people in my neighborhood. My best friend and I growing up, we used to build these little low rider model cars. All we wanted to do in life was just own these low rider 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 arts. Mickey Style! Miki Styles is a DJ, and he runs a shop called La Puerta. Hello. that imports clothes from LA. Hats for the Raiders, Dodgers. My mix CD. What's your most popular shirt? DGA. Why do you think people love this shirt so much? Because it's art. Miki Styles reminds me of someone who I went to middle school with. You know, like shaved head, baggy pants, baggy T-shirt. He goes to LA. 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 often times there is money being made from a certain culture and a certain community, he potentially fit into that. I respect their culture and live my life the way I do, including the fashion and the lifestyle. Even if anyone says something about appropriation, so what? Even though Miki says he respects the culture, it was weird seeing so much of the LA Chicano gang scene represented in his store. I wanted to meet Night the Funksta, an artist based in Osaka, whose artwork focuses on the positive aspects of Chicano culture. The things we see about Chicanos in popular culture are mostly about gangs, so for us Japanese, we start equating Chicanos with gangs. In my drawings, I don't want to put violence and drugs. I want to emphasize the importance of family and community in Chicano culture. MoNa a.k.a. Sad Girl, is one of Japan's most popular Chicana style rappers. She's released four albums, and her international fan base has taken her to perform in places like LA and San Diego. When I first found out about Chicano culture, my friends were also interested and we made a girls group. She's Maousy, Saya, Maiko, Wella. Which one of these women still dress like this? Nobody. Just you. Just me. Just me. And what do you think is the future of Chicano fashion and culture here in Japan? Well, to be honest, I think it will disappear. There are a lot of girls in the younger generation who learned about the existence of Chicanos through me, but these girls are just taking what they see from me and don't know the true lifestyle of the Chicanos. The ones who really appreciate the culture, I can count with one hand, well at least in Japan.
[5:26]Check one, two, check one, two, check one, two. I never understood why I was born in Japan. But because I discovered this culture, I learned to respect my family, about love. I believe I was saved because of this culture.
[6:04]Push forward, push forward, push forward.
[6:14]That was great.
[6:17]The 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.
