WINTER MOON – THE 33rd YOKOHAMA HOT ROD CUSTOM SHOW
The Mooneyes Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show, organized by the Japan-based hot rod parts dealer Mooneyes, is the largest indoor custom car and motorcycle show in Japan. It brings in tens of thousands of spectators, vendors from as far away as Europe and Australia (along with a handful of Americans), and besides displaying some of the most unique rides in the world, perhaps the biggest surprise is the event is all said and done inside of eight hours – one day!
Shige Suganuma, who owns and runs Mooneyes with his California-based partner Chico Kodama, started the Yokohama show 33 years ago, along with its slightly older outdoor car show brother, the Mooneyes Street Car Nationals, which is celebrating its 38th year in 2026. Shige is generally acknowledged to be the person responsible for not only bringing hot rodding to Asia and its neighbors in that part of the world but, also for providing a place for enthusiasts to display their vehicles. In short, he has helped stoke the hot rod fire in that country for the last four decades.
The Yokohama show sees tens of thousands of folks file through the entrance of the massive Yokohama Convention Center every December to try and take in 300 or so vehicles, 500 or so custom motorcycles (from ’40s-era Indians and HD Knuckleheads to futuristic TRON-like light cycles), visit dozens of artists and pinstripers set up in the International Alley area in the center of the room, or take in the 300-plus lifestyle vendors on either end of the facility. Japanese rockabilly and surf bands play throughout the day, only stopping long enough to allow one of the pinup girl contestants to be named Miss Mooneyes on stage.
Decades ago, the Japanese wanted to be a part of the hot rod scene, so many bought US-based vehicles and took them home. Nowadays, they are fully self-sufficient and build some outstanding vehicles –ones that could seriously contend for top honors at any U.S.-based car show. Plus, there’s an added benefit for those Americans visiting the Mooneyes Yokohama show in seeing many makes and models that were never offered for sale in the States. Witnessing how they interpret and incorporate hot rod styling cues on a vintage Japanese coupe or truck is always a treat as their attention to detail (especially in the paint department) is second to none, and the result has been this show becoming such a “bucket-list” event for so many people.
Photos by: Eric Geisert
