Moon Over Japan – The Mooneyes 32nd Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show Brings It All Home
After being immersed in Southern California hot rod and drag racing culture in the 1970s and ‘80s, and then deciding to save Moon Equipment Company by purchasing the business (and changing the name to Mooneyes) after Dean Moon died, Shige Suganuma kickstarted custom car culture in Japan more than 30 years ago by promoting two events: the Street Car Nationals in the spring, and the Hot Rod Custom Show each winter. The latter event is the largest such show of its kind in the country and now draws attendees as far away as Europe, Australia, Indonesia, and the United States every year.
What’s so difficult to grasp is how Mooneyes can get so much stuff into a one-day, 10-hour show. It certainly doesn’t feel like a short day because of the sensory overload you get from so much going on. Hundreds of Japanese and American hot rods are on display, more than 500 custom motorcycles fill more aisles, multiple Japanese-language surf bands play throughout the day, an International Alley showcases work from dozens of artists from around the world, and there’s a vendor section on either end of the massive convention center where you can purchase new or vintage items ranging from clothing to knick-naks you didn’t even know you needed!
And the paint, whether it’s on a vehicle, a skateboard, bowling pin, or on a motorcycle tank, has got to be the surprise for anyone attending for the first time. Folks in Japan find the most creative and artistic ways to apply and display it, sometimes baffling the most seasoned painters on how it’s done, and the attention to detail is second to none. One creative outlet of showcasing the work is devoted to pinstriping. Each year the medium (what they’re covering with paint) changes, with frying pans, Moon discs, and tennis shoes being some of the choices. This year it was baseball-type team pennants. The general triangular shape should be familiar to anyone, but there apparently are an unlimited number of ways they can be customized, and several dozen were shown next to the International Alley.
This statement is not given lightly: This show should be on everyone’s bucket list. With digital access to translation programs that are as far away as the phone in your hand, you can get around the linguistic barriers fairly easily, or at least well enough to get from the airport to the hotel/venue and back. And most large hotels adjacent to major convention centers are staffed by those who know English. Anyone who has made the effort is always blown away by what they see and have a loss of words when trying to describe the Mooneyes Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show.
Photos by: Eric Geisert