American Muscle in Tokyo, Japan

There’s something Faster N’ Louder would like to share with you that we’ve been made aware of recently, and it may come across as obvious to some, but we still find it pretty amazing.

Go to basically any car show in America, and among the domestic cars and trucks, you will inevitably find–at the very least–one group of dedicated Japanese and Korean car enthusiasts. This is considered a normal part of car culture in America, and is widely accepted among motorists. But, have you ever stopped to wonder about American muscle car culture in other countries? How about looking at the obvious ones, such as Japan?

If you have ever pondered what the muscle car culture is like in Japan, you probably did what most of us did, and quickly wrote off the very notion. Japan has strict regulations on vehicles in their country, and very few, if any, muscle cars were exported for sale in Japan. Just those two factors alone make Japan not the most friendly place to own and operate a muscle car. But….they still do it.

Japan, or more specifically, the greater Tokyo area, definitely has some love for American muscle cars. What caught our attention to the whole idea of muscle cars in Japan, is a speed shop located in Yokohama, called Mooneyes. Sound familiar? That’s because Mooneyes is a speed shop that got it’s start in Sante Fe Springs, CA, way back in the 50’s, and is still in business there today.

However, word is, an investor bought rights to make their own Mooneyes shop in Japan back in the late 80s/early 90s. Mooneyes in Tokyo also has an American grill called Moon Cafe that serves as an homage to the southern California hot rodding lifestyle. The speed shop itself, is called Mooneyes Area-1.

Ever find yourself in Tokyo for a while? Check out their yearly sponsored car show; the Mooneyes Street Car Nationals. This year marked the 33rd annual event and featured more American cars than you’d ever imagine existed in the densely populated Tokyo.

 

Does anyone else feel like taking a trip to Japan? I hear the mochi is legit.