This Saturday (TOMORROW) in Little Tokyo/Downtown Los Angeles, we will make history. Tomorrow, August 15, 2009 marks the VERY LAST Nisei Showoff event ever. Ever. For those who don’t know about Import Showoff, it was the first import car show ever created. It was started way back in 1994 by Ken Miyoshi from Mainstream Productions, a car industry visionary, DJ and club promoter who noticed that people started “parking lot pimpin” and flossing their cars hardcore at his club events back in the early 1990s.
Nisei Showoff was a “special edition” Import Showoff that always takes place in August of every year, to coincide with the annual Nisei Week festivities that go on in Little Tokyo, Downtown LA. In case you don’t know, the term “Nisei” refers to second generation Japanese people; Nisei Week is a special week dedicated to the celebration of Nisei Japanese and Japanese-American culture. As many of you know, much of Japanese and Japanese-American culture (especially Nisei culture) involves cars!
So Ken Miyoshi started the Nisei Showoff in Little Tokyo (in 1999? 2000?) to celebrate the cars and lifestyle of Nisei culture. Even though it started out as a Nisei themed carshow, Nisei Showoff turned out to be much more than that. For those of us who have lived in LA for the past 10 years, Nisei Showoff is THE ONLY carshow where you can expect to find top quality cars. If you like underbody neon, colormatched vinyl interior and cotton puffs underneath your Mitsubishi Eclipse, Dodge Neon or Ford Probe, this show is not for you. Stay the hell home. However, if you’re all about deep offset wheels and demon camber on AE86s, super clean twin carbed Datsun 510s, period correct 1973 Corollas with 2TG engines, slammed/super clean JDM steez Honda Civics and Integras with rare, deep offset wheels and the entire Spoon and Mugen catalog bolted up to your car… then Nisei Showoff was created for YOU.
So get off the internet (or bring it with you) and BUY A TICKET to SHOW SUPPORT to Ken Miyoshi and Import Showoff… and bring your cameras and take lots of photos and video, cause this show is going down in history… this sh!t is going to be EPIC.
Please COMMENT THIS PAGE if you’re going to bring a car, or even just attend by yourself! So we can look out for you!
WHAT: THE LAST NISEI SHOWOFF (There won’t be one next year)
WHERE: 100 S. Alameda Street, Los Angeles CA (101 freeway to Downtown LA, exit Alameda and go west)
WHEN: 11am-6pm (but cars begin rolling in much earlier)
See you there!
:: Antonio Alvendia
PS: Hit me up if you want to rock MotorMavens stickers – they’re so hot right now!
Here are some snapshot photos from previous Nisei Showoffs (this particular one was 4 years ago)… the late Mike Urbano’s (RIP Mike!) JZA70 Japanese RHD Toyota Supra with HKS everythingggggggg… and his brother Brian Urbano’s JZA80 Supra Turbo Black Limited… SICK to see these twins out in the Southern Cali sunshine!
You could eat off Lisa Uchida’s AE86 Corolla engine bay (but don’t try it – she’ll kill you) with her super clean blacktop 20v 4AG with big ass air horns on those individual throttle bodies and the super sick Project Mu camber plates (Do you wanna sell those Lisa??? Hit me up!)
If you like JDM Civics, this is just ONE of the cars that might catch your eye…
But you gotta keep your eyes peeled for the Phaze2 crew this year, which will be delivering deep offset Honda hotness to the show. Other Honda owners better bring your A game if you try to step to Phaze 2. For real!
Here’s Robert Co’s clean ass white AE86 Corolla from the Bay Area… unfortunately it was stolen sometime last year, but here’s a pic of his dope ass AE86 to show what type of heat comes to Nisei! You guys better bring it cause the competition will be fierce!!!
And charge your cameras and clear your memory cards, cause you don’t want to epic FAIL on this one! Nisei is gonna go OFF tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:: Antonio Alvendia
That civic is sick all i have is a nissan
hypebeasts… there will be one next year.
@om1kron: yo man, I’m serious. Tomorrow IS the last Nisei Showoff. There is no more parking lot space next year, and that’s confirmed by Ken Miyoshi. The city of LA is demolishing that lot to finish off the train station that has been under construction there for the past year! Just stop by Little Tokyo and take a look.
2009. LAST. YEAR. NISEI.
See you guys tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m getting texts like crazy from peeps that are going. This is gonna be exciting!
last nisei showoff?
i thought last showoff. period.
anyways, ill be there. probably meet up with Arnell and Jay and the boys…what time you gonna be there?
Ummm.. hey bitches, i’ll be at the show. Antonio told me to let you know so get ready for me? Holla!
and im hearing FREE BOOZE at your art show on sunday, correct?!!?
@Scott, see you there! Are you bringing the ladies or what? Party at Joyce’s after the show, hit her up if you wanna go… it’s an RSVP thing!
@4llen, hell yea they betta be ready for you!
I’ll definetly be there to give Ken my support and thanks for the great car shows he’s thrown for this industry…
nah. probably no time for Joyce’s thing, got some family ish to take care of…got some people in from HI.
Herb did mention possibly a pub crawl thru JTown though…that sounds kinda interesting…
see you tomorrow!
My friends and I are going! And hey you guys, I heard there’s a group of JDM cars who caravaned all the way from Texas just to represent at the show… crazy!
Gonna try and swing out there after work. Shop closes here at 4PM, so I should be there around 4:30 Kinda late.. but wouldn’t want to miss it
how come i see the flyer and it says 22nd…
tomorrow is the 15th.
ah, so they’re finally going to finish the parking lot. Then I may try to swing by.
ayy nako @Al… dude the 22nd is the MegaMatsuri, which is the carshow at the end of Nisei Week.
But tomorrow is the one and only NISEI SHOWOFF! Come through dude!!!
@SportmaxChris and @JohnCityTire… you guys should combine forces! One of you sells tires. The other sells wheels! Make some Nisei Showoff deals! hahaha
@Om1kron: yo man please find me and say wsup so I can give you MotorMavens stickers! We don’t have many left.
I’ll be announcing the awards at the end of the showwww!
i think im gonna head down after work. hope to see you guys around.
Ill be there.
–looking forward to seeing those TE corollas.
another hot august day in little tokyo. Yeah it was a gooder of a show lot cool wheels
great show and better than expected weather.
on with the coverage!
“we will make history”…..”it was started way back in 1994″….Antonio….don’t inflate the hype…those are big words….unnecessary words.
Can’t wait to see the coverage!! I can still remember the days cruising to Nisei after downing a Beef Bowl Combo with veggies on the side and extra ginger. I wonder how it has evolved since. Post as soon as you can guys!!
I came up and got my trophy from Antonio but when I asked for my motormaven sticker …i got dissed…LOL
3rd place honda class!