The Summer Block Party: Import Jam 1999 Date: June 13, 1999 Location: San Francisco, California Producer: AsianScene (in partnership with local media) On June 13, 1999, AsianScene hosted Import Jam, an event that distinguished itself from the stiffer competition shows by leaning heavily into the “lifestyle” aspect of the culture.Continue Reading
The Purist’s Standard: Import Showoff Pomona 1999 Date: May 29, 1999 Location: Pomona Fairplex, Pomona, California Producer: Mainstream Productions (Ken Miyoshi) On May 29, 1999, the import tuning community converged at the Pomona Fairplex for Import Showoff, an event produced by Ken Miyoshi’s Mainstream Productions. While Vision Entertainment (Hot ImportContinue Reading
Sun, Sound, and Street Culture: Hot Import Daze 1999 Date: May 15, 1999 Location: Long Beach, California (Outdoor Venue) Event Series: Hot Import Daze (Vision Entertainment) On May 15, 1999, Vision Entertainment—the production company behind the nocturnal Hot Import Nights (HIN)—expanded its footprint with a distinct daytime counterpart: Hot ImportContinue Reading
The Dawn of a New King: Tokyo Auto Salon 1999 Date: January 8–10, 1999 Location: Makuhari Messe, Chiba (Greater Tokyo Area) Attendance: ~200,000+ (Historical Estimate) The 1999 Tokyo Auto Salon (TAS) is widely regarded by historians as the single most critical event in the history of the modern “JDM” tuningContinue Reading
Culture Clash at the Cow Palace: The 1999 San Francisco Import Autorama Date: April 24–25, 1999 Location: Cow Palace, Daly City, California Event Series: International Championship Auto Shows (ISCA) On the weekend of April 24, 1999, the Cow Palace in Daly City hosted the Import Autorama, an event that servedContinue Reading
To wrap up 1998, Jingle Jam was the homecoming victory lap for the Bay Area scene. While the Mainstream Showoff in Del Mar (November) was the corporate-heavy “Pro” show, AsianScene’s Jingle Jam was the “by the community, for the community” event that defined San Francisco’s local street culture. Held justContinue Reading
This event was the legendary Import Showoff: Season Finale, produced by Ken Miyoshi and Mainstream Productions. Held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, it was the climax of the 1998 “Showoff” tour. Because this was the tour finale, the competition was significantly fiercer than the JuneContinue Reading
If the San Mateo show was the “Golden Age” of the street scene, the SEMA Show in Las Vegas (Nov 2–6, 1998) was the moment the industry officially realized the “Import Scene” was a billion-dollar juggernaut. In 1998, SEMA hit a massive milestone, breaking the 500,000 square foot mark forContinue Reading
On June 28, 1998, the Import Autorama was held at the San Mateo Event Center (often associated with the San Francisco scene due to proximity). This era was the “Golden Age” of the import subculture—years before The Fast and the Furious went mainstream—where the community was heavily driven by AsianContinue Reading