Chicano Subculture in Japan
Did you know that in Japan there is a whole Chicano subculture that is thriving, inspired by the Mexican-Americans? The origin of Chicano culture comes from Mexican Americans, who began the Chicano movement in the 1960s as a symbol of pride. This movement was created to resist and repel oppression and discrimination in the community. Today the term is used to represent the Mexican-American community's sense of pride and hope. The culture is also known for its hip-hop, lowriders, graffiti art, language, and poetry (Gallardo). So how did people from Japan adopt the culture? During the 1980s, two filmmakers, Louis Ellison and Jacob Hodgkinson made a documentary about Chicano culture. The documentary showed that Japanese people were inspired by Lowrider Magazine, a magazine that depicted Chicano's art, fashion, music, cars, and way of life. The magazine was brought to the Japanese audience through Shin Miyata, owner of Barrio Gold Records. The Japanese people fell in love with ho...