Custom bikes, muscle cars and hot rods aren’t the most obvious things that spring to mind when the term Japanese car culture is uttered but they’re as much a part of it as traditional JDM cars. At the centre of this side of the scene is Mooneyes, based in Yokohama it’s certainly a shop worth dropping in on for a refreshingly different style of modification compared to what you’d expect to see.
When I made the journey over the first thing I noticed was parked right out the front of the shop, a collection of vintage American cars complete with white-walls alongside a Moon Equipped VW Kombi and the very cool and sparkly Moon Buggy.
Through the main entrance is a section dedicated to clothing and accessories, all SoCal, custom and rat rod themed, but I didn’t come here for the fashion. Towards the back there’s no way you can miss the row of custom bikes either, all meticulously rebuilt and on a sunny day there’s enough chrome to burn out your retinas if stare too long.
In the rear parking lot at the back of the shop there was a ridiculously wide and low Toyota Hilux that had been given the complete treatment and would have turned its fair share of heads over time.
The Mooneyes workshop housed ongoing builds and was decked out with all the tools needed to build some impressive machinery be it a bike or car. The workshop covers both form and function as there’s no lack of style going on with plenty of unique retro memorabilia plastered along the walls.
Upstairs is where the real shop lives, here you can buy a huge range of performance parts for American vintage cars and give them the Moon treatment yourself. When you think it can’t get any better, head downstairs to the American Diner to relax and enjoy some equally decent American food.
The trip down to Yokohama is well worth it for the food alone though your eyes won’t go hungry either as Mooneyes has plenty on offer to satiate your motoring appetite too.
