Sayonara Speed Tribes

An intimate portrait of Japanese outsiders living on the edge with fascinating documentation of a fading subculture some view as tradition, others as a nuisance. Sayonara Speed Tribes! As Japan reaped the benefits of post WWII reconstruction, it began experiencing growing pains. Once famous for its spartan disciplined austerity, Japan now experienced a surge in violent student protests and rising juvenile delinquency. A yearning for revolt among Japan's youth became a chaotic, yet palpable force. Nightly gatherings of youngsters on motorbikes drawing large crowds of spectators dominated the attention of police and media outlets after the outbreak of several riots that shook the nation. The media and authorities fashioned a new model for delinquency, packaged it for the masses and penned its name in the papers: Bosozoku. As the frenzy of police and media campaigns against the bikers saturated the Japanese news, the Bosozoku began flashing their outlaw image as a badge of honor. Far from destroying the Bosozoku, intense media coverage became a theatrical spotlight for gangsters who craved fame at all costs. Bosozoku wear tokkofuku (battle uniforms)—nationalistic, kamikaze-themed uniforms designed with gang icons and embroidered with "poetry" in Japanese "kanji" characters. They ride customized, illegally modified bikes with chopped-off mufflers and ignore all traffic laws while evading police cruisers with the deft precision of fighter pilots. For decades they have ruled the streets at midnight, but times are changing fast and now, due to police pressure and shifting cultural trends, Bosozoku numbers are fading fast.