Inspiration LA 2025
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Location: Pasadena, CA
Inspiration LA is a vibrant celebration of American vintage culture—an immersive gathering founded by Rintaro Tanaka. Deeply influenced by jazz, rock, blues, and the fashion tied to those sounds, Tanaka left Japan at age 28, settled in San Clemente, and began his personal journey into the heart of American vintage. In 2010, he launched the first Inspiration event, and it has since grown into a cultural landmark for enthusiasts around the world.
The Day Tokyo Surprised Us
When Inspiration finally came to Tokyo for the first time in November last year, no one could have predicted what happened.
At the LA editions of the show, a quietly coveted ritual had formed: special staff-only T-shirts would appear at Rintaro Tanaka’s booth, laid out with quiet pride. We had come to look forward to picking one up every time—almost like a hidden ceremony.
So of course, in Tokyo, we assumed the same.
Before the event opened, we were already chatting with a staff friend:
“Think we’ll be able to get one today?”
We’d even asked Tanaka-san what time the shirts would go on sale. He’d given us an answer.
Fueled by the growing energy of the crowd, we said, “Let’s head over,” and made our way to the booth.
But instead of stacks of T-shirts, we were greeted by a sentence we never saw coming:
“To be honest… I can’t believe it either, but we sold out in the first five minutes.”
There wasn’t even time to say “What?”—my thoughts just floated up, disconnected.
It was the kind of thing that never happened in LA.
But in Tokyo? Somehow, it made sense.
I’d even had people ask me in advance, “If they’re selling them, can you pick one up for me?”
Stunned, I smiled at Tanaka-san and said, “I’m sad I missed it… but I totally understand,” and stepped away.
A small defeat.
But strangely, a proud one.
A Few Months Later, Back in LA
When we visited Tanaka-san’s booth again in LA a few months later, we brought up “that Tokyo incident” with a laugh—and then made a bold ask:
“There are so many people in Japan who want that T-shirt. Would you let us sell it?”
No build-up, no careful framing—just a straight pitch.
And without the slightest hesitation, Tanaka-san smiled brightly and said:
“By all means. That would make me happy.”
That alone would’ve been more than enough.
But he casually added his signature to the shirt, and then, as if that weren’t generous enough, started tossing in extras—gesturing almost like, “Take this, and this too.”
Every one of Tanaka-san’s autographs ends with the same little smiley face.
^᎑^