Is it something in the coffee? Is it an otaku thing? Is it a code Japanese truckers have and that we don’t get? No, it’s just dekotora. It’s the practice of decorating (“deko”) one’s truck (“tora”). It’s fairly widespread, but unevenly so – some trucks are quite tame, with just a few extra shiny bits here and there, while others are fairly elaborate, like the one above. And I did catch one really far-out example. So here are a few photos of these things in situ.
Let’s start at the tame end and work our way up. I’ll leave it to those of you who know about these rigs to ID them. As far as I can tell, there are four big Japanese truckmakers: Hino, Isuzu, Mitsubishi Fuso and UD (formerly Nissan Diesel). That sums up my knowledge of JDM heavies.
Even though these are pretty mildly modified, one thing they have in common is their spotlessness. That is one condition of having extra chrome all over your vehicle. If it isn’t super shiny, what’s the point? These guys (and gals, there are quite a few female drivers here now) must take so much time regularly polishing these rigs. You never see them dirty. Let’s kick it up a notch.
There’s a whole subculture about these things, various styles and regional preferences, as well as movies and manga that cater to this world. It’s far too complex for me to even dream to understand it – besides, there’s already been a very detailed CC post about the whole phenomenon (linked below). So I just take a picture or two when I see one I find interesting.
Some smaller trucks (is this case Nissan) also mimic the heavies, but it just doesn’t have the same effect. However, I did see one outstanding “Gundam style” custom job – and as luck would have it, I managed to take a few photos of that amazing vehicle.
There are much, much crazier-looking trucks out there – just type “dekotora” in Google or Youtube to see a few – but this is the wackiest one I’ve caught in the wild. Can’t even tell which marque this tora is underneath all that deko.
I caught it more than once – most recently from my balcony, which made for a cool photo. And in this one, you can see the eerie blue lights that are all over that thing.
Mild cases of this syndrome are abundant, but this is exceptional. If I find another that warrants wider publicity, you’ll be the first to know. In the meantime, I’ll get back to cars – there’s lots to catch in these parts. 10-7, good buddies.
Related post:
Tales Of Japan – A Short Story Of Dekotora Subculture, by Hombre Calgarian
it’s not decorated, but there’s a certain southwestern US “businessman” who favors UD
trucks.
I recently spent two weeks in Japan and noted that there were almost no pickup trucks and considerably fewer SUVs than in the United States. I don’t know how those poor people get by.
I do their vehicles turn up here used ex JDM including some puddle jumper size trucks with chrome wrap on them
I guess the ghost of Harley Earl is having an extended stay in Japan.
It’s interesting every truck has side skirts or barriers to prevent pedestrians, cyclists or motorbike riders from falling under the rear wheels. Very civilized. Imho this is a must for urban traffic.
Couldn’t agree with you any more. Here in the states I have only seen two! 18 wheelers with side skirt barriers. The NTSB should have mandated side skirts and the vastly improved anti-underriding rear bumpers on all trailers years ago.
The NTSB doesn’t issue regulations or mandates. They’re an investigative body; they look into the causes of transport-related mishaps. The agencies you’re (rightly) scolding for lax inaction are FMCSA and NHTSA. Tom Berg over at TruckingInfo has a whole bunch of good articles on side guards, RIGs (rear impact guards), etc; like here and here and here.
All our trailers are built so you cant go underneath if you run into the bacl of one the Jap trucks turn up here in used condition with the side under run bars on them but they usually get removed, they do prevent damage to vital equipment should some fool crash into the side though fuel tanks and air equipment isnt cheap to replace, and l;ack of air pressure can imobilise a truck
A few years back an art magazine featured the dekotora offshoot of large trucks covered with big blocks of neon. That took it to a whole nother planet.
I’m guessing that these are owned by the driver or permanently assigned to one driver in a fleet?
I know that in the 19th century, American railroad locomotives were commonly assigned to a single engineer, and often had extra decoration.
And they said you can’t polish one.
Roads in Oz are infested with dreary battalions of FusHinoZu’s (Guzuntheit!) of about the three to six tonne mark, all dirty and anti-style and generally turdular.
It’d enliven the view immeasurably if even a few of them looked like this. Sure, it’s Japanese-weird – that last one has grown what appears to be a combined shopping trolley and dance platform out front – but they could do chrome kangaroos and swear words and beer here, for some indigenous weird. Mate.
I love it. Seriously, it’s fascinating.
Here I say, that famously boring epic war film from 1970 sounds like a much more interesting road-crossing safety film now I know that “Tora! Tora! Tora!” is actually “Truck! Truck! Truck!”
I have learned a new thing today, which is something they say you do.
I drive an eight wheeler Isuzu CXY every bloody day at the moment no chrome but our fleet does have heavy duty 1cm thick alloy front bumpers, one or two ar polished cant admit guilt on that score though, my current one is 530hp 18 speed roadranger equipped, Giga cab like the concrete mixer above but sans the over large door windows, Most of those Jap trucks are pretty tough and capable of big mileages but they have rev happy engines with very little in the way of low down torque you cant lug them to hard but they are nearly bullet proof so quite popular here.