Dekotora, Decotora, "Decoration Truck"

Dekotora, or Decotora, simply means “Decoration Truck.” These trucks are often used for work and decorated by enthusiastic employees. However, due to driving restrictions and such, many of the finer and more extreme examples must be created exclusively for show. The first instances of Dekotora were witnessed following the Japanese film company Toei’s release of Trucker, the tale of a colorfully dressed trucker who traveled about Japan in his overly-decorated rig. The phenomenon swept the country soon after and has morphed into a variety of styles. Some of these include: Kansai, Kanto, Retro, and the ever popular Gundam (think Transformers).