Dekotora, is an abbreviation for "decoration truck", is a type of
extravagantly decorated truck in Japan. It’s roots date back to
1975, when a series of 10 movies called Torakku Yarō (Truck
Guys) that featured a trucker who drove his garishly decorated
truck all over Japan, getting into escapades and generally
chasing women. This movie was a hit and the dekotora fad
swept the country.
Each truck is highly personalized, and owners often spend
millions of yen (10’s of thousands of dollars) embellishing them
exactly to their liking over many years. Junichi Tajima, head of
the Utamaro Kai (The national Dekotora group) Says ' After 40
years, Dekotora is my children, my brothers. It's my life's aching
treasure'.
