Dekotora Truck: Most Insane Truck Culture In Japan

They Look Like Crazy Pieces Of Art But They Are Important Part Of Japanese Culture

In Japan, Dekotora Trucks have a reputation that is worth blowing a trumpet for. The country has a long-standing tradition of decked out trucks.

These are specialized “Pimp My Ride” trucks that would resonate more with sci-fi twist plots than driveable cars. In fact,their creators often spend hundreds of thousands of dollars adding chrome accents, neon lights, Louis Vuitton fabrics, and even chandeliers to their rides.

Dekotora trucks actually translates to ‘decoration truck’. Owners are said to spend as much as $100,000 pimping them for eyes to feast on.

One of these is named Sandaimei Bireijo – a former dump truck converted into a well-respected model of the prevalent Japanese dekotora trend. Sandaimei Bireijo is nonetheless a special breed altogether.

It is laced with hundreds of lights outside and hundreds of thousands of dollars in custom chrome work, bumpers and decoration. The entire muscle inside is all Louis Vuitton material.

Described as drivable works of art, dekotora vehicles usually remain street legal and display neon or ultraviolet lights, extravagant paints and a stainless or golden exterior. Like many others, the Sandaimei model is inspired by the 1975 movie Torakku Yaro – a Japanese film that featured a trucker who decorated his rig and drove it all around the country.

This is one is quite famous in Japan and prominently features in special events. Owners give them a rebirth mainly as a hobby.

They are a huge part of Japanese culture and they all compete for attention, each attempting to be better than the last one.