Dekotora

Glassberg, Julie/ Heijdens Karwei

Edition Patrick Frey（2026/07発売）

• 製本 Hardcover:ハードカバー版
• 商品コード 9783907236949

Full Description

At first glance, it's a spectacle of vibrant colors and dazzlingly bright lights on extravagantly
decorated trucks. Dekotora, short for "deko torakku" (i.e. decorated truck) is written off by
mainstream Japanese society due to its association with "bad boys". But beneath the flashy
surface lies a world shrouded in mystery and poetry.
Dekotora first caught on in the late 1960s as a form of mobile advertising: a truck carrying
fish from Hokkaido, for example, would sport a traditional painting showing its cargo and
where it was from. Today, due to regulations prohibiting this form of decoration because of
the disrepute of the Dekotora scene, these trucks are used only by a few small businesses,
such as fish and flower delivery services.
Although to all appearances a relatively exclusive community, its members frequently host
public events where they proudly show off their creations on wheels. Often, these gatherings
are fundraisers for charitable causes, such as aiding victims of the 2011 earthquake, many
of whom are still suffering from its consequences.
In a conversation with Japanese pop culture expert Kyoichi Tsuzuki, I gained a deeper
understanding of Dekotora's cultural significance. Beyond its flashy exterior, Dekotora
reflects a traditional Japanese aesthetic: like Japan's ornate hearses, tombs, temples and
the sacred mikoshi palanquins used in Shinto festivals, it mirrors a penchant for elaborate
decoration that is deeply ingrained in Japan's suburban and rural communities. It's a cultural
echo of the past, of childhood memories that are rekindled by the sight of these garish
juggernauts on the nation's highways and in iconic movies.