Deco-Trucks

I’m sure you’ve seen the flashy large trucks that are “decked out” with electric lights, paint, glittering stainless steel and chrome parts. These decorated trucks are commonly referred to as “deco trucks”. I think I saw more of them before 2000, but the number seems to be decreasing in recent years. However, the decotora culture has definitely survived and is evolving further.  To briefly explain the origin of deco-trucks, they were originally based on three-wheeled vehicles. At that time, the bodies were used in fish markets, coastal areas, and in snowy areas, but soon rusted. In order to repair the damage caused by rust, stainless steel plates were attached to the body, and this is said to have been the beginning of the trend toward fashion.    The boom was spurred on by the hit movie “Torakku Yaro” (Trucker) in the 1970s. The series, starring Bunta Sugawara, was an unexpected hit and played a role in the rise of the deco-truck culture. However, during the episodes, the truck (Ichibanboshi) driven by Momojirō Hoshi, played by Bunta Sugawara, was often depicted breaking off a chase by a police car, all while overturning the police car, which led to a complaint from the Metropolitan Police Department to the Toei, the film’s distributor.It is said that the decotora boom came to an end along with the movie. But in fact, there are still some deco-trucks that have evolved by using new technology such as LED.