Japanese decorated truck culture. Trucks fitted with elaborate chrome, neon lighting, and custom paint, originally for commercial use.
Dekotora (decoration truck, デコトラ) describes Japanese commercial trucks fitted with elaborate decorative modifications including chrome panels, custom paint, neon and LED lighting, ornate murals, and aggressive aerodynamic styling. The culture emerged in the 1970s and is associated with long-haul truck drivers who personalized their vehicles for individual identity within their commercial fleets.
Modern dekotora builds can be extraordinarily elaborate. Common features include extensive chrome trim across virtually every body surface, neon and LED lighting that illuminates the entire truck at night, custom-painted murals (often with traditional Japanese themes, mythology, or modern pop culture), large fog lights and grille additions, and aerodynamic body modifications. The trucks are essentially mobile art installations.
The style is most famous through the Truck Yarō (Truck Guys) film series of the late 1970s and early 1980s, which depicted dekotora truckers as romantic outlaw figures. The films created lasting cultural associations with the style. Modern dekotora are less common as commercial trucking has standardized, but enthusiast communities continue building them. Some dekotora are now privately owned showpieces rather than working commercial vehicles.