There are some people who view the role of Japan in the art world as being the place where ideas are taken and made more extreme. Bold statements are not a rare thing at all in Japan, and the Japanese take on the art car is decorated trucks – or Dekotora, to give them the rather imposing Japanese name. Occasionally, they are called “art trucks”. A key point, however, is that Dekotora may not be used as moving advertisements or propaganda – if they are used for this purpose they cease to be Dekotora.

In fact, the first Dekotora appeared as long ago as the 1970s, reaching their apex of popularity with a series of movies by the name of Truck Guys (as direct a translation as possible). With the popularity in the 1990s of Gundam art – a stylised animation series which heavily featured giant robots, many people began to decorate their trucks to make them look more like Gundam characters.

These days, there are countless influences noticeable on the Dekotora of Japan. Popular historical figures, philosophical symbols and depictions of animals, both cartoon and otherwise, are hugely popular examples of Dekotora decoration. They make for a truly enthralling sight and have an influential role to play in Japanese culture as time goes on.