{"product_id":"dekotora","title":"Dekotora","description":"At first glance, it’s a spectacle of vibrant colors and dazzlingly bright lights on extravagantly\r\ndecorated trucks. Dekotora, short for “deko torakku” (i.e. decorated truck) is written off by\r\nmainstream Japanese society due to its association with “bad boys”. But beneath the flashy\r\nsurface lies a world shrouded in mystery and poetry.\r\nDekotora first caught on in the late 1960s as a form of mobile advertising: a truck carrying\r\nfish from Hokkaido, for example, would sport a traditional painting showing its cargo and\r\nwhere it was from. Today, due to regulations prohibiting this form of decoration because of\r\nthe disrepute of the Dekotora scene, these trucks are used only by a few small businesses,\r\nsuch as fish and flower delivery services.\r\nAlthough to all appearances a relatively exclusive community, its members frequently host\r\npublic events where they proudly show off their creations on wheels. Often, these gatherings\r\nare fundraisers for charitable causes, such as aiding victims of the 2011 earthquake, many\r\nof whom are still suffering from its consequences.\r\nIn a conversation with Japanese pop culture expert Kyoichi Tsuzuki, I gained a deeper\r\nunderstanding of Dekotora’s cultural significance. Beyond its flashy exterior, Dekotora\r\nreflects a traditional Japanese aesthetic: like Japan’s ornate hearses, tombs, temples and\r\nthe sacred mikoshi palanquins used in Shinto festivals, it mirrors a penchant for elaborate\r\ndecoration that is deeply ingrained in Japan’s suburban and rural communities. It’s a cultural\r\necho of the past, of childhood memories that are rekindled by the sight of these garish\r\njuggernauts on the nation’s highways and in iconic movies.","brand":"Antenne Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54135550902610,"sku":"AB8998","price":63.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0822\/0062\/5490\/files\/AB8998-dekotora-03.jpg?v=1788863806","url":"https:\/\/antennebooks.com\/en-eu\/products\/dekotora","provider":"Antenne Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}