Celebrating the Japanese Car Scene on Japanese Culture Day: JDM Cars, Kei Cars, Dekotora Trucks, and more

Nov 3, 2023

Today is Japanese Culture Day, and since we love all things cars, we thought it would be a great time to highlight the incredible car culture of Japan! It’s no secret that the Japanese car is an intensely passionate one, and often far exceeds the enthusiasm and gusto of other global car communities. From rally racing to drifting to custom mods to tiny kei cars to transforming dekotora trucks, you’ll find no shortage of zeal for all things cars!

With roots in the bōsōzoku movement that originated in the 80s, modern gearhead groups of Japan have grown and cultivated a truly spectacular custom automotive culture. What once was dominated by domestic Japanese cars has now expanded into European and American cars, and features not just new vehicles but also vintage, rare, and collectible vehicles as well.

Let’s take a look at some of the coolest features of the JDM subculture car enthusiast community!

The term JDM means “Japanese Domestic Market” referring to anything and everything made in Japan and exclusively for the local Japanese sales market. JDM culture originated in the 1950s/1960s as post WWII Japan began to rebuild its economy. Now, it’s become a global sensation!
Japan is the 2nd biggest car-manufacturing company in the world, with China taking the lead by almost 3x the output volume.
Many cars on the Japanese car scene are referred to by their model numbers or chassis, instead of their brand names.
Kei cars are the smallest, most compact street-legal passenger vehicles allowed for purchase in Japan; these vehicles are shorter than 3.4 meters with a max height of 2 meters and a max width of 1.48 meters, must have an engine of no more than .66 liters, and are limited to 64hp.
Dekotora trucks are heavily modified semi-trucks featuring dazzling light displays, custom murals, wild body kits, outrageously tack interiors, and over the top themed visuals. They often look like real-life replicas of the Autobots from Transformers!
The Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association has imposed a horsepower limit on all future JDM cars and Japanese-built vehicles since 1989; the vehicles are restricted to 111.8mph or 276HP.
JDM cars can only be exported to other countries if their age has exceeded 25 years, so if you’re on the market for one of these rare collectibles you’ll have to be patient! Want to learn more about how to get started collecting? Try this link to JDM Export’s Top 10 Starters.
The art of drifting, which involves intentionally oversteering a car and forcing the rear wheels to skid sideways, originated in the winding mountain roadways and expanded into an organized sport with specialized tracks and world-class events. Thanks in part to Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift, the sport expanded its fanbase to a more global market, and helped popularize a rise in participation as well as JDM car culture overall.
The Tokyo Auto Salon is an annual automotive event and show held each January at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba City. It specifically showcases the best of the best in performance and custom parts and tech, and is one of the top motor shows for modified and tuner vehicles. It features more than 1,000 cars and 4,000 both vendors to shop at. (This event is different from the Tokyo Motor Show, which is a bi-annual event for automotive manufacturers to showcase their “street legal” vehicles.)