Japanese car culture is among the most interesting and varied in the world, as the country has had a long obsession with all manner of models, domestic and foreign. Everyone knows about drift cars and stanced vehicles, but there's a lot more to Japanese car culture than just that.
In fact, there's a subculture that covers almost every different type of vehicle. It's not even restricted to cars, as there are groups who proudly display modified box trucks and even old Dodge vans. There are so many different types of Japanese car subculture that it's impossible to cover them all in one article. So, let's take a look at a small selection of some of the best groups that aren't very well known outside of the Land of the Rising Sun.
10 Dajiban
The name Dajiban is based on the Japanese pronunciation of "Dodge Van" because that's exactly what this subculture revolves around. Legend has it that motorcycle racing gangs needed something to take their bikes to the track in, and settled on Dodge vans because they were cheap and easy to find.
Once, a biker took his van around the track for a laugh and found it was actually great fun. More bikers joined in, and that's how the Dajiban culture formed. Today, it's still a pretty niche group but one that's gained international attention in recent times simply because of how brilliantly weird it is.
9 Shakotan
According to Japan Car Culture, Shakotan is a general term that's used to describe a lowered car, but it's often associated with a particular style of modification. Cars modified Shakotan-style usually have widened over-fenders and wide wheels with small rim sizes.
Another common Shakotan feature is a front-mounted oil-cooler, although that isn't exclusive to the subculture. The term has also been immortalized in manga series such as Shakotan Boogie, a story about two gearhead teenagers.
8 Time Attack
Many car fans would mostly associate Japan's car culture with crazily impractical modded cars or drift machines, but there's a lot of seriously competitive track racing that goes on too. Time Attack is a popular format for both privateers and factory teams, as it focuses on simply getting the fastest lap time around a track.
There aren't really any set rules as to what can be classed as a Time Attack car, other than it has to be fast and handle brilliantly. The winners of many Time Attack competitions are decided by fractions of a second, so every trick in the book will be used by competitors to make their cars lighter and faster than their opponents.
7 VIP
Originally, VIP style is thought to have come about in the '80s when members of the Japanese Mafia started driving big-body JDM sedans in an effort to attract less police attention than a European luxury car would. Street racers copied the idea, for pretty much the same reason.
Today, it's mostly just about looking cool, especially since VIP cars are often so low to the ground that they'd be no good at street racing anyway. VIP still mainly centers around JDM sedans, but the subculture's expanded to include big, low sedans from other countries too.
6 Kanjozoku
The name of the Kanjozoku can be translated to provide a clear picture of their origins: Kanjo refers to the Kanjo loop, a section of highway in the center of Osaka. Zoku means family or gang. So, this is the set of racers that center their activities on Osaka's Kanjo Loop. But, there's a bit more to the Kanjozoku than that.
They choose to use only Honda Civics to race with, as their nimble handling makes them perfect for taking the corners of the Kanjo loop at speed. Also, they use a variety of liveries, but these have to be changed regularly to avoid recognition by police. The subculture peaked in the mid-'80s, but there are still some active racers out there holding illegal street races on the Kanjo today.
5 Itasha
Rather than any aspect of performance, the term itasha focuses on the design of the group's cars. Every livery is designed around an anime character, usually a female one.
Big, colorful graphics and lots of LEDs are all staples of the subculture, which has seen some overseas anime fans try to replicate the style in recent years. With the global rise in popularity of anime, the itasha style will likely become a more and more common sight at race tracks and car shows around the world.
4 Kei Truck
The kei class of car is a super-small vehicle designed to be both very fuel-efficient and also fit through Japan's tight city streets. Kei trucks are essentially miniature pickups designed to the same specifications.
Like any type of vehicle in Japan, there's a group that's dedicated to modifying them. Some kei trucks are built as drifters, some as racers, and some just to look cool. Really, it's more about creating something fun with kei truck modding than sticking to any pre-defined set of rules.
3 Dekotora
Even commercial trucks aren't safe from the clutches of modders in Japan. Dekotora focuses on the art of making outrageously styled box trucks, complete with chrome everywhere, copious amounts of lighting, and vibrant designs.
Like many car cultures in Japan, this is more about showing off an imaginative creation as it is making a project for any practical purposes. Still, it'd be infinitely more fun seeing one of these on the highway rather than the usual boring white box truck.
2 Bosozoku
The Bosozoku is a group of underground car nuts that will stop at nothing to make the craziest and most outlandish vehicles possible. The discipline is all about building cars to shock and outrage, which has resulted in some of the craziest builds in the whole of Japan.
The group has its roots in 1950s biker gang culture, but since then has expanded to include all sorts of cars and vans. Many bosozoku modifications are still highly illegal and owners often have to carry a wallet full of cash wherever they go to pay off the police fines they'll inevitably get.
1 Kyusha
If out-of-this-world illegal modifications and cutting-edge track machines sound a bit much, it might be better to chill out with the kyusha car fans instead. Kyusha simply refers to an old car, usually with light customized touches like tasteful fender flares or new rims.
The style can include more radical transformations, but more often than not a kyusha car will look more reserved in comparison to some of the more out-there styles like Bosozoku. It just goes to prove that however an owner likes their cars, there's a subculture out there that fits them perfectly.