We can find several shops where the owners have made their own likeness into mascot-like characters. Here are two examples from Osaka. One for a shop for a ramen shop, the other for a shop that specializes in “vitality” drinks.
物質文化
Roadside community map 地区案内図
Warmth of the sun on a winter day 日ざしに暖かさが感じられる
Fire truck greets the New Year 正月を迎える消防車
Snowingenuity 雪遊び発明の才
Truck Art デコトラ
The truck is king of the road in Japan. And there is a special breed of truck that is both distinctively fearsome, yet elegant: kind of like Las Vegas on wheels. These trucks are called decotora, which is a melded abbreviation of the words “decorated” and “truck”. Decotora can be seen all throughout Japan though it is said that the original decotora was driven by a trucker from Aomori prefecture. Continue reading