You might be saying to yourself, "Why is this guy showing us this Japanese hot rod show...again?" Well, if you hadn't already taken a gander at the photos of the '06 show, Moon's overseas adventure is much, much more than simply hot rods and customs.
In the last few years alone, the custom motorcycle scene has not only begun to dominate the Hot Rod & Custom Show (HRCS), but classic and custom trucks have started to make their presence really known, too. Or maybe I just didn't pay as much attention to these particular four-wheeled participants the first few times I attended. Either way, trucks new and old are a very important facet of this annual get-together in Yokohama, Japan, each December at the city's Pacifico.
While I don't imagine CLASSIC TRUCKS promoting the show will inspire a large number of you to start making travel plans to Asia this year, I do believe it's encouraging, as well as important, to illustrate how our foreign brethren are just as enthusiastic and passionate, if not more, about this fascinating hobby we all love to death. It makes it even more interesting when you realize just what it takes to not only own, but operate a vehicle of any significant vintage in Japan.
For starters, despite its population, Japan is very small geographically, and even smaller when it comes to usable land to drive upon (which explains their advanced public transportation systems). Roadways are compact; so are their common automobiles. In other words, merging a behemoth '59 Cadillac into typical everyday traffic can be cumbersome, at best. On top of that, gasoline prices over there make ours seem insignificant. Furthermore, annual registrations are charged on the "weight" of vehicles, so that same Caddy can run in upwards of a few thousand dollars a year just to keep it on the road. Compound that with the fact that garage space in any metropolitan area is beyond a luxury, and you pose some pretty tough obstacles for anyone wanting to become an avid hobbyist.
In other words, my hat's off to any and all Japanese classic truck lovers who actually manage to own and operate a vintage "foreign" hauler year after year. And thanks once again to everyone at Mooneyes-especially Shige and Goshu-for staging such a wonderful show for these enthusiasts to gather at year after year!
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 As you will see, '47-54 Chevys...  As you will see, '47-54 Chevys were dominant at this year's HRCS. Whether in full show guise or done up patina'd like this panel, they seemed to be the Japanese favorite-and I agree! |
 Each year, I'm asked to do...  Each year, I'm asked to do a CLASSIC TRUCKS Pick at the show, which has never been hard other than narrowing it down to just one truck! This year,... |