DekoCar 2026: A Quick Itasha Fix
It feels like its barely been a few months since the last Dekocar Nisei Week event, yet here it is again, and I’m happy I got to check it out.
It feels like its barely been a few months since the last Dekocar Nisei Week event, yet here it is again, and I’m happy I got to check it out.
Honestly, I wasn't planning on going this year— the Nisei Week Grand Parade was the next day, and it’d been a couple of years since I last visited that event. But this year I actually managed to hit both events (kind of a miracle, as a parent of a young child with barely any free time anymore).
That said, I was only able to visit for about an hour, but even so, it was a lot of fun. I've been a huge fan of itasha for years, and I like getting out to see these cars as often as I can. There were a lot of highlights this time around— some returning faces, but also a bunch of new cars (which is a treat, considering how expensive these things can be to build). Even a few of the returning builds had noticeably changed since I last saw them.
First Impressions
One of the first cars on display was Malani Miata’s Kuromiata MX-5. A returning face, but also a fantastic representation of the craft, and as such, a great “first impression” for the event. And as a fun little bonus, there was also a miniature version of the car parked right next to it.
Just past that, was a beautiful pink ZeroTwo Honda bike just leading into the main lot. Bikes aren’t something I see often at these events— every now and then one pops up, but they’re still surprisingly rare.
Personal Favorites
Several of this year’s cars stood out to me, but if I had to pick one, it would probably be the white Toyota Soarer, featuring Misuzu from the OVA Air. That anime had such a special place in my memory— the art was unlike anything I'd seen up to that point, and it still holds up pretty well today. It's more than 20 years old at this point (and somewhat obscure now), so it was really cool to see it represented.
More Standouts
A few other builds that stood out:
Dragon Ball Z Nissan 370Z — back again with even more modifications since I last saw it.
A JDM Classic Car lineup — not itasha, just older stock Japanese cars (some Mazdas, a Datsun) parked together. It was cool seeing these alongside the anime builds and it gave the event a greater “Japanese car culture” feel that you don’t find anywhere else.
Ninomae Lexus LS430 — One of my favorites from last year— it mostly looked unchanged, but I think that was a good thing with this car. It’s wonderfully balanced in its design and I was just as happy to see it again.
Ken Bolito's Toyota Supra — Ken is the host of the YouTube channel Denki, who I’ve been following for a while. It was a pleasant surprise when I learned he was into itasha, and so I was stoked to see his standout car in person. I actually spotted him inside the event hall and got to say hi, which was a cool little experience in itself.
Umamusume Porsche Cayman — Another from last year, also seemingly untouched since I last saw it. Still a favorite.
Highschool DxD Civic coupe — I’ve never seen the anime, but this was a personal fave since it's the same car I drive. I don't see many 10th gen coupes (not nearly as often as the sedan or hatchback), so that was a treat. The overall theme leaned a bit too much into the lewd aesthetic of that series (not the wrap over all, but the stickers and dash gear), but it was still a cool build.
Sanrio Cinnamoroll Subaru — gorgeous paint job with pink heart wheels. Adorable execution.
Chobits-themed Mitsubishi hatchback — Chobits is an older series you don't see represented much anymore, so it stood out. It was beautifully done.
Toyota Corolla AE86 — styled after the car from Initial D, it was nicely done tribute build.
AbstractNine Booth Lexus — I didn't recognize any of the characters plastered across it, and honestly it seemed more like a display piece to promote brands, rather than a tribute to any one series. Still a really cool vehicle to check out.
Wrapping Up
I poked my head into artist alley for a bit, but there weren't any performances or major activities happening at that moment, so I didn't stick around — I had to get going anyway. Still, I left feeling satisfied with my visit. It was awesome getting to see a big collection of itasha in one place again after such a long break.
Btw, I'm on the lookout for more events to check out. Summer was a little hectic, but now that fall's rolling in, I should have more free time to get out and explore.
And of course, there were more vehicles that I haven’t highlighted yet. Keep scrolling to check those out in the rest of my photo batch. And let me know if you checked out Dekocar this year, or if you've got your own itasha memories to share. I’d love to hear!
