When it comes to cars, the Japanese don't do colourful.

Black, white or something in between is the preferred choice of paint type here.

This phenomenon is a direct result of pigment shortages due to import restrictions imposed by the government more than 20 years ago.



It's widely believed that the powers that be wish to prevent people from expressing themselves through the colour of their cars.

A recent magazine article attempted to describe people's personalities according to the colour of their vehicle. It was a short article:

You are what you drive:

White: You like to fit in. You don't want to rock the boat.

Black: You have a melancholic nature.

Grey: You are indecisive.

Blue/red/pink/yelllow/orange/brown/green: Weirdo.

Even all the lorries are white....




Some people have thrown caution to the wind and got really creative, mixing things up a bit to surprise their family, friends, and people that don't like them too....


A car with surprising black stripes.


Others have taken things a step further and mixed the blood of slaughtered Kobe cows with regular white paint in an effort to splash a bit of colour onto the roads. The problem is that when it rains, that's exactly what happens. And in the summer it stinks worse than a skunk's scrotum....


A car that whiffs worse than the nether regions of a Mephitis mephitis.

In desperation for a bit of non-animal-blood colour, some people import classic old cars from England....

A car belonging to a desperate person.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 at 7:02 am. You can skip to the end and leave a response.