Synopsis

Kei cars, ultra-compact motor vehicles accounting for 40% of the Japanese fleet, are prized for their maneuverability, practicality, and affordability. Particularly prevalent in rural areas are the diminutive “keitora” pickup trucks, ideally suited to navigating narrow, unpaved countryside roads. Motoring journalist Maruyama Makoto explores how the use of keitora is evolving in contemporary Japan. Meanwhile, in Plus One, Vinay Murthy crafts a serene landscape garden upon the bed of a tiny truck.