Owner: Yuya Kubodera
Ride: '00 Toyota Hi Lux
Hometown: Odawara, Kanagawa, Japan
We've covered many of Japan's greatest trucks in the past few years. This time, we have the pleasure of featuring a truck that is very popular in Japan and has even graced the cover of Truck Trends magazine. It didn't start out this way for this truck, however. Owner Yuya Kubodera has had an interest in trucks since 1998. In the beginning, it was kind of like throwing a kid, who doesn't know how to swim, into the deep end of the pool. Luckily for us, he didn't drown.
Yuya started out with a truck that had already been built by somebody else. Even though this was fun for a little while, Yuya decided he needed a truck to build on his own. So, he picked up an '00 Toyota Hi-Lux, which is basically our version of the Tacoma. Soon after purchasing his truck, Yuya decided to fill the gap between the rocker and the floor. What he did was add a body kit. This isn't a strange thing in Japan. You can still see many trucks with body kits at shows; but to Yuya, he was only trying to be lower. Soon, he realized his truck didn't stand out in the crowd and the body kit wasn't going to pull him any trophies or get him any attention from other Hi-Lux owners, either.
To Yuya, putting a body kit on his truck was what he thought was a body-drop. As soon as he realized it wasn't, it was time to cut. This was where Seek came in, a crazy shop willing to cut on anything anytime. So, together with their help the truck finally met the pavement. Wanting to destroy the competition and stand out from the crowd, Seek helped Yuya by shaving the body and making a smooth bed floor for the truck. Yuya shows his appreciation for the shop by sporting a back window painted with their logo. Yuya is a straight-up guy, who enjoys going to truck shows and showing off his truck. You don't see too many people who thank the people at shows for enjoying his truck. But to Yuya, the shows and the atmosphere is what it's all about.