Auto show extras of the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show

Danny Choo combines two stereotypes of Japanese pop culture--anime and robots--to form the Mirai-Project, which aims to create a city car for the future. For now showgoers can gawk at a Gundam-esque car, and a girl dressed up as his Mirai Suenaga mascot.

Commercial truck manufacturer Mitsubishi Fuso wants to expand its market to women buyers. Why would a normally male-dominated market appeal to the females? Because the Cute Truck Project would allow them to dress up their big rigs in leopard prints and pink polka dots, of course.

The irony of Honda's new slogan being "think outside the box," when these two staffers have to circle around a Honda-branded box in their UX-3 unicycle, in a boxed off area.

With numerous reports of the Tesla Model S catching fire, we in the United States are long past the honeymoon phase to Elon's electric car. But in Japan, the Tesla booth constantly drew large, wide-eyed crowds, even on the second press day (which is fairly empty due to the lack of big reveals). A spokesperson said a right-hand drive version is in the works.

Scooter manufacturer Prozzo Hirose wants to bring green car technology into developing nations, as shown with this three-wheeled e-trike. Running on lithium-ion batteries and with a max speed of 40 km/h (25mph), it strives to replace the carbon-spewing mopeds and cabs in the Philippines. Its estimated price of around $9000 may be too cost-prohibitive, however.

Kawasaki's alien-looking electric bike concept actually has three wheels, with two up front. When asked why it has an extra wheel, the rep went into a rehearsed spiel about entering the future. In other words, they just thought it looked cool.

The evolution of the Japanese license plate, from 1952. Plates belonging to US occupational forces were unique and longer, as seen with the two plates in the lower left (that start with the number "3").

One of the stranger sights at the show: an old British Wolseley truck and a lady in traditional hakama.

Toyota was offering test drives of the i-Road right in the show floor, and I couldn't resist (footage is of the Toyota rep). The steering quickens and the rear tires reverse as you go slower, making it difficult to anticipate its turning radius. Even with the lean in corners, it felt surprisingly car-like and stable.

As opposed to using models in miniskirts and knee-high boots, India-based OEM parts manufacturer Samvardhana Motherson had models dressed in saris.