Toyota’s past, present and future
Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology
The Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology has preserved the Toyota factory that was launched in the Taisho Era as a place to be used as a museum for its valuable industrial heritage. There are 4 pavilions: the Textile Machinery Pavilion, the Automobile Pavilion, Technoland, and the Toyota Group Building. The red-brick buildings themselves are preserved as valuable structures. There is a circular loom displayed in the museum lobby which was constructed by Sakichi Toyoda, the father of Kiichiro Toyoda who had established Toyota before it became an automobile manufacturer. The loom was built to display the technical prowess of the Japanese at a time when the nation still depended on Western technology, and it has become a symbol of the museum. As well, the museum has been recognized as a Heritage of Industrial Modernization for its contribution to Japan’s modernization.
Toyota Automobile Museum
The Toyota Automobile Museum is a place where you can learn about the history of the car from the development of gas-powered automobiles of the late 19th century to 20th-century cars through the actual autos themselves. On the 2nd floor, there are Western cars on display while on the 3rd floor, there are Japanese cars for a total of 120 examples that you can view closely. Also in the Annex, there is information and displays of cars regarding the history of Japanese people in tandem with the automobile. There is also a space for children, restaurants, and a souvenir shop where you can purchase things such as minicars. It is a museum where you can spend an entire day with the whole family.
Toyota Kaikan Exhibition Hall in Toyota City
The headquarters for Toyota’s factories is located in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. The Toyota Kaikan Exhibition Hall which is also in Toyota City has exhibitions of the latest safety-conscious technology, starting from the new technology for vehicles such as hybrid cars and fuel-cell cars. At the Virtual Factory, you can learn about things such as the factory manufacturing process through videos. To reach Toyota Kaikan requires a 1-hour train trip from Nagoya Station. For Toyota fans, this is a tourist spot that cannot be missed.