Museums in Japan

Seiro Itoh has been fascinated with the Fiat 500 since his childhood and opened a museum devoted to the diminutive Italian car in Nagoya.

This private museum includes the Kawaguchiko Motor Museum and the Kawaguchiko Air Museum - so it includes cars and airplanes, vehicles which shaped the civilisation in the 20th century.

The Tokachi Taisho Motorcycle Museum is located to a petrol station in the Taisho district of Obihiro City. It displays around 170 bikes, which belong to Mr Makino, who owns the station.  You can see motorcycles from a wide range of eras, from rare pre-war and post-war models such as the Rikuo "RQ750" and Fuji Heavy Industries "Rabbit" to racer replicas such as the Honda "NSR250R". Photo is courtesy of tknc.jp

Earthquakes. Landslides. Typhoons. Sarin gas and faulty wiring. Japan has its share of danger. But fear not: the fire department is here to help. To learn exactly how they help, visit Tokyo's Fire Museum, where the history of Fire and Rescue in Japan - from bamboo ladders to high-tech rescue robots - can be seen at no charge. - Tokyo Qool

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Museum shows the history of the Tokyo police and the equipment and technology that they use. There are also a few vehicles on display including a motorcycle and a helicopter.

"Torino Museum" in Himeji City was opened in 2021. More than 50 vintage cars such as Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and Porsches are on display. The museum is a renovated 7-story multi-storey parking house. The 7th floor has a cafe dining area with a great view of Himeji Castle. The 5th and 6th floors are turned into a museum where you can see famous cars. The first to fourth floors are used as the facility's parking lot.

What makes the Toyota Automobile Museum truly unique is its systematic presentation of the evolution and culture of automobiles from around the world, regardless of manufacturers and covering everything from the world’s first gasoline-powered car to modern electric vehicles. Almost all the exhibited vehicles are maintained in roadworthy condition, positioned spaciously along a natural viewing route. Equally fascinating are some 4,000 pieces of automobile-related cultural items on display.

This museum was designed to show visitors this type of "making things, through the textile machinery and automobile industries with which the Toyota Group has been involved, and to show the transitions in industry and technology.

Toyota Kuragaike Commemorative Hall was built in September 1974 in commemoration of the manufacturing of Toyota's 10 millionth vehicle. Toyota Motor Corporation has reached its "second establishment period", and is currently putting efforts into various structural reforms. Taking this opportunity, the Exhibit Room has been renewed into the "Toyota's Establishment Exhibit Room", and the residence of the founder of Toyota Motor Corporation, Kiichiro Toyoda, has been rebuilt at a corner of this site for bringing to mind those early days.

Toyota Corolla Hachinohe is a new car dealer, which was founded by Hirohisa Tsukahara in the 1950s. The family opened this museum in 2003, displaying a selection of 1920s and 1930s cars, including a Renault, a Delage, a Rolls-Royce and more.