There are some stunning automotive museums around the world. We have only been fortunate enough to see a select few of them here in the United States. One particular museum that may trump most is the Toyota Automobile Museum, found in Yokomichi, Nagakute, Japan, about 3 hours west of Tokyo. While airfare, transportation and a room may cost you quite a bit to visit such a place, you can go there now, virtually, all for free, if you have a good Internet connection.
The Toyota Automobile Museum floors in Japan are completely viewable via Google maps allowing you to take a virtual walk around a place that can be claimed as car heaven featuring not only Toyota vehicles, but a several significant classic vehicles from all ends of the earth. You will want to set aside maybe a full hour or two to tour this museum. Be sure to share with other fellow automotive addicts and friends. Link here or enjoy the tour below!
Viewing tip: Zoom out or escape out of the Google map to quickly reposition to another street view area of the museum.
We at the Toyota Automobile Museum are committed to exploring the history of the automobile, sharing our insights with you and employing our world-class collection of cars to enrich the future prospects of people and the automobile.
The museum opened on April 16, 1989 as one of Toyota Motor Corporation’s 50th anniversary projects. Our regular exhibits include about 140 vehicles of historical importance from around the world.
In the main building, our wide-ranging collection of vehicles on display guides you through the progress of automotive technologies and cultures since the birth of the automobile. People say that the world fell in love with the automobile in the 20th century. This intimate relationship between people and cars had a lasting impact not only on everyday life but also on the structure of society. While this remains true in the 21st century, new innovations are in constant demand in response to new challenges, including energy constraints and the problem of global warming.
The Annex that opened in 1999 presents the history of Japan’s motorization from the perspectives of daily life and culture, by displaying each vehicle with the everyday paraphernalia associated with each generation.
In addition to the regular exhibits, we present several themed exhibitions each year, focusing on specific periods or subjects. To promote automotive culture and contribute to the local community, the museum also hosts two annual classic car festivals: one in Aichi in the spring, and the other in Tokyo in the fall. The festivals feature a street parade of some 100 privately owned classic cars gathered from around the country, as well as demonstration runs of vehicles in our collection.
It is our hope that these activities will give pleasure to as many people as possible, adding to the continued development of the automotive culture.
