Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology

Frommer's Review

This museum seems an odd marriage: It's devoted to both textile machinery and automobile production and technology. That's because the Toyota Group, founded by Toyoda Sakichi, the inventor of automatic looms, has a long history of producing both. Housed in an attractive brick building dating from the Taisho Period (1912-25), the museum displays approximately 50 looms and textile machinery, from wooden hand looms to air-jet looms that utilize computer graphics. The automobile pavilion provides a historical chronology of automobile production, beginning with a replica of the first Toyota car (1936), early assembly lines using manpower, and automated assembly lines using industrial robots for everything from engine mounting to painting. There's also a display of both old and new Toyota cars and four films of how Toyota makes its cars, including design. Frequent demonstrations of looms (they're loud!), auto-making equipment (including robotics), a steam engine demonstration, and a flute-playing robot performance make this a fun destination for adults and kids alike. There's also a hands-on discovery room for kids. Expect to spend 90 minutes here.

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