Hiroshima Mazda Museum

When we arrived in Hiroshima the late afternoon of August 2, I spent a bit more time researching about possible activities within Hiroshima other than the Peace Memorial Park. I quickly discovered the Mazda Museum; apparently Mazda was founded and headquartered in Hiroshima. Mazda also happens to employ a large percentage of Hiroshima residents. The museum offers free daily tours to the public for a limited number of guests; reservations can be made up to one year in advance on their website.

There was still availability for August 5, so we decided to stop by Hiroshima on our way from Miyajima to Kyoto to exhibit the museum. Again we lucked out; a couple days after I made the reservation, their entire reservation list was booked through the next two weeks!

Although the tour was rushed through 1.5 hours, we still thoroughly enjoyed the Mazda museum. The best part was the line of production—the factory where people and robots worked in parallel to create brand spankin’ new Mazda cars! (Unfortunately photography was prohibited within the line or production.)

At the start of the tour, we climbed onto a bus that drove us through their campus.

A timeline showcasing the history of Mazda was illustrated along a wall. The founder of Mazda is Jujiro Matsuda, hence the company name.

Mazda’s first vehicle was a three-wheeled cargo cart.

Shortly after production of the three-wheeled cart, the most adorable cars went into production. These vehicles were considered some of the most reliable in Japan at that time.

Mazda achieved their lifelong dream when the Mazda 787 won the World Sports Car Championship in 1990.

We briefly studied the variety of engines.

The science behind paint.

In the design stage, industrial artists draw numerous concepts. Final concepts pass through to clay modelers. Apparently Mazda consumes the most clay out of any other car factory for their models.

There was a nice skeletal breakdown of vehicles.

Crash test!

2011 concept car.

The museum wasn’t just fun, it was also FREE! Just make sure to make reservations at least a few days in advance. =)