Trip to Nagoya – Leader of Manufacturing Industry

With over two million inhabitants, Nagoya is Japan fourth most populated city. It is the capital of Aichi Prefecture and the principal city of the Nobi plain, one of Honshu's three large plains and metropolitan and industrial centers. Nagoya developed as the castle town of the Owari, one of the three branches of the ruling Tokugawa family during the Edo Period. Much of the city, including most of its historic buildings, were destroyed in the air raids of 1945. The Toyota Motor Corporation maintains its headquarters just outside of Nagoya.

Noritake Garden close to JR Nagoya Station in Nagoya is one of Nagoya's major attractions and is the site of the original red-brick buildings and kilns of the first Noritake ceramics factory. The park-like grounds are home to the Noritake Museum, the Noritake Craft Center, a Noritake shop, a restaurant and a cafe. The present-day Noritake ceramics company has its roots in a trading company founded by Ichizaemon Morimura and his brother Toyo in 1876. Morimura brothers began their business exporting Japanese antiques overseas with Toyo based in the company's store in New York. Noritake began to specialize in hand-painted, Western-style porcelain, much of it in the art nouveau style, as well as pure white tableware and from 1914 the first dinner sets were produced. With over 100 years of history, Noritake is now known for its fine luxury, western-style tableware both overseas and in Japan.

The Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology, (Toyota Techno Museum for short) is located on the site of the original company in central Nagoya, not far from Nagoya Station, and utilizes the historical red-brick buildings of the original automatic loom factory to display the history of the Toyota group, from its humble beginnings as a textiles manufacturer to its evolution into an international automobile producer and more. The museum is divided into a number of sections and pavilions, such as the Textile Machinery Pavilion, and the Automobile Pavilion. Many of the well maintained and displayed machines in the Textile Machinery Pavilion still work, and seeing them in operation makes the museum come to life. The working exhibits are fascinating, and the friendly guides are eager to share their extensive knowledge, which makes this an educational, informative and enjoyable experience for people of all ages.