Japan is Nippon 日本語
Red-brick former factory building of the Toyota Commemorative Museum under a blue sky
Photo: Bariston, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Aichi · museum

Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology

トヨタ産業技術記念館

A museum in the red-brick Nagoya factory where the Toyota Group began. Follow Japanese industry from looms to cars, with real machines shown working.

Glass-roofed entrance lobby with the large circular loom on display
Photo: KKPCW（Kyu3）, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Main entrance courtyard and red-brick halls of the Toyota Commemorative Museum
Photo: KKPCW（Kyu3）, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The red-brick factory where Toyota was born

Toyota means cars today, but it all started with looms, the machines that weave cloth. This site in Nishi Ward, Nagoya, is where the inventor Toyoda Sakichi built an experimental factory for loom research in 1911 (Meiji 44).

The Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology opened in June 1994 as a joint project of the Toyota Group. It uses the Taisho-era red-brick factory buildings as a museum while preserving them as industrial heritage. The buildings and part of the collection have been recognised as Heritage of Industrial Modernisation by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Textile Machinery Pavilion: the story of weaving, in working machines

The museum has two parts: the Textile Machinery Pavilion and the Automobile Pavilion. In the Textile Machinery Pavilion, set in a space that keeps the original factory's pillars, beams and brick walls, you can trace how cloth-making machines developed, from old hand tools to modern machinery. A big draw is that staff demonstrate the machines in action.

In the lobby stands the Circular Loom that Sakichi invented in 1906. It weaves cloth with a motion that turns in a circle, and it was patented in 19 countries. The machine on display was built in 1924 and, after a long period of test running, is the only finished example that survives; it is still run for visitors today.

Automobile Pavilion: how carmaking changed

Sakichi's eldest son, Toyoda Kiichiro, set out to build cars in Japan and founded Toyota Motor Co. The Automobile Pavilion shows how carmaking changed, from the earliest vehicles to today's technology, with real cars, machines and demonstrations.

The items recognised as Heritage of Industrial Modernisation include the early Toyoda Model G1 truck and the Toyoda Standard Sedan Model AA. The museum also has a shop, a restaurant, a café and a library.

Getting there

It is about a 3-minute walk from Sako Station on the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line. From Nagoya Station, the Me-guru sightseeing route bus stops inside the grounds, or it is about 5 minutes by taxi. If you drive, there is a free car park.

Opening hours, closing days and admission fees can change, so check the official website.

Tips

  • Machine demonstrations run at set times. Check the demonstration timetable on the official website and plan your visit around the ones you want to see.
  • Guided tours and an audio guide app are available. Check the official website for whether English is offered and at what times.
  • Special exhibitions are held too. In autumn 2026, the Automobile Pavilion has a special exhibition on materials technology.

Sources

Updated 30 September 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site before you go.

Keep exploring

Nearby places

Aichi · castle Nagoya Castle 名古屋城 Nagoya's symbol, built by Tokugawa Ieyasu and topped with golden shachihoko. The keep is closed for now, but you can tour the superbly restored Honmaru Palace.
Aichi · museum Nagoya City Science Museum 名古屋市科学館 A science museum in central Nagoya marked by a giant silver sphere, loved for its 35m planetarium dome and hands-on shows like an indoor tornado.
Aichi · landmark Oasis 21 オアシス21 A multi-level park in Nagoya's Sakae district, crowned by the water-covered glass roof called the Spaceship-Aqua. Walk around it 14m up; it is lit at night.
Aichi · park Tsuruma Park 鶴舞公園 Nagoya's first park, opened in 1909, pairs a Western fountain tower with a Japanese garden, and is famed for about 750 cherry trees, roses and irises.
Aichi · shrine Atsuta Jingu 熱田神宮 A Nagoya shrine housing the Kusanagi sword, one of the three sacred treasures, long ranked just below Ise. 1,900 years of history in a city-centre forest.
Aichi · zoo aquarium Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium 名古屋港水族館 A large aquarium on Nagoya Port's Garden Pier with orcas, belugas, dolphins and penguins. The dolphin performances in its huge pool are a favourite.