Japan was been one of the economic powerhouses of the 20th century and despite struggling with ongoing recession throughout the 90s and the first years of the 21st century, is still the world's second biggest economy. Japan's wealth and economic might has been built around manufacturing and industry; high tech products such as computers and scientific instruments have flooded into the West; Japanese car makers dominate the world motor industry; and the petrochemical industry has helped deliver the refined oil that has powered the economic miracle.

But before industrialisation towards the end of the 19th century Japan was an agriculturally based economy and once you get outside of the cities and industrial heartlands of the eastern seaboard, this is still true today. Ask any Japanese businessman their dream and 90% of them will respond "to buy a small house in the country with some land and farm". Perhaps this reflects some desire to get back to nature; to reconnect with the land having been squashed into tiny apartments in the massive urban centres. Whatever the case agriculture and farming is still a very important part of the Japanese psyche.

There are many opportunities in Japan to experience both sides of Japan's economic activity. Whether you wish to see the high-tech robots of car manufacturing or pick shitake mushrooms in the mountains of the Izu peninsula, there are experiences available. In this section we will be presenting up a selection of those experiences for you to select from.

Toyota Factory Tour

Overview
Whilst in Japan, take the opportunity to visit Japan's biggest car manufacturer, Toyota. The company's headquarters are located in Toyota City just outside Nagoya and free English language tours of the high-tech plants are available most days. During the tour you will be shown the full production line process including Toyota's revolutionary multi-model system which allows the production of all models of vehicle on the same production line. The pneumatic seat used by the assembly line workers is also quite something to see in operation and was incredibly the result of a staff entry in the suggestions box: The seat is now the a key element in every Toyota production line in the world.

The Toyota factory Tour is a must for all car fanatics and anyone who has an interest in the industrial development of Japan.

When:

The tour is available most week days and Saturdays. There are no tours available on Sundays or on National Holidays. During major holiday periods the plant tours may be suspended for several days.

Our Nagoya office will make the reservation for you. There is no charge for the tour.

Where:
Toyota City is located at the end of the Tsurumae subway line with a journey time from Nagoya Station of 50 minutes. The Toyota Exhibition Hall, where you can see the latest developments from Toyota as well as a selection of older vehicles and demonstrations of environmentally friendly technology, if 15 minutes by taxi from the station. This is the meeting point for the factory tour.

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There are many things to consider when planning your Japan trip: time of year you wish to travel; how long you have available; where in Japan you want to go; the things you wish to experience; what budget you have available to name but a few.

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