Inaugurated in 2024, the Toyota City Museum narrates Toyota’s transformation, blending historical roots, the automotive industry, and cutting-edge architectural design
Located in Aichi Prefecture, in the heart of Japan, Toyota City has long been synonymous with the automotive industry, as the headquarters of the Toyota Motor Corporation, founded in 1937. The city stands as a symbol of technological progress and innovation, yet it also boasts a rich history rooted in antiquity. Formerly known as Koromo, it was once the center of the Naito domain during the Edo period. From the fusion of modern industry and the region’s natural beauty emerges the Toyota City Museum, a project designed by Kengo Kuma, where past and future intertwine to narrate the transformation of this unique city.
Toyota City Museum: a museum for the community
The Toyota City Museum is not just an exhibition space but a vibrant, interactive learning hub that actively engages the local community in a wide range of cultural and educational projects. The museum’s mission is to foster a deep understanding of the city’s history and natural resources, encouraging public participation and creating a gathering place where ideas and traditions can evolve together.
The museum is designed to collaborate with local schools, offering educational opportunities that go beyond traditional field trips. Through exhibitions, hands-on activities, and workshops, the Toyota City Museum aims to become a place where new generations can grow with an awareness of their cultural and natural heritage, fostering its preservation and inspiring innovation.
Design and Architecture: a bridge between history and future
The architecture of the Toyota City Museum is a masterpiece of harmony between modernity and tradition. Designed by architect Kengo Kuma, the museum exemplifies how architecture can embody values of sustainability and respect for the environment. The structure features extensive use of wood, a material that imparts warmth and a sense of nature, contrasting with the nearby Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, a modernist work designed by Yoshio Taniguchi.
The museum’s façade features wooden elements that echo the organic beauty of the surrounding nature, with fluid lines that blend seamlessly into the landscape. The main structure, spanning approximately 90 meters, is a vast wooden and glass space known as the “En-nichi” area, serving as a multifunctional venue for events, exhibitions, and public activities. The spatial layout is designed to maximize natural light, with large windows offering panoramic views of the Mikawa Mountains and the Yahagi River, forging a strong connection between the museum’s interior and the natural environment outside.
A museum that celebrates heritage and collective memories
The museum houses a wide range of items, many of which come from the everyday lives of Toyota’s citizens, telling the story of a past era. Among the exhibits are old phones, electric pots, and toys from the Showa period, evoking a time before modernity. Although these objects may seem ordinary, they are displayed in a way that sparks new reflections, thanks to an innovative system that allows visitors to explore stories and themes through the selection of items via robotic technology.
This unique exhibition is part of a collection that not only preserves objects but transforms them into tools for telling complex stories of technologies, materials, and designs that have shaped everyday life. A spectacular installation, a multi-layered glass rack, showcases these items, making them the stars of an interactive educational experience.
The symbol of the museum
The symbol of the Toyota City Museum is an inverted trapezoid, reminiscent not only of a traditional bamboo basket but also of a container for stories, memories, and materials from the past that continue to fuel the city’s future. The choice of orange, known in Japan as the “vitamin color,” symbolizes vitality, warmth, and continuity, referencing the promise of a prosperous and dynamic future for the Toyota community.
Additionally, the design of the logo and typography is crafted to be easily readable and recognizable, with the aim of making the museum a familiar brand for future generations.
