You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who hasn’t heard of Toyota, but many people don’t know there’s a city of the same name. Sitting between Osaka and Tokyo just a short hop from Nagoya, Japan’s fourth-largest city, Toyota is largely off the tourist radar but is a fantastic destination for motoring enthusiasts and a great base for outdoor adventurers.
As you might expect, the main attractions here focus on Toyota’s past, present and even its future. First stop on your car-focused city tour should be the Toyota Kaikan Museum, where the manufacturer showcases many of its new models alongside displays on everything from eco-friendly cars to the history of motor racing. It’s also the starting point for plant tours (book at least two weeks in advance).
Another must-visit for petrol heads is the Toyota Automobile Museum, which sits northeast of Toyota on the outskirts of Nagoya. As well as chronicling Toyota’s history, the museum has an incredible collection of over 100 Japanese, American and European cars dating from the beginning of the automotive industry to the present day. Highlights include a 1909 Ford Model T and a 1910 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, believed to be one of the most valuable cars in the world today.
Automobiles aside, Toyota is home to a host of broader cultural attractions. The Toyota City Museum of Modern Industry & Living takes you back to an age of silk rather than steel and through to the post-war era, while the Taniguchi Yoshio-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art features fine artwork from around the world and a wide range of visiting exhibits. For a taste of traditional and 20th-century Japanese art amid the city’s factories and plants, head to Toyota Mingei-kan (also known as the Toyota City Folk Craft Museum), where you can peruse folk craft halls, a tea house and a ceramics museum set in pretty gardens.
Most Japanese cities have at least one beautiful park within their limits and Toyota is no different. The riverside Suigen Park is where locals stroll, cycle and picnic under cherry trees during the breathtaking cherry blossom season. To experience more of the region’s natural attractions, travel north into rural Aichi to Mount Sanage, a sacred mountain and popular hiking spot. Here you can follow the mountain trail, visit fascinating shrines and admire the peach blossom from mid-March to April or beautiful autumn colours in November.
Korankei Gorge is an unforgettable place to see the leaves of over 4,000 maple trees turn a brilliant shade of red as the days get cooler and shorter. The Tomoe River flows around the base of 254-metre high Mount Limori and paths wind their way along the bank of the river, across the Taigetsukyo Bridge and up the side of the hill. Visitors can enjoy buds and blossom in the spring, swim in the cooling waters of the river in the summer or visit the heritage village and self-sufficient community of Sanshu Asuke Yashiki year-round – a living museum that sits in sharp contrast to modern Toyota.
Back in the city, sports such as football and rugby union are played at the striking Toyota Stadium. Home to one of the country’s best rugby teams, Toyota Verblitz, it’s definitely worth watching a game here – if only to witness the almost bird’s-eye view from top-tier seats. The approach to the stadium on game day takes over another of the city’s architectural masterpieces, the Toyota Bridge.
The nearest international airport is Chubu Centrair in Nagoya, approximately 34 miles southeast of Toyota. Another option is the smaller Nagoya Airfield, 24 miles from the centre of Toyota. Simply contact our team and we’ll arrange everything you need to charter a private jet to Toyota.
