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Visit to Mazda Factory & Museum Hiroshima


Soya
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Supersonic

Since we're all grounded during this CB period, thought I'd share some of the old pixs I found of my visit to the Mazda Factory & Museum at Hiroshima back in 2015.

Flew into Fukuoka and made my way to Hakata JR to take the Nozomi Shinkansen towards Hiroshima which is only a short 1hr ride away. Always enjoyed ride on probably the best train in the world.

 

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Supersonic

Did a walkabout around Hiroshima to catch the sights. A must-see has to be the A-Bomb Dome and the Peace Memorial & Museum, dedicated to the atomic bomb tragedy. Surreal to think what it must have been like on that fateful Aug day in 1945. The bomb exploded a few hundred feet above the ground (the red ball) to maximise the damage. "Little Boy", the name of the A-bomb, certainly lived up to it's name.

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Supersonic

After a good night's rest, it's time to get on to business and do what I originally came to Hiroshima for - to visit the Mazda Factory & Museum at Mazda HQ. Zoooom zoooom.

Mazda HQ is located near the Mukainada station, just 2 stops (southbound) from Hiroshima JR. Unlike Tokyo or Osaka, Hiroshima is less developed and the local trains and stations are noticeably more 'old-skool'. Although Mukainada is only 2 stops away from downtown Hiroshima, you can see that the station there resembles something you would expect to see at a small town like Batu Pahat....lol.

A short 5-10 min walk through a narrow road of local shops, Mazda HQ looms near.

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Supersonic
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Upon entry into the Mazda HQ, one is greeted by what resembles a small AD showroom. Frankly, it's a little underwhelming having been to the impressive BMW Welt in Munich, Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart, Autostadt in Wolfsburg, Audi Forum in Ingolstadt and even Toyota Kaikan in Nagoya.

Visitors are shepherded into a company bus to the Mazda Museum and factory, located a short 10-min ride away from the HQ building at the sprawling Hiroshima plant. Along the way, you see rows of MSCP where production ready cars are parked waiting to be shipped out.

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Edited by Soya
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Supersonic

First stop, Mazda Museum.

A English-speaking hosts brings visitors through a 45min to 1 hour (can't remember exactly) guided tour of the museum, covering the history of Mazda from it's humble beginnings to its Rotatory days to today's Skyactiv technology.

Interesting thing i found out was that at some point in history, Mazda actually manufactured motorbikes.

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Supersonic
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Next, an early day Mazda R360 Coupe (sounds so fast...lol) from 1960.

And the original Mazda Familia from the mid-60s. Can't remember what it was called here but do recall seeing it on the roads in the 70s.

And the beautiful classic Mazda Cosmo Sport in 1967. Mazda already had zoom zoom mojo in their DNA back in those days.

Last but not least, the original MX-5 Miata which revolutionized the concept of affordable fun, open top and one of motoring's all time classic.

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Edited by Soya
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Supersonic

Next up, the modern classics and Mazda's rotary engine era.

The infamous Cosmo, RX-7, and RX-7 Efini, one of the greatest rotaries of all time.

Plus the AZ-1, the only kei-car with gull-wing doors.

And not forgetting the Mazda 787B, the winner of 1991 24-hour Le Mans. Not only a first (and only) win by a Rotary powered car but by a Japanese manufacturer. Salute to you, Mazda!

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Supersonic

Then came Mazda as many of the millennials know it today: SkyActiv technology and Mazda's latest baby, the MX-5 which was just launched in Japan when i visited but haven't made it to SG.

 

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After touring the Museum, visitors were taken for a tour of the factory on an elevated platform.

As pictures were strictly prohibited during the factory tour, I pulled some pixs from the net instead. It was exactly what I saw; assembly of MX5s, CX3s, CX5s.

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Edited by Soya
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Supersonic

After the factory tour ended, made my way back to Hiroshima city and was absolutely famished.

So what's a SG-style review without food, right? Tried out the Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki. Apparently different from the usual Osaka Okonomiyaki that many of us have probably tried in that ingredients are layered rather than mixed. Tastes the same to me....lol.

Overall, an enjoyable morning day out indeed. Thanks for letting me share.

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Supersonic
20 minutes ago, Colin03 said:

Thanks Soya on your sharing.

U bought any accessories during that visit ?

Surprisingly, Mazda HQ & the museum didn't sell any accessories. Or maybe i wasn't looking out for it as I wasn't driving a Mazda then.

But the visit brought a new found respect for their rotary endeavour and i later bought a used RX-8 as a 'souvenir' of my visit later in the year just to see how it's like to live with one.

 

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Supersonic
1 hour ago, oktaviatan said:

thank you for your sharing, it must very memorable trip

Yeah...it was certainly memorable. Ppl go jeepun to see cherry blossom, I go see car factory. Lol

Trying to dig up my other old pics of BMW, Merc, VW, Audi, Toyota factory visits to share next time

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Twincharged
1 hour ago, Colin03 said:

Sure you enjoy the Rotary technology. Except finding a good mechanic in rotary knowledge is not easy here.

I think Monster Garage are well known to repair Rotary Engines.

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