Over more than 160 years, dating back to 1859, the Port of Yokohama has played a vital role as a gateway for international trade.
The port was also there at crucial junctures in Toyota’s history, as the company ventured out into the world.
In 1910, as Sakichi Toyoda struggled to balance business interests with the invention of his automatic loom, he set out from Yokohama to Seattle in the United States to gain a global perspective.
Later, when his son Kiichiro embarked on his own tour of Europe and the United States, including a stopover in San Francisco that convinced him of the importance of automobiles, he likewise departed from the Port of Yokohama.
The port also sent Japan’s first genuine passenger car, the Toyopet Crown, on its way to the U.S. market.
“I feel as though our path to the world began from this spot,” remarked Chairman Toyoda. “Some force seemed to draw us here to get to know Yokohama.”
“The connection really runs deep…” echoed Mayor Yamanaka.
Having supported Japan’s postwar recovery and the period of rapid economic growth that followed, the Yamashita Pier has completed its service as an industrial facility. Moving forward, the site will be redeveloped for use by the city’s residents.
Speaking about this storied location, now home to THE MOVEUM YOKOHAMA, Mayor Yamanaka described it as “a place where history and the future converge.” “It’s thrilling to see something new being created,” responded Yamaguchi.
As fate would have it, in “Leaders,” the 2014 TV drama based on Kiichiro’s life, the protagonist’s wife was portrayed by none other than Tomoko Yamaguchi. Seated beside Chairman Toyoda, she smiled as she recounted this “strange connection.”