Going behind the scenes on a tour of a car factory may not be the sort of experience that gets everyones engine running, but this was a bit of a pilgrimage for us.
You see, we have a Mazda Bongo Camper Van, and these uniquely brilliant vehicles were made in Japan until the early 2000s. We wanted to visit the original home of our Bongo.
Roadtrip Dreams
I’d had a bit of a pipe dream to do an epic road trip in our van as a bit of a homecoming. From York in the UK, to the Mazda factory in Japan where it was originally built.
The Other Half didn’t think Japan would be all that keen to have our Bongo back in their country, plus it would involve crossing through some countries that are not really safe at the moment. So that plan has gone on the back burner indefinitely.
Finding The Factory
Instead, we did the expedition without the van on our trip to Asia. As we were planning where to go and things to see, I found the Mazda factory in Hiroshima. Locating it on the map, my research uncovered that they did tours! I knew the Other Half would love this. However, I wasn’t really sure I’d be quite so enthusiastic about seeing a lot of cars. All the same, it was definitely going on our itinerary.
Mazda HQ
Just a short train journey from Hiroshima and we arrived at the shiny and flash Mazda headquarters. We signed in and picked up our visitor passes. I’d expected there to be a handful of people on the tour, but there around fifty of us.
The tour began on a bus that took us to the Mazda museum and factory. Driving through the complex gave us an idea of the sheer size of the operation. It was like a town in itself!
Our comprehension of Japanese was pretty limited. However, a very friendly tour guide escorted us around the museum. Whilst she delivered the talks, we were able to read the information on the display boards. We most certainly did not miss out.
There were ten different zones during our tour, and it was far more interesting than I’d thought it would be.
An Original Mazda Bongo
Zone 3 included various Mazda models through the ages. This was the zone we were really excited to see. There it was. An original. One of the early ones. The design which has lead to hundreds of people living out camper van dreams all across the world. The Mazda Bongo! The first incarnation of our little camper!
The Mazda Bongo wasn’t built as a campervan, but rather as a multi-passenger vehicle with seats for up to 8 people. Bongo’s have been exported around the world and they have been fitted with all sorts of conversions as people have adapted them for mobile living. There are all sorts of quirky renovations making them perfect for road trips.
This inaugural Mazda Bongo was in amazing condition. It didn’t have the pop top like ours, and definitely had a retro look about it. There were plenty of windows and it looked light and airy. It reminded me a bit of a milk float! Despite looking somewhat different, it was obviously a relative of our van.
Once we’d finished geeking out over one of our van’s ancestors, we carried on with the rest of the tour.
The Assembly Line
Zone 9 was the assembly line which was fascinating! We weren’t allowed to take pictures there, but we could observe the cars being put together. Whilst the tour guide was telling anyone who could understand Japanese all about the working factory, I avidly watched the scenes below. It was ultra precise. Everything was meticulously organised, and it was fast.
I saw windscreens being fitted by robots. There were centre consoles being inserted by machines. Nuts, bolts, and screws were being fixed in by human hands. Every component was pre-cut, pre-prepared and pre-counted, and we watched as they all got pieced together. It was like a conveyor of Airfix model parts – but obviously on a much bigger scale!
With an extremely high level of concentration and attention to detail, it was amazing to see humans and machines working side by side.
There was a suggestion and comments box. I think it was mostly for children, but I left a cheeky message asking them to start to make Bongo’s again. We’ll have to wait and see!
Taking A Tour Of A Car Factory Beat My Expectations
I really enjoyed the tour. I’m not a petrol head and I don’t have a particular fondness for cars. However, I do love learning, and the museum covered so much more than just a Mazda motor.
It was fascinating to see the timelines. Starting with the intriguing history dating back to 1920, moving through to present day, then on to future considerations of how to move with the needs of the people and the planet.
Seeing the detail that goes into the design was very impressive. The meticulous process of making the paint particularly captivated me – I now can’t help but point out the Mazda red when I see it!
I loved learning about their brand strategy too. It’s something I find interesting and I’ve delivered training on the topic. It was compelling to delve into it and see how it impacts decisions and deliverables and runs through everything at Mazda.
Watching an assembly line in action felt like I was on one of those TV programmes where they go behind the scenes. Seeing where our van was originally built was a definite highlight for me!
Before you disregard the idea of taking a tour of a car factory, and think that it’s not for you, I’d say give it a go if you get the opportunity. You might just be surprised!
Want To Try It Yourself?
- To go to the Mazda museum and factory like we did, you’ll need to visit Hiroshima in Japan.
- You must book a tour in advance but it’s very easy to do.
- They run the tours twice a day, and the afternoon one is now usually in English.
- Mazda have a great website which gives a lot of insight into the museum and tour, so if you aren’t planning a trip to Japan any time soon, it’s worth a look.
- If you have a fondness for a particular car manufacturer, why not have a look to see if they do tours to fuel your motor mania.
- To visit an actual production line or car factory I was surprised to discover that there were more opportunities than I had realised. A quick look online and I found lots of different manufacturers offering opportunities to visit.
Cost Of Experience
Our Mazda Museul tour was free!
Depending on which factory you visit there may be a cost.
Recommendations
- The Mazda Online Museum is worth a look, it won’t show you the assembly plant, but you can find there’s so much more to the company than motors and engines.
- Even if you aren’t hugely into cars like me, I found the tour to be brilliant! It was great to see how proud they are of their heritage, to see the development of designs and learn how they are adapting for the future. So a recommendation is definitely to be open to the idea.
- Don’t forget to take some pictures if you’re allowed to!