Motorcar Museum of Japan

The museum was built on November 2, 1978, when Shozo Maeda (1930-2005), CEO of Ishikuro Sangyo, a cement sales business based in Oyabe, Toyama, opened a museum using the company's former headquarter to showcase his personal collection of automobiles.[1][2] The museum relocated to its current location in Ishikawa Prefecture after the original building was demolished to make room for widening Route 8.[1] This move was done to widen potential visitors to not just car enthusiasts, but also to tourists visiting the nearby onsen.

Maeda expanded his family business from a young age, and was a highly successful entrepreneur of the Hokuriku Region, with his businesses expanding to construction and sales of propane gas. At the same time, Maeda, a car enthusiast himself, thought poorly of the notion of work cars such as trucks being discarded quickly, leading to Maeda keeping a collection of these vehicles. Maeda spent the latter years of his life on opening the MMJ and expanding its collections, and as a result he was inducted in to the Japan Automotive Hall of Fame in 2004,[3] alongside Shinroku Momose and Tatsuo Hasegawa.

The current main hall is three stories tall and made in brick, with the total floor area spanning 11,550m². The hall is divided by makes and types of the vehicles being displayed, and also has a museum restaurant and shop. There is also a section displaying toilets from across the world.[1] This was added when the building was relocated in 1995,[4] and it features usable toilets from a total of 15 countries from around the world on each floors,[5] with the number of toilets totalling 56 as of 2018.[1] These toilets have attracted the attention on social media, as they are posted on sites like Instagram alongside the 500 displayed vehicles.[6]

About 500 vehicles ranging from 1901 to the early Heisei-era are currently on display, as well as about 200 vehicles stored in the backyard. Most of these vehicles are in running condition.[5]

Below are some of the displayed vehicles at the museum:

• Toyota 2000GT
• Rolls-Royce Silver Spur - Originally owned by the British Embassy and was used to chauffeur Princess Diana on her visit to Japan
• 1938 Toyota ABR Phaeton
• Type 94 Truck - Last surviving example; converted from a 6-wheel to a 4-wheel in the Post-War era
• Kurogane Type 95 - The first mass-produced Four-wheel drive vehicle in Japan.
• 1930 JAC New Era - The predecessor to the Kurogane three-wheeled trucks
• Austin A135 - The displayed specimen was the official car of the Korean Ambassador to Japan
• Jiotto Caspita
• Toyopet Super RHK
• Autech Zagato Stelvio - A custom made car designed by Zagato based on the Nissan Leopard. Displayed alongside the Zagato Gabia.
• Prince Skyline Sports
• Soraemon-go
• Mercedes-Benz 300 SL
• Flying Feather
• Fuji Cabin

The museum also hosts Maeda's former private cars such as the Rover P5 and the Renault Safrane, which became Maeda's last car.

• Motor Museum of Japan（Official Website in Japanese）
• 日本自動車博物館 - Ishikuro Sangyo

36.3343°N 136.4305°E / 36.3343; 136.4305