Toyota and DENSO Factory Tours

Today we had another early start in order to visit the Toyota and DENSO factories.  We first went to Toyota and took a tour through the assembling lines of the plant.  This area was very catered to visitors with a tour guide as well as audio and video stations to explain the sections that were not visible from our path.  The exciting part of this tour was at the end you could "challenge the champions".  This was a series of skill tests that was timed against plant workers via video recording to see who could accomplish the simple tasks most quickly.  The champions could not be beat!

We then headed to the Toyota Exhibition hall where there was a showroom of the newest Lexus and Toyota models and exploratory stations.  We even caught a live performance of a trumpet playing robot and the i-Unit (the future of mobility).  Check out the videos!

After a very yummy lunch, we transfered to the DENSO Gallery where we enjoyed interactive exhibits showcasing the past, present, and future of innovative design through the company.  From there we toured the Takatana Factory and the assembling line for electronic dashboards...everything was prepared by robots!

Remember to check out my pictures...although these are only from the Toyota Exhibition Hall because cameras are not allowed on out top-secret plant tours!

I arrived back at the apartment around 6pm and have been focusing on the Textile Futures paper (and will continue to for most of the night).  Tomorrow is a normal class day: Japanese and then Seminar, and then I will test out the train system with a trip back to Kyoto to visit Glen Kaufman.  Mr. Kaufman is a contact of Nancy's who is going to show my the Kawashima Textile School and more of the many wonders of beautiful Kyoto!