On any trip to Tokyo, there are plenty of spots for the Nippon-phile to hit. For those of us who are Japanese car fans, the MegaWeb Toyota City Showcase has to be on our list. Crawl all over about just every vehicle Toyota has made in recent years, and then top it off with a test drive around the showcase!
On the first floor as you enter, there are two major displays. The first is a grouping of international models, including lots of trucks from Down Under Straya Way, followed by a lot of cutting edge conceptual designs and innovations.
Down below, the majority of the first floor is devoted to an actual “show room.” On the first floor, it’s possible to open up and explore nearly every current Japanese model from Toyota. For quite a few models, you will even find different trim levels of the same model for door to door comparison.
Another interesting portion of the “show room” part of the showcase is the modified Toyota vehicles for persons with disabilities. From tiny super minis up through vans, Toyota demonstrates how any of its vehicles can be adapted for those with mobility impairments.
By far, though, my favorite part of MegaWeb is that no matter your age, you can drive around a track. If you’re a child, well, there are tracks just for you. The smallest children get a guided drive around some cones for a lovely series of figure eights, and the older kids get to take the track with some serious looking pod racers.
And for those of us who are big kids, have our licenses, and a few hundred yen to pay, we get drive on a track that goes all the way around the entire MegaWeb center. I drove a Toyota BRZ, and had full permission to thrash it. Which I did. It was fun stuff.
And yes, of course there is a Toyota Racing Development section, it’s adjacent to the showcase’s little cafe. Talk about your convenient cars and coffee, am I right?
So, if you’re going to make a trip out to Japan, and heading to or through Tokyo (as most people do), you would be a fool to miss out on the MegaWeb Toyota City Showcase. Show up, lay down some yen, and drive some Toyotas. Fair winds and following... uh... roads!