Nissan Engine Museum, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture

Here’s another close up look at one of our 15 Must See Car Museums, this time we make the trip to Yokohama to see Nissan’s rather unique “Guest Hall” which houses the company’s engine collection.

We weren’t originally going to see any car orientated sights while in Yokohama but seeing as Nissan’s Engine Museum was only two stops away from JR Yokohama station on the JR line heading towards Tokyo we thought we’d give it a shot. After arriving in Yokohama for the first time and having never tried to navigate JR Yokohama station before it was a little daunting but eventually we were on our way to Shin Koyasu station and within 5 minutes we were there, ready to tackle the wet, cold and rainy weather. Once we left Shin Koyasu station it was about a 15 minute walk south along a street which took us over to a couple of man-made islands jam packed with industrial buildings of which the largest in the immediate area was Nissan Motor Co. Yokohama Plant. In other words, you can’t miss it!

The actual Engine Museum on the other hand, or the “Guest Hall” as Nissan have named it, is probably the tiniest of the buildings around the Yokohama plant (not surprisingly) and also the oldest. That’s not to say it’s hard to find because once you’re on the right street, there’s no mistaking the unique architecture of Nissan’s original headquarters building. That’s right, Nissan’s HQ was right here in Yokohama from 1934 to 1968, until it was moved to Ginza in Tokyo and subsequently moved back again to Yokohama just this year. Upon arriving at the Guest Hall we were met by a very friendly security guard who waved us through to the Guest Hall entrance with a “ひどい天気ですね!” (it’s awful weather isn’t it?) comment. Indeed it was awful, with about 10 degrees Celcius and lightly raining we couldn’t wait to get inside.

In the entrance we were greeted by another friendly staff member, and older man who quickly got us to sign in and handed us some questionnaires to fill out after we’d looked around. Immediately to our left as we walked in was a R35 Nissan GT-R which we could sit in and basically do anything so long as it didn’t involve turning the ignition on. It was a little strange seeing a very well worn R35 driver’s seat and quite dirty floor mats inside… I couldn’t imagine any owner allowing their car to get treated like this one had been! The rest of the exhibits in the entrance were basically and introduction to Nissan and the various techniques used to produce cars. There was also a Z34 Fairlady Z and a Nissan Cima cut-away exhibit showing the various technologies built into it. It didn’t occur to me at the time but the inside of the Guest Hall has been very well kept in a renovated state similar to what the building looked like in its  pre-1968 condition.

The main hall with the engine collection was right in front of us on the first floor and includes just about every engine worth mentioning from Nissan’s past and present. Undoubtedly the jewel in the crown would have to be the GRX-II V12 engine found in the R382 race car with its flowing exhaust manifolds and pipes extending back above the gearbox. This was one of a few engines to feature cut-away sections showing the insides of the heads and block and even the sump in some cases. Each engine is accompanied by a information plaque in Japanese and English.

While engines took up most of the space in the main hall, there were also two vintage cars, the Datsun Model 15 Roadster and the Datsun Truck Model 220 taking center stage. These along with the R35 GT-R, the Z34 Fairlady Z and the Cima were the only cars included in the museum. Also in the main hall were exhibits featuring Nissan’s 10 Best Engines awards for the VQ series, a look at the history of the humble piston and a timeline covering all of Nissan’s engines throughout its history. I could’ve spent the best part of an hour in the main hall reading up on the wealth of information written on each plaque but as time was running out we had to move on after 30 minutes or so.

After viewing the main hall, guests are directed upstairs to the the remaining rooms including one which explains the process of machining and assembling engines in the engine plant across the street as well as a large model room with small scale models of practically every car Nissan has ever produced. Ignoring the conference rooms to the right once getting to the top of the staircase, we head to the engine plant room. There are two CR14DE engines on display featuring Xtronic CVT transmissions which kind of set the theme for this room, the ecology. In the middle of the room are a collection of large boards explaining the environmental protection activities of the Yokohama plant and its efforts to reduce C02 emissions. I felt that without actually pushing Nissan’s environmental stance into visitors faces, this was about as obvious as you could get without the company being overly enthusiastic about its obligations. That’s not a bad thing at all, it’s just with all the polluting glory present downstairs in the main hall, it’s somewhat of a quick reality check to come upstairs and see where Nissan is heading.

Across the hallway there’s the final exhibit, the model car room. As mentioned it showcases just about every car Nissan has ever made in 1:43 scale (or thereabouts) in varying levels of detail. I couldn’t help but chuckle a little when I was checking out an incredibly detailed model of a 1970s Nissan Cedric when I look next to it to see what looked like a 200 yen pull back plastic model of a another more recent Cedric. I guess when you set out to display every model in the company’s history, sometimes you just have to take whatever example of a scale model comes your way… There were a couple more cabinets displaying models like the Fairlady Z and the Datsun Model 15, each with period memorabilia on show. It’s upstairs where you realize how old the building actually is, also that there’s enough of the original interior remaining to make you feel like you could actually be there in the late 1930s among hordes of Nissan employees busily going about their work. The pre-war architecture and ambience definitely give the Nissan Engine Museum a unique quality.

As it was almost closing time we quickly filled out out questionnaires and handed them in. To my surprise the lady behind the desk places two Tomica R35 GT-R die cast cars on the counter for us to take home as a memento of the visit! OK, these can be had from practically anywhere for a few hundred yen but it was the thought that counted. As I turned around to leave the lady asked in English how it was that we knew about the Guest Hall. From 7Tune.com of course!

If you’re in Tokyo or Yokohama and have an afternoon to spare it’s well worth visiting the Nissan Engine Museum. While it’s not the biggest or most exciting (or conveniently located) museum, Nissan have done a wonderful job presenting their engines to the public in a pre-war building that oozes atmosphere. Entry is free and the Guest Hall is open from 10AM to 4PM Monday to Saturday (closed on public holidays).

Words/Images: Justin Karow

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