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I toured the Subaru Yajima factory in the city of Ota, in Gunma Prefecture. This plant makes Legacy, Impreza and Forester. I’ve owned three Legacies that were built here, so it was a very interesting visit. Taking a train from Tokyo, you see a lot of this.


Must be getting closer. I also saw a small Subaru junkyard with an SVX and some mini cars.


From the Ota train station, get one of the many waiting cabs.


At the factory they have a shiny new visitor center.


The English-speaking guide greeted us and we went in to watch a hilariously narrated video. It was dubbed in English that wasn’t 100% correct, but totally understandable. The video has a cartoon Subaru 360 character, which for some reason talks like the Shmenges ( http://youtube.com/watch?v=NmTiGS8YGjw& ... ed&search= http://youtube.com/watch?v=l0ZGFmybO-Y& ... ed&search= ).
“And now the car takes an air bath before going into the paint shop.”
“Before the Subaru 360, cars were too expensive for the people.”
It took some effort not to laugh, as the video went through each area of operations.
There was also some stuff about FHI working on the Boeing 777 and a Japanese space shuttle.

After that we met a factory manager who gave us a short ride to the factory building in a new Traviq like this:


Cameras weren’t allowed in the actual factory, but trust me it was impressive.
We entered a catwalk in the huge factory where the coils of sheet steel are unloaded. Then they go into tugboat sized stamping/pressing machines to be shaped into body panels. A lot of it was automated, such as the robot transporters to move completed panels.

The panels are spot welded together by robots, with Impreza, Forester and Legacy being constructed simultaneously on the same line. I saw a Forester roof being welded on. There are over 1000 “lobots” in the plant, according to our guide. It was very noisy, so it was difficult to hear our guide, even with radio earpieces. And she had a pretty thick accent, but earnestly tried very hard.

The paint shop can’t be visited due to bringing dust in. I’m sure they could prevent that, but not including it made the tour more streamlined.
Engines and transmissions are assembled and tested in another plant. They’re joined by hand before going into the cars.

The wheels come down a line, all different styles all mixed up. They end up arriving at the right car because each car has a tracking device taped on the roof, synchronizing parts to meet it.

They make about one car per minute. After a car is complete, a worker drives it (fast!) onto some dyno rollers. A panel rises up behind it to collect exhaust, the rollers rise to meet the wheels, and the driver plugs a hanging cable in. Engine info is displayed on a monitor. I watched a new Legacy B4 as the worker gunned it and went up past 100mph. There are multiple stations like this in two lines, none of the cars are strapped down, just little side rollers to correct sideways motion. After the test another worker checks the underside. There is another dynamic course test I didn’t get to see, to check handling and noise. I want that job!

Then we went back to the visitor center and I got my camera. In the lobby there was a B4 drive train.


Big H6 on the wall. There was also a wing from a FHI aircraft and a robot Subaru built to clean the floor. It uses the elevator too.


Timeline


360 in the historical showroom


The other side of the showroom, where they had a Brat with Colorado plates.


BF with bumpy corner lights


B9 Scrambler and R1e concepts


this is a replica


here’s what was on the windshield, a visit from Chris Atkinson


Hulman Trophy Forester. It averaged 180.082 km/h for 24 hours, beating a Chevy pick up’s 165.5 km/h record.



The Legacy that set a speed record for 2 liter turbo production cars at 270.532 km/h. World’s fastest wagon.


There was a display about how much solar power the plant uses, about 2.0 kW that day.
There were also displays about recycling and environmentally friendly stuff.

Here’s half a bugeye WRX to show use of space.


To the last room, with the pioneering axle design and a 1000 Sports Sedan among others.


A post-war rabbit scooter made from surplus aircraft parts


full size 360 “clay” model


I want clear belt covers


I-4 and ECVT


H6


Outside there’s an FHI T1 trainer and friends


Similar to one of Dave’s pictures some of you might remember from his visit thread.


The employee lot looks like a used Subie dealer. Apparently almost everyone drives one. My guide had an XT with an H6, which seems old for Japan.


Legacy B4 stretch limo I spotted at a dealership on the cab ride back, this is my only pic though.


If you want to visit, you must make arrangements in advance. Specify if you want an English-speaking guide. I don’t think you can just show up and expect a tour.

I have more pics of individual stuff in the showroom. I also took a lot of other pictures, including cars on the streets and SuperAutobacs. I’ll put some pics of a Subie showroom in Tokyo here later.

Here's the gallery for all the above pics if the hot links break.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/awd_addict ... 942049928/

very nice information. I like the yellow concept car, the clear belt covers, and that must have been awesome.

Now I hope to fly over there. I want to see the plant. Looks like a very good experience.

Very cool. I don't know if the museum was closed or even available when I was there, or I'd have taken pics.

That B4 stretch is wacky.

It's a heck of an experience, glad you got to go and that you took so many pictures.

My God.

My girlfriend was on her way over, but I just called and told her not to bother. No point.



Okay, not really....

... she's actually not coming over

You're a lucky man Mr. Addict. You've seen some Subarus that none of us will ever see.

Thanks for posting the awesome pics

You're welcome. Glad you guys like it.

The museum looked very new, I think it has only been open for a couple years.

I added some pics from the tiny showroom and a little JDM Subaru meltdown of random cars cruising around.



Also some other makes



More here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/awd_addict ... 942049928/

Looked through your albums, great pictures. Were there more or less Subarus on the road over there than you expected?

That's pretty cool!

i am sooo sooo sooo jealous. screw it im moving to japan . who's coming with me?

n2x4 wrote:Looked through your albums, great pictures. Were there more or less Subarus on the road over there than you expected?

Thanks.

There were quite a few Subarus, at least as high a percentage as there are here in the NW. There were more out in the country, where it's mountainous and it snows. In Ota there were a lot, for obvious reasons.

I'd consider moving to Japan if I spoke Japanese. Everything works, people aren't loud and obnoxious as much, workers seem friendly and happier, and it's clean even though there are hardly any trash cans.
When I got back to a US airport, the security checkpoint was twice as noisy, had twice as many guards, and three times the wait as Japanese security did. That sort of summed up the trip.

Nice!

I'd also consider moving to Japan for exactly the reasons you stated. I wouldn't live in Nagasaki or Hiroshima though. Japan seems like a civilized society. I'm not too sure about the US anymore. There's a lot of stained Nascar cap and shirt dudes around anymore.

thehookeup wrote:i am sooo sooo sooo jealous. screw it im moving to japan . who's coming with me?

I'm with you dude!!!!!! LEts go!!!! I'll live in the capsule hotel for about 3x the price of my current rent, but thats cool!!!!!!!


I went through this thread like 3 times..... THANK YOU for putting this together!!!!!!!!!

Hey if you guys are going. I might as well Hey do they talk english there?? or did u have a translator or something???!!!!

we'll worry about it when we get there...

NuclearBacon wrote:we'll worry about it when we get there...

Found a Japanese translator for my phone. I think were good.

All the cars are so clean there. Makes us look like a buncha lazy slobs.

Most people seemed to know enough English to do their jobs. Some random folks knew more, especially in Tokyo. The farther from tourist locations or big cities, the fewer the English speakers.

If you want to know who speaks English, look at a map as if you are lost. Someone will probably ask you where you want to go, and give you directions. This happened to me a few times.

If you plan in advance and bring a good phrasebook, you'll probably be fine.

Meh, you can learn the language over time. All you have to do is point to your stomach when you're hungry, point to your head when you have a headache and point to your .... nevermind.

I've been to Japan twice.

Nagasaki actually is a pretty nice city.

It's a great place to visit. There are some things that would take some used to living there. Sorting your trash for recycling....and I mean everything. If you get it wrong....your neighbors yell at you. Most homes do not have clothes dryers. Space....even a small apartment in the states would be a big one over there.

However I think if I knew the language, some of the small issues I could get over. I love the culture and the attitudes of pretty everyone I met. They were very friendly and genuine.

The language is NOT easy to learn. Even if you can speak it, learning the kanji is something that could take years upon years. The buddy I went to see over there has lived over there most of his life, and while he knows enough Japanese to live and work, he still gets caught on some the more complicated kanji.

My name for example, Joshua. The kanji is used phonetically. There's a symbol for JO, and another for SHU. So my name pronounced in Japanese is Joshu.

In Tokyo, you'll find more people that speak English. As you venture away from the normal tourist places, it becomes less probable. Plus you have the culture to overcome. Japanese are perfectionists, so rather then trying to speak english and make a mistake, they won't speak at all.

However you'll find someone that will surprise you every now and then. We were walking down one of the streets, and this elderly guy was loading a coke machine, and he stopped us and was talking with us. He had lived in New York City for a while, and spoke really good English. For them, that may be one of the few times they actually get to use their English. So it's pretty neat when something like that happens.

Anywho.....those are my thoughts.

That had to be soooooo bad ass to visit the plant over there. Something I'll likely never get the chance to do, but very neat to see the pics.
Thanks for sharing!!!!

i am trying to figure out what exactly your intention was with this picture lol

http://www.flickr.com/photos/awd_addict ... 942049928/

I think he was capturing a shot of the guy hiking up his jeans in the left of the picture. The Leggy wagon just happens to be pictured also...

I think we were comparing butt's there XD

I like this one...

*ahem*

http://www.flickr.com/photos/awd_addict ... 942049928/

*whistles like im looking at the car....*