After the morning at the Peace Park and the castle, we needed something lighter. My pick: the Mazda Museum, at Mazda’s headquarters, two stops from Hiroshima on the JR.
Ramen First
Lunch near Mukainada Station was ramen, one spicy and one with a clear broth, then an iced coffee to survive the walk.
The Museum
Mazda is a Hiroshima company, founded here in 1920, and the museum is inside its headquarters. It’s free, but you have to book a slot in advance. The lobby has the current cars, which you can sit in.
From Trucks to Rotaries
It starts with Mazda’s first vehicles: three-wheeled trucks from the 1930s. Then the R360 Coupe from 1960, Mazda’s first car, tiny and cute. Then the Cosmo Sport, the first car with Mazda’s rotary engine, which became their signature.
The 787B
The star of the motorsport room is the 787B, the orange-and-green rotary race car that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991. It was the first Japanese car to win it, and the only rotary ever. You can almost hear it.
Design
The last part is about design: sketches, clay models, a whole wall of red paint samples for their Soul Red colour, and concept cars.
Onigiri for the Evening
Back in town, we picked up onigiri from a specialist shop and something to eat in the hotel, and called it a night. Plus a cup noodle at 9pm.
Tomorrow we leave Honshu: the Shinkansen to Hakata, and a day trip to Kokura and the TOTO Museum.
Information About the Mazda Museum
Inside Mazda's headquarters, a short walk from JR Mukainada Station, two stops from Hiroshima. Free, but you have to book a slot online in advance.
PS: Book early. The English slots fill up, and they don't take walk-ins.