"Communication Plaza" opens as a facility for sharing the past, present and future of Yamaha Motor

On July 1, the 43rd anniversary date of the founding of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (YMC), an opening ceremony is being held for the company's "Communication Plaza" facility recently constructed on the grounds of YMC's headquarters (on the west side of the R&D Center) in Iwata.

This Communication Plaza is conceived as a facility where employees of the domestic and overseas Yamaha Motor group can meet and discuss our corporate principles and vision along with the company's past, present and future. As a facility dedicated to the motivation of our employees and businesses, to networking and creation of new value, it seeks to be a place that will continue to grow and develop with the input of all Yamaha people.

The building's exterior is characterized by a cylindrical core symbolizing the Yamaha spirit of challenge, around which expand the company's many fields of business. Meanwhile, the structure with its 6,200 sq. m total floor space over three above-ground floors built around an atrium space is an energy-conserving, natural disaster safety-conscious design including such features as an earthquake energy-absorbing structure, Yamaha Gas Heat Pump air conditioning/heating system coupled with a design that makes use of natural energy in the form of sunlight for lighting and an efficient air circulation system.

The main facilities in the building are as follows.
On the 1st floor is the Product Display Space for the introduction of about100 different Yamaha products in an atrium area that allows the display of even our larger products. Also on this floor are the Presentation Room for the introduction of the company's wide-ranging businesses and history, the Plaza Shop and a Photo Corner.
Among the facilities on the 2nd floor are a History Space for representative motorcycles since the company's founding and a Special Exhibition Space for displays of the latest technologies from each of the company's Operations and a Plaza Library where data and information about the company can be accessed.

The 3rd floor is designed as a communication area for domestic and international visitors, with halls and meeting rooms equipped to handle international conferences, lectures and other events, reception rooms and the Plaza Cafe.

The products on display in the Communication Plaza includes about 30 historic models like the company's first motorcycle, "YA-1," the jointly developed,Yamaha-built "Toyota 2000GT" sports car and one of Yamaha's first boats, the"HIFLEX-11." As for contemporary products, there are approximately 100 on display, beginning with domestic and overseas model motorcycles and products from our Marine, Power Products, Automotive Engine, Gas Heat Pump, Industrial Machinery, PAS (electro-hybrid bicycle) and other Operations. Together with the historic displays, this brings the total number of products on display to about 130.

On July 4 and 5 the new facility will be open to the public (9:00~17:00), enabling people from the local communities, business partners and employee families to come and tour the product and technology exhibitions as well as special attractions like a movie about the company's history and an exhibition of photos from the time of the company's founding in 1955.
After this, the Plaza will be open regularly on company working days (closed Sat. and Sun.) from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Admission is free, but for the time being the Plaza will function only as an in-house facility while its functions and organization are being developed.
Visits by the general public will basically be limited to a pre-established schedule of regular public opening days, and public groups are asked to make reservations before visiting for tours and the like.

1st Floor: (Introducing the range of corporate businesses and globalization through product displays)
(1) Symbol Zone
- Symbolically displayed as Yamaha Motor's original products are the company's first motorcycle, "YA-1," an early compact FRP boat, the "HIFLEX-11," the first outboard motor, "P-7" and the jointly developed, Yamaha-built "Toyota 2000GT" sports car.

(2) Product Display Space
- About 100 domestic and overseas models of Yamaha products for the land, sea and sky introduce the full range of the company's operations and globalization.
- Yamaha powerboats, sailboats, Water Vehicles, outboard motors, etc., from
our Marine Operations are displayed in the atrium space.

(3) Presentation Room (approx. capacity: 80)
- A space for introducing corporate activities by means of audio/visual tools like video.

(4) Plaza Shop/Photo Corner
- Sales of original goods and a corner for taking commemorative photos

2nd Floor (Introducing historically famous models of the past and our latest technology)
(1) History Space
- A chronological display of about 30 representative models dating back to the company's founding and internationally famous racing machines

(2) Special Exhibition Space (comprehensive technology exhibition)
- This space is for special exhibitions by the different Operations and fields. At the time of the opening a comprehensive technology exhibition of the latest technology from each Operation will be on display.

(3) Plaza Library
- In this facility information and data about the displays and corporate facts are available in video and print form. It is also equipped with personal computers for accessing information.

(4) Craft Room/Yamaha Club
- The Craft Room is for the planning and preparation of special exhibitions, while the Yamaha Club room is for free use by retired company employees, Yamaha group employees, etc.

3rd Floor (communication space for visitors from around the world)
(1) Large & Small Halls
- These halls can be utilized in various ways, like for international conferences, seminars and events.
- The Large Hall is equipped for simultaneous interpretation and can hold up
to 400 people. The Small Hall holds about 100.

(2) Plaza Cafe (capacity: approx. 40)
- A cafeteria where drinks and light meals are served

(3) Meeting Rooms/Reception Rooms
- There are four rooms each for meetings and receptions.

Exterior (monument)
Outside the building stands a monument symbolizing the company's origins with expressions of "development toward the future" and "cumulative corporate strength." At the center of the monument are inscribed the four Chinese characters of an expression found in one of the notebooks of Genichi Kawakami, Yamaha Motor's founder and first president: "Ju An Si Wei, " meaning roughly "Ready for Anything."
Continual self-reform is the lesson for making our way through the changing
times and this has been taken as the spirit of this monument.