Head out early because it's a long haul out to Toyota City so no time for breakfast. Buy another ECO pass for the subway. Need to take the subway then JR express then change to another line then walk for 15 min to Toyota Factory Tour start point. Rush to train and get there early. Sandwiches on platform for brekkie.

Arrive at Keikan Hall and met by guide who will be taking English tour . She explains that we have 30 minutes to wander the exhibits before we go to the factory. One hall of new models including a Prius wagon kinda thing. I want one now. Toyota Australia sell such shit cars. We need all the crazy stuff they sell here. Same goes for Honda, Mazda and Nissan actually.

One exhibit on how Toyota is environmentally friendly. The screen reads - 'We commit ourselves to contribute continually to sustainable develpoment that is in harmony with both society and the global environment'. Underneath is how employees achieve this - 'work energetically'. Not sure how that's really gunna help the environment but who are we to question the mighty Toyota?

Watched the trumpeting robot again before we had to go out to the bus.

English tour has own bus and only seven of us although some of the seven are Japanese. Practicing English maybe?? Japanese bus is full .

The welding line is amazing. The robots welding in sync are great. Like they are dancing.

After welding line go to assembly line.    When we walked in the music playing was 'Incy Wincy Spider', then it changed to 'Mary had a little lamb' then 'Fur Ellise'. This is to make workers work more energetically maybe? Or drive them mad more likely.

Four different cars made at this factory – two Crown models, the Mark X and Estima (Tarago). They make all at the same time so could be four different cars behnd each other, or two of the same but one with a sunroof.  

Our guide was so cute. Script must have been in Japanese and she was translating on the go but obviously some of the words just couldn't be translated properly. She'd hang, or start and stop, and then she'd just leave it out and move on.

Was over too quickly . Could have watched the welding robots for ages.

When we got back we had time to watch another performance of the robot trumpeter and then a demo of the single seater spider future car thing that Al had sat in at the other Toyota museum we'd been at the day before. Was very cool but everything is so choreographed. Must be so boring for all of the staff/performers at everywhere we've been.

Train ride seemed longer going back into Nagoya.  

Al had read about a gay bar somewhere in Nagoya and so off we went to search for it in case we decided we'd come visit it in the evening. We walked, and walked, and walked, did a bit more more walking and.... ended up miles away and gave up. No way in hell I was backtracking in the hope we'd maybe see a doorway with a microscopic rainbow flag discreetly placed one inch from the ground (maybe).

Very relieved to get back down into the cool of the subway and headed back to the hotel.

Had dinner at an American diner (kind of) that sells 50 odd kinds of beers. They had an offer of 100 minutes of all you can drink Kirin for JPY1800 so we went to work. Also forced down a great burger each. Watched a very drunk American guy making the moves on a ranga guy who had an English accent but who we eventually found out was a Canadian. Hilarious.

A great night and after a not hugely impressive start, Nagoya was a pretty good stop.