The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association ("JAMA," Chairman: Satoshi Aoki) will hold the 41st Tokyo Motor Show 2009 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba City for 13 days from October 23rd (Friday) through November 4th (Wednesday) this year. The show will be open to the public from October 24th (Saturday), with two press days, October 21st (Wednesday) and 22nd (Thursday). On the Special Guest Day on October 23rd (Friday), the Opening Ceremony and Show Tour by His Imperial Highness Prince Tomohito of Mikasa will be held.
Exhibitors lined up at this point include 2 governments, 2 organizations, and 108 companies from 10 countries and 1 region. The total exhibition area amounts to 21,259 m2 spread across the West Hall, Center Hall, and East Hall of the Makuhari Messe (54,000 m2).
The theme of this year's show is "Fun Driving for Us, Eco Driving for Earth," expressing the idea of balancing enjoyment and the environment. Along with providing information on cutting-edge technology and products to the world at large, the show seeks through various special programs to create as many new automobile and motorcycle enthusiasts as possible.
This show will feature 39 world premieres (20 passenger cars, 16 motorcycles and 3 carrozzerias) and 21 Japan premieres (7 passenger cars, 12 motorcycles and 2 carrozzerias).
This program will allow visitors to experience for themselves the latest models including next-generation vehicles (some models will be for test-ride only). The course will run on an approximately 3 km stretch of public roads around the venue. Participation will be on a first-come first-served basis, with ticket distribution beginning when doors open for the day. Six companies, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru are scheduled to participate in this program and will provide 29 vehicles in total. The program will take place on the first 10 days of the show including press days (Wednesday, October 21 to Friday, October 30). A total of approximately 2,100 participants (not including press days) is projected.
The show will feature a test ride program for the latest motorcycle models. A special outdoor course, totaling 600m of both flat and slalom runs, will be set up outside the south side of the West Hall (within Makuhari Messe grounds). Participation will be on a first come basis first-served with tickets distributed on the same day. Six companies, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Adiva, Harley-Davidson and Kymco, are scheduled to participate in this program and will provide approximately 26 motorcycles in total. Test rides will be offered on the last five days of the show (Saturday, October 31 to Wednesday, November 4). A total of approximately 1,300 participants is projected.
Also, a test ride program for Yamaha electricity-assisted bicycles will be held concurrently in the area adjacent to the motorcycle course. Sign-up for participation will begin at 10:00 at the test ride area
To celebrate its 30th anniversary, the Car of the Year Japan Executive Committee will hold a special exhibit featuring winners for years 1 through 29, as well as the candidate vehicles for this year. The approximately 40 vehicles on display will provide a glimpse into the industry's past and current highlights. The 2009-2010 Car of the Year grand prize will be announced on the first Press Day (October 21) and the award ceremony will take place on the second Press Day (October 22). This is the first exhibition and awards ceremony to be held at the Tokyo Motor Show.
Members of the Automobile Journalists Association of Japan (AJAJ) will conduct tours of the motor show for selected participants, providing them with insights on the vehicles and an opportunity to see the show from a journalist's perspective and to talk with guiding journalists. Participants (450 spaces available) will be chosen by lottery from among those registering on the official website of the Tokyo Motor Show. Applications are being accepted from Friday, September 4 through Wednesday, September 30.
TOKYO FM will be setting up a satellite studio. In addition to live broadcasts from the venue, there will be a special stage for artist performances and other entertainment events.
Car and motorcycle fans around the country have been invited to submit photographs of their most "memorable vehicles" together with a comment about the memories associated with the vehicle for display at the show. This exhibit will communicate the dreams, fun and splendor of cars and motorcycles. The announcement is now on the official website of the Tokyo Motor Show for how to apply. Submissions are being accepted from Monday, August 10 through Friday, October 9, until 300 photos are received.
A Symposium, designed to be open to general visitors, will be held on a number of themes pertaining to automobiles. Six themes are scheduled for this year's symposium.
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. will be sponsoring a test drive corner featuring the latest version of racing game "Gran Turismo" for Playstation.
Tomy Co., Ltd. has sponsored miniature car exhibits since the 35th show in 2001. For the customary Tokyo Motor Show Commemorative Models, along with the Tomica line of toys, this year's exhibit will also feature the Choro-Q line, now in its 30th year of production
The 11th Children's Art Exhibit will be on the theme of "Dream Cars: Our Futures," and will show approximately 3,600 works of art from kindergarten children living in Chiba City.
The Confederation of Japan Automobile Workers' Unions (JAW) will provide a hands-on corner to have children, who are our next generation, experience the dreams, fun and splendor of the automobile through activities such as paper craft car making, motor-powered car modeling and car painting. There will also be an exhibit of paintings on the theme of cars of the future.
Organizer information on the 41st Tokyo Motor Show 2009 is available from the official website and a newly created official mobile site. These are where to go for the latest news.
Official website: http://www.tokyo-motorshow.com
Official mobile site: http://m.tokyo-motorshow.com (Japanese only)
In previous years, admission has been free for elementary school children and below. Free admission has been expanded this year to junior high school students and below to enhance accessibility of the show for youth and families.
This year will again feature a "Special Viewing Day for Wheelchair Users" on the second Press Day (Thursday, October 22) from 13:00 to 18:00. Admission will be free for the wheelchair user and up to 2 accompanying persons. Applications were accepted on the Tokyo Motor Show's official website from Monday, August 3 through Wednesday, September 15. For this year's show, applications were received for 239 users and 355 accompanying persons (The number of applicants from 2007 Show: 323 users, 507 accompanying persons). Members of the press are requested to show consideration for the visitors.
This year will retain special viewings for elementary and junior high school children as an extracurricular activity. In previous years, the program was open to elementary and junior high schools located in Chiba prefecture, but this year has been expanded to schools located in Koto-ku and Edogawa-ku of Tokyo. 3,7942 students from 34 schools applied this year's Show, a dramatic increase from the 2007 Show (2,690 students from 29 schools).
Messe Travel Service, a unit of Makuhari Messe, was again designated our official travel agency, and will provide general travel services for domestic and foreign press and visitors. Hotel booking services started for the press on Monday, July 27 and for the general public on Saturday, August 1 on the Tokyo Motor Show official website.
Advance tickets will be available beginning Wednesday, September 30. Major sales agents include JR East, travel agencies, convenience stores and play guides.
The show will continue to make tickets available for purchase over the Internet from e-tix anywhere in the world. The e-tix service allows visitors to pay for their tickets by credit card online and print them out on their home or office printer. Service began on Saturday, August 1 on the Tokyo Motor Show official website. Visitors are also able to purchase tickets with their mobile phones and use their mobile phones for admission.
The Newsmarket (USA) web-based video distribution service will be used to provide press with broadcast-quality video footage of the Organizer's official recordings of press briefings, World Premieres and so forth.
For the first time, this year's Press Information and List of Exhibits are provided in digital format on USB memory drives
Attachment: Number of Exhibits
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