Give me a pink brick warehouse filled with previous bangers over a flashy new exhibition corridor any day of the week.
This could be straightforward sufficient for these residing within the Western world, however right here in Japan, discovering something product of brick isn’t straightforward. Discovering a pink brick warehouse filled with historic automobiles? Let’s simply say, there aren’t many locations just like the Glion Museum.
The Glion assortment in Osaka is spectacular, and never simply due to the implausible constructing it’s housed in. Right here, you’ll discover an enormous assortment of pre- and post-war vehicles from throughout the globe.
I’m in no way an authority on historic automobiles, however I’m certain every one within the assortment is vital ultimately. For those who do spot something uncommon or fascinating, please go away a remark.
There are, after all, different historic warehouses peppered throughout Japan, largely within the Southern port cities. Essentially the most well-known is the Crimson Brick Warehouse in Yokohama, which has two buildings measuring round 5,000 and 10,000 sq. meters. That warehouse’s spacious inside homes specialty outlets, galleries and exhibition areas. It additionally hosts the annual Thrilling Porsche occasion and different basic automobile occasions in its piazza.
The Glion Museum is positioned contained in the Chikko Crimson Brick Warehouse, the place it occupies half of the house. Within the different half you’ll discover a restaurant, steak home and marriage ceremony venue. Not a nasty place to tie the knot.
Development of the Chikko Crimson Brick Warehouse was accomplished in 1923, as a part of the Osaka Port growth. It was constructed by Sumitomo Zaibutsu, certainly one of many personal building firms contracted by a financially unstable Osaka Metropolis in return for port utilization privileges. Japan was recovering from the Sino-Japanese struggle on the time, after which booming after the First World Warfare, and these personal firms performed an integral half in boosting the nation’s financial energy.
Possession handed from Sumitomo Zaibutsu to Osaka Metropolis in 1999, and the Glion Museum opened in 2015. After sitting vacant for a few years, the warehouse had very practically been dismantled, however the determination was made to fortify it in opposition to seismic exercise and permit the general public to take pleasure in it. Some large cat with a fountain pen made a wonderful determination that day.
A part of the gathering was donated from the property of a Kimio Doi, an area enterprise tycoon. Doi was an entrepreneur who pioneered advertising and marketing and gross sales distribution strategies in electronics, explicit cameras. Actually, on the time of his passing in 1990, Doi-san’s chain of digital camera shops was the third largest in Japan after Yodobashi and Bic Digicam. He by no means smoked, by no means gambled or drank; as a substitute Doi spent his fortune on historic vehicles and Alphonse Mucha artworks.
As for Glion, they’re a luxurious automobile supplier (Glion Showroom) and restaurant company, so I assume the museum is as a lot a promotional instrument as it’s about historic preservation.
Regardless of the motivation is for protecting the museum working, the takeaway right here is that we will sleep properly understanding that these automobiles are secure and sound occupying some prime Japanese actual property.
Toby Thyer
Instagram _tobinsta_
tobythyer.co.uk
Gallery
