Go to Porsche Japan

A few days ago, for one reason or another.I had the opportunity to visit the headquarters of Porsche Japan.Since I live in the Kansai region, I jumped on the Shinkansen early that morning to Shinagawa to coincide with my trip to Tokyo.

I decided to visit Porsche Japan, so I brought a Porsche-designed bag, a Porsche computer case, and all sorts of Porsche things!(You have to look hard to see the "W").

The headquarters of Porsche Japan is located in Toranomon Hills, Minato-ku, Tokyo. In fact, this was my first visit to Toranomon.It's called Hills, so it must be a skyscraper.I was surprised when I arrived at the site and went inside, imagining that I was in the right place.

It's so stylish...

The atmosphere is similar to that of Grand Front Osaka, but that building is mainly commercial facilities. There is no office building in Osaka with such a sophisticated atmosphere. Tokyo is indeed the place to be.

After a quick check-in, I went through the entrance gate to the 29th floor where Porsche Japan's headquarters is located. I boarded the elevator and pushed the button for the 29th floor, but in the few dozen seconds it took to arrive, my nerves were at their maximum. My heart was about to jump out of my mouth when we arrived.(I have stage fright...)

Finally, we go to the office...

The moment I fidgeted and got off the elevator, I looked sideways from the elevator hall.PORSCHE Crest.The entrance to the building, which was marked by a

Here it is...!

With its simple white-based design, the atmosphere was somewhat similar to that of the Porsche Museum in Germany.

If this is the case, I wish I had worn a more formal suit..."With a little regret, I decided to go to the reception desk and sit and wait here.

However, as I looked around, I saw many Porsche goods on display in showcases that I had never seen at my neighborhood Porsche Center, so I thought, "It would be a waste to sit and wait," and decided to wait while I looked at them.

I want them all!

I looked up and saw the famous words of Ferdinand Porsche, the founder of Porsche, displayed along with a photograph.

I looked for my ideal car, but I couldn't find it anywhere. So I decided to build it myself.(Ferdinand Porsche, Ph.D., Engineering)
In the beginning I looked around and could not find quite the car I dreamed of.

As I gazed at the scene in a daze, I heard a voice from behind me saying, "Wow, that's great!Here you go, Mr. ●●!"A voice said.

When I turned around, I saw two beautiful women who looked like they could do a great job. They are Ms. Kaori Yamazaki, Executive Officer of Porsche Japan, and Mr. Alexander Kworth, a product manager from Germany.

Nervousness MAX (;)!

And immediately from Mr. YamazakiSince we're taking the opportunity, would you like me to show you around the office?"I received a wonderful suggestion that

"Oh, yes! By all means!"

I was given special permission to take pictures, so I hurriedly went around the office taking pictures with my iPhone. I wish I had brought my real SLR camera.

Atmosphere in the office

Stepping into the office, I saw a large painting of a Panamera on the left.

Cool...

I thought to myself, "I wish I could hang this painting in my house...but it's practically impossible to hang such a large painting in my room..." I looked to the right and found myself in a conference room.

And what a name for a conference room, "Panamera".

When I went to the Porsche Experience Center Los AngelesalsoThe conference room had names like "Macan" and "Boxster", but Porsche Japan is the same.I guess it's a good thing that I'm not the only one. This is the largest conference room, so it's called "Panamera. It is full of playful spirit. There was a picture of Cayenne in the back of the room.

There is also a café space called "Carrera Lounge" and

The vision of Porsche Japan and the mission of each department are displayed on a plate.

The space was luxurious and full of Porsche.

The mission of Porsche Japan was written on a large plate.

We are committed to providing joy that exceeds our customers' expectations.
With passion and innovation for the Porsche brand, we will continue to bravely rise to the challenge."

Come to think of it, I used toTest-drove the new Panamera.At the time, I felt this very "joy beyond expectation". Every time I drive a Porsche, every time I get to know it, I know that the reason I am moved every day is because of the efforts of the employees who work together as one on this mission.

Afterwards, we were joined by the employees who produced the Cinead "3.9sec Experience" for the new Cayenne, which was the talk of the town not too long ago, as well as those who are planning and in charge of the Porsche Truck Experience, and alsoI've seen this guy in the Porsche Carrera Cup race lounge a few times!"I was also greeted by a big man who said, "I am very happy to see you.

Everyone was so friendly and we enjoyed the conversation so much that we completely forgot to take pictures beyond that point (laughs).

Memorable Stories

Afterwards, Mr. Yamazaki, Alex, and I had a chat over tea, and I would like to share some of the things that impressed me.

(1) Important role of Porsche Japan

I had always vaguely thought that the company was fulfilling such a role, but I was surprised to hear that "the new models coming to Japan from Germany will not be released in Japan as requested by the German headquarters, but rather will be launched in Japan as they are.One of Porsche Japan's roles is to negotiate with the head office, taking into account the Japanese market environment and user needs, and to bring the product to Japan in a form that better suits Japanese users.I learned that "it is.

For example, the original Macan that initially came to Japan was equipped with "electric driver's seat only, manual passenger seat" as standard equipment.This would not be acceptable to Japanese users! After negotiating with the owner, an electric passenger seat was also installed.Such as...

One of Porsche Japan's important roles is to grasp the current situation of the Japanese market, which the German headquarters is unaware of, and to act as an intermediary in negotiations.

(2) Strengths of small manufacturers

Worldwide annual sales of 240,000 units(FY 2017)When I hear that, I think, "This is a huge company! But compared to other car makers, Porsche is a small company.(Mercedes-Benz sales in Japan are about 10 times that of Porsche.)But that's why.Employees are close to each other, the culture of family business is still there in a good way, and the employees' love for the company is very high.Yes.
Indeed, in the special program I saw the other day on the manufacturing plant for the new Cayenne and 911, I could see how "each and every employee takes pride in being a member of the Porsche manufacturing team. I hope that this kind of corporate culture will be carefully passed down from generation to generation.

(3) The newest adheres to the best and makes no compromises at all.

Take, for example, the new Cayenne, which went on sale in Japan in July of this year. Although the difference in appearance between the new Cayenne and the previous model does not seem to be that great...The content was developed almost from the ground up."That's right. Mr. Alex, whom we interviewed this time, was actually present at a meeting of Porsche engineers in Germany, and although he knew that "it is possible to make a Cayenne with adequate performance by extending the conventional method," the engineers did not dare to choose that path.We will develop the Cayenne from the ground up, even if it takes a long way to get there, and build the highest performance Cayenne without compromise."He chose the path.

The other day, my wife and I were alsoTest-drove the new Cayenne and was impressed.But I felt that this was all thanks to the engineers who developed the car without any compromise.

(4) Porsche is a sports car manufacturer.

I don't need to tell you that, but...I was surprised by Mr. Yamazaki's and Mr. Alex's answers to my questions.Porsche is a sports car manufacturer.This was the consistent axis of the project. When I spoke to someone who had actually visited the Porsche factory in Stuttgart, Germany, he saidI was surprised to see GT3s flowing into the line at the Porsche factory where they were assembling the stock 911s! The root of Porsche is still a sports car!"I thought that was exactly what he said.

(5) All Porsche Japan employees love Porsche, too.

If you don't like Porsche, you probably wouldn't join Porsche in the first place... but the love of Porsche runs so deep among the employees that they always have pictures of Porsches they found in their private time or pictures of their favorite angles, and they can't stop talking about it! Some of them can't stop talking about it (laugh).
The atmosphere in the office, the expressions on the faces of the employees, and the stories they tell.I could see firsthand how proud everyone was to be a part of Porsche.I guess the love for Porsche is the same for both customers and employees.

Lastly, a commemorative photo.

These are my impressions from this visit. Here is the last photo I took with Mr. Yamazaki and Alex.

My husband saw this picture.

The two guys from Porsche Japan are posing properly, but I look like a captured alien! LOL!"

They laughed so hard....

Indeed...the photo above is a full-body shot, but I was so nervous that the fingers of my hand were bent in a strange direction, and there are some horror elements in the photo, so I had to alter the photo so that they are not visible (-_-).

I've heard that Porsche Japan often visits this blog.I'm glad you write a blog full of Porsche love. Please keep sending out lots more!"I was very happy to hear that.

We Porsche fans wish toPorsche is and will always be Porsche."This is what I am talking about. While "driving pleasure" is being lost from various car manufacturers, I hope that Porsche, as a sports car manufacturer, will continue to produce cars that impress their fans.

This blog also has a "Porsche Owner's FileI hope that I can deliver the voice of real users on a daily basis through the "Porsche in the World" project and the dissemination of information that can be found by owning a Porsche, even if it is only in a very small way.

Thank you very much, Mr. Yamazaki and Mr. Alex.

*The photographs and content of this article are published with the special permission of Porsche Japan.