ENG TOKYO MOTOR SHOW BLOG

Hello. I am Yoshizawa from the Tokyo Motor Show Office.

The 40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007 will be a new comprehensive show with all passenger cars, commercial vehicles, motorcycles, commercial vehicle bodies, parts, and other related products exhibited in one place, using all the premises of the Makuhari Messe complex.
People have higher expectations for the coming 40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007, and it will be very likely for many people to flock to the show. What concerns visitors most may be transportation access to the show venue.

If you want to arrive at the motor show quickly and easily so you can enjoy it without having to worry about getting there, punctual public transportation, i.e. trains and buses, is a wise choice.

In this and following blog issues, we would like to report how public transportation serves the 40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007.

In this first report, we went to the Chiba Prefectural Bus Association and interviewed Mr. Kato, who has been handling bus services for the Tokyo Motor Show since the 28th show in 1989, when the Tokyo Motor Show was held at Makuhari Messe for the first time. Buses will play an important role connecting train stations and the exhibition site.

Hello, I am Kato and I work at the Chiba Prefectural Bus Association.
In 1989, the 28th Tokyo Motor Show was the first Tokyo Motor Show held at Makuhari Messe. We worked with the Chiba Prefectural Police Headquarters then to undertake several full-scale traffic control simulations, recognizing that the Tokyo Motor Show is one of the largest events in Japan.

Cars waiting to enter the parking lot lined up bumper to bumper with the end of the line still on the expressway. From the license plates, we could see that they were from all over Japan, from Hokkaido in the north to Kyushu in the south.

(1,924,200 people visited the 28th show)

At that time, the JR Keiyo Line had not yet extended form Tokyo Station to Kaihim Makuhari Station. We operated 100 shuttle buses between Makuhari Hongo Station on the JR Sobu Line and the Makuhari Messe exhibition site.
We worked hard to provide safe and convenient services for visitors.
Based on our experience and know-how over almost two decades, we will continue our efforts so that visitors can easily go to the Tokyo Motor Show.

During the sixteen days when the 40th Tokyo motor show 2007 is open, from Saturday, October 27 to Sunday, November 11, 2007, we are operating extra buses from Makuhari Hongo Station on the JR Sobu and Keisei Chiba Lines, and direct express buses from Yokohama Station (YCAT), to the exhibition site.

The extra buses leave Makuhari Hongo Station, which serves the JR Sobu and Keisei Chiba Lines, every 5 to 10 minutes for Makuhari Messe.
There will be plenty of buses, and you won't have to wait long. Also, as this is a bus service for the motor show, we are deploying the latest types of buses wherever possible. During the motor show, we will run articulated buses, which are two buses connected together, between Makuhari Hongo Station and Makuhari Messe.
In Japan, articulated buses are very rare, running on only a few routes, and many people photograph the buses.

(You may be able to ride an articulated bus!)

The shuttle bus services for the 40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007 site also have temporary tollbooths at the motor show site. Visitors can pay for the bus after getting off, avoiding crowding when getting on the bus. (For return buses, fares must be paid in advance.) In this way, getting on buses is quick and easy without buying tickets or other problems. Crowding is also eased when getting off buses. Traveling on buses is smooth and comfortable.

(Temporary tollbooths at the motor show site)

There is also an express shuttle bus service between Yokohama Station (YCAT) and the 40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007 site. A one-way ticket costs 1,500 yen for adults and 750 yen for children. The buses use the latest traffic information to select the most appropriate routes, avoiding traffic jams. If a traffic jam occurs on the Metropolitan Expressway, the buses take the Tokyo Bay Aqualine.
Couples and families with children even welcome the sudden change of route, because they can enjoy the beautiful night view from the Aqualine on their way home. (There is no extra charge for such a route change.) We recommend this shuttle bus service to people living in Kanagawa.

(There is a sign for the buses, so you won't get lost.)

There are also express buses from Haneda and Narita Airports to Makuhari Messe for people from abroad or regions outside the Tokyo metropolitan district.

Some buses also offer English, Korean, and Chinese language services.

For people in wheelchairs, we provide information and assistance concerning the most wheelchair friendly buses. We hope people in wheelchairs will visit the motor show.

From Sunday, October 28, to Tuesday, October 30, 2007, Tokyo Truck Show will be held at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center. We will run direct buses connecting Tokyo Big Sight and the 40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007 site at Makuhari Messe with approximately two buses every hour. You can easily visit both shows in one day.
As the 40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007 will be the biggest motor show ever held in Japan, all of our staff will do our best to ensure visitor safety and convenience, as well as reducing waiting time even further. Please visit the Tokyo Motor Show by bus.

Thank you, Mr. Kato of the Chiba Prefectural Bus Association!！
It's nice that there are convenient bus services from nearby stations and airports, as well as from the nearby stations.

In our next report, we will visit the JR East's Chiba Branch Office to ask about taking the train to the 40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007. We are looking forward to seeing you then.