Off to Porsche Japan

The other day, a special opportunity came up, and I was invited to visit Porsche Japan’s headquarters. I live in western Japan, so I timed the visit to coincide with a trip to Tokyo. I boarded an early-morning Shinkansen and headed straight for Shinagawa.

Since I was visiting Porsche Japan, I decided to go all in on Porsche gear: a Porsche Design bag and a Porsche laptop case. (Though you’d have to look pretty closely to notice! lol)

Porsche Japan’s headquarters is in Toranomon Hills, in Tokyo’s Minato City. It was my first time in Toranomon, and I arrived imagining, “With ‘Hills’ in the name, it must be a skyscraper.” The moment I stepped inside, I was blown away.

This place is incredibly stylish…

It reminded me a little of Grand Front Osaka, but that’s primarily a shopping and commercial complex. I couldn’t think of an office building in Osaka with an atmosphere this polished. Tokyo really is something else.

After checking in, I passed through the entrance gates and headed to the 29th floor, where Porsche Japan is based. I pressed the button and, during those few seconds in the elevator, my nerves went through the roof. By the time I arrived, my heart was practically in my mouth. (I get nervous very easily…)

Finally, Inside the Office…

I stepped out of the elevator, still feeling jittery, and glanced to the side. There it was: the entrance, marked with the PORSCHE crest.

This is it…!

The clean, simple design, with its white palette, somehow reminded me of the Porsche Museum in Germany.

“I should’ve worn a smarter suit…” I thought, with a touch of regret. After checking in, I was invited to take a seat while I waited.

But then I spotted a display case filled with Porsche merchandise I’d never seen at my local Porsche Center. Sitting still felt like a waste, so I took a closer look while I waited.

I want it all! (lol)

I looked up and noticed a famous quote from Porsche founder Ferdinand Porsche displayed alongside his photograph.

“In the beginning, I looked around and could not find quite the car I dreamed of. So I decided to build it myself.” (Professor Ferdinand Porsche)
In the beginning I looked around and could not find quite the car I dreamed of. So I decided to build it myself.

I was gazing at it, thinking, “That’s amazing,” when I heard someone behind me say, “Sorry to keep you waiting, [name]!”

I turned around to see two people who looked every bit as polished and professional as you’d expect: Kaori Yamazaki, an executive officer at Porsche Japan, and Alexander Quarth, a Germany-born product specialist.

Nerves: maximum! (；ﾟДﾟ)

Yamazaki-san then kindly asked, “Since you’re here, would you like a tour of the office?”

“Really? I’d love to!”

They even gave me special permission to take photos, so I grabbed my iPhone and set off on an impromptu tour. If only I’d brought my proper DSLR!

Inside the Porsche Japan Office

As soon as I stepped into the office, I saw a large painting of a Panamera on my left.

So cool…

“I’d love to hang this at home… though realistically, I don’t have a room big enough for a painting like that.” I turned to the right and saw a conference room.

And the room’s name? “Panamera.”

When I visited the Porsche Experience Center Los Angeles, I saw that its conference rooms were named after Porsche models like “Macan” and “Boxster.” Porsche Japan does the same. I was told this is the largest conference room, hence the name “Panamera.” It’s a lovely touch. There was also a painting of a Cayenne at the far end.

The office also had a café area called the “Carrera Lounge”…

…as well as displays featuring Porsche Japan’s vision and the missions of its various departments.

It was a wonderfully indulgent space, filled with Porsche details at every turn.

One particularly large display featured Porsche Japan’s mission.

“We boldly take on new challenges with passion for the Porsche brand and a spirit of innovation,
to deliver joy that exceeds our customers’ expectations.”

I remembered how I’d felt that very “joy that exceeds expectations” when I test-drove the new Panamera. I realized that the excitement I feel every day as I learn more about Porsche and get behind the wheel is made possible by employees who work together to bring this mission to life.

I also got to meet the employees behind the new Cayenne’s “3.9sec Experience” cinema ad, which had made headlines a little while earlier, as well as the team member who plans and manages Porsche Track Experience. I even greeted a senior executive I recognized from the Porsche Carrera Cup lounge: “I’ve seen you there a few times!”

Everyone was so friendly and easy to talk to that I got caught up in the conversation—and completely forgot to take any more photos. (lol)

Conversations That Stayed With Me

After the tour, Yamazaki-san, Alex-san, and I sat down over tea and chatted. Here are a few things from our conversation that particularly stayed with me.

① Porsche Japan’s Important Role

I’d always vaguely assumed Porsche Japan had a role like this, but I learned that when new models arrive from Germany, its job isn’t simply to launch them in Japan exactly as the German headquarters specifies. One of Porsche Japan’s roles is to understand the Japanese market and customer needs, negotiate with headquarters, and bring the cars to Japan in a form that better suits local customers.

For example, the base Macan initially arrived in Japan with a power-adjustable driver’s seat as standard, but a manually adjustable passenger seat. Porsche Japan reportedly pushed back, saying, “Japanese customers won’t accept this!”—and secured a power-adjustable passenger seat, too.

Understanding the realities of the Japanese market—things the German headquarters may not know firsthand—and negotiating on its behalf is one of Porsche Japan’s important responsibilities.

② The Strength of a Smaller Manufacturer

When I hear that Porsche sold 240,000 vehicles worldwide in a year (in fiscal year 2017), I think, “That’s an enormous company!” But compared with other automakers, Porsche is actually a smaller company. (Mercedes-Benz’s sales in Japan are about ten times Porsche’s.) And that smaller scale has its advantages: employees work closely together, the company has retained a family-like culture in the best sense, and its people feel a strong attachment to the company.

That certainly came through in a TV feature I’d recently watched about the factories where the new Cayenne and 911 are built. You could see that each employee took pride in playing a part in building a Porsche. I hope that kind of company culture continues to be cherished for years to come.

③ Always Striving for the Best, Never Compromising

Take the new Cayenne, which went on sale in Japan in July that year. It may not look dramatically different from its predecessor, but I was told that “under the skin, it was developed almost from scratch.” Alex, who was there for our conversation, had attended a meeting with Porsche engineers in Germany. The engineers knew they could achieve a respectable level of performance by building on the previous approach, but deliberately chose not to. Instead, they decided to “start from the ground up, even if it takes longer, and build the best-performing Cayenne without compromise.”

My husband and I recently test-drove the new Cayenne and were blown away. Hearing this made me realize just how much we owe to the engineers who develop each car without compromise.

④ Porsche Is a Sports Car Manufacturer

I hardly need to say it, but one consistent theme in Yamazaki-san and Alex-san’s answers to my questions was: “Because Porsche is a sports car manufacturer, [this is why…].” I once spoke with someone who had toured Porsche’s factory in Stuttgart, Germany. They told me, “I was amazed to see GT3s coming down the same line as regular 911s. At its core, Porsche is still a sports car company!” I couldn’t agree more.

⑤ Porsche Japan Employees Are Porsche Fans, Too

I suppose you’re unlikely to join Porsche if you don’t love the brand in the first place… but the people who work there clearly have a deep affection for Porsche. They all seem to have photos of Porsches they’ve spotted in their own time, or shots taken from their favorite angles—and some can talk about them for hours. (lol)

The atmosphere in the office, along with the employees’ expressions and stories, made it clear that they’re proud to be part of Porsche. Whether you’re a customer or an employee, the love for Porsche is the same.

One Last Photo

That’s what stood out to me during my visit. Here’s a photo with Yamazaki-san and Alex-san before I left.

When my husband saw the photo, he burst out laughing and said:

“The two people from Porsche Japan are posing properly, but you look like an alien who’s just been captured! lol”

Fair enough… The original photo actually shows me full-length, but I was so nervous that my fingers were bent at all sorts of strange angles, giving it a slightly horror-movie vibe. I edited the photo to crop that part out. (-_-)

I was told that people at Porsche Japan often visit this blog, and they said, “We’re so happy to see a blog filled with love for Porsche. Please keep sharing more!” That made me really happy.

Our wish as Porsche fans is simple: that Porsche will continue to be Porsche. As the joy of driving seems to be disappearing from cars made by many manufacturers, I hope Porsche will keep building cars that move its fans as a true sports car manufacturer.

Through features like Porsche Owners File and stories sharing what you learn from Porsche ownership, I hope this blog can do its small part to keep bringing the real voices of Porsche owners to the conversation.

Yamazaki-san and Alex-san, thank you so much for having me.

＊The photos and content in this article are published with special permission from Porsche Japan.