Contributions in those areas where Yamaha maintains a business base

Kakegawa Factory, Yamaha Corporation

  After shifting production processes for grand pianos from the factory at Yamaha Corporation's headquarters, we opened the Kakegawa Factory for public tours from June 2010. We have since received a wide variety of visitors, including musicians, families, corporate trainees, and school groups. More than 10,000 people participated in the grand piano tour in fiscal 2010.

  Visitors to the factory pass through Harmony Plaza, where we display an early model grand piano that has been recognized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as part of Japan's Heritage of Industrial Modernization. In the factory we introduce them to the assembly process for modern grand pianos using the latest equipment and techniques, as well as our environmental protection initiatives including our cogeneration system.

  Our goal in running these tours is to deepen the general public's understanding of Yamaha, and to arouse people's interest in instruments and music. We also take requests from schools for tours as part of school lessons. Students of all ages, from primary school to university, have visited the factory. We try to present different aspects to suit the perspectives of each group, with themes including factories, processes, manufacturing, marketing and others.

The Yamaha Group actively supports the spread of music and culture in communities around Japan.

(1)Hamamatsu Jazz Week

  Since 1992, Yamaha has sponsored “Hamamatsu Jazz Week” in cooperation with the city of Hamamatsu, where the Company is headquartered. The event is designed to help Hamamatsu become a city that promotes music, creating “a city where music lives, and where music brings the city to life.” This unique local cultural event, jointly organized by the public and private sectors, brings together people of all ages to enjoy jazz.

  The 19th festival took place in May 2010. In addition to concerts in auditoriums and on the street, for the first time the events included free lessons-“jazz workshops”-where members of the public could refine technique in voice, piano, saxophone, and four other instruments, as well as booths where they could try playing instruments on their own, helping visitors both enjoy jazz and make it more familiar. Another aim of Hamamatsu Jazz Week is to offer new artists the opportunity to perform, and the program actively includes aspiring new artists alongside the veteran performers. These many activities, as well as the cooperation and support of music fans and musicians, have made Hamamatsu Jazz Week one of Japan's premier jazz music events.

  The next festival will be held in October 2011.

(2)Kobe Motomachi Music Week

  Yamaha Music Osaka Co., Ltd. is a member of the planning committee for the Kobe Motomachi Music Week, which is held every year in the Motomachi shopping district in Kobe, where a Yamaha store is also located. With the Kobe Motomachi Music Week celebrating its 13th year in 2010, Yamaha Music Osaka Co., Ltd. helped with planning the event as a committee member, auditioned musicians applying to perform street concerts, and sponsored concerts inside and in front of the Yamaha Kobe Shop.

The Yamaha Group continues to help preserve the environment in regions where it has factories, marketing bases and other business offices, such as by picking up trash and through afforestation. We also collaborate on activities to prevent global warming in these regions.

•  Environmental Initiatives / Regional Activities