PEOPLE
Classic Cars and the Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution~Rally Nippon 2019 in Kyushu~
Representative, Rally Nippon
Born in May 1965, Yusuke Kobayashi graduated from the Keio University Faculty of Law with a degree in political science. He was later certified as a tax accountant and real estate appraiser. At age 29 he established his own internet company and at age 36, he set up a company for order-made Italian suits. This business involved bringing to Japan young modélistes from Naples, who would meet with Japanese customers, take their measurements and select fabric, and who would then return to Italy to tailor the suits which would be sent to the customers in Japan around six months later. This made it possible for Japanese customers to acquire quality tailored Italian suits while remaining in Japan. Through this business, he was able to acquire the first-hand experience of Italian culture and people that would later lead him to establish Rally Nippon
Mr. Kobayashi, you head Rally Nippon which sponsors classic car rallies on public roads in Japan and other countries. I hear that in 2019 you will be holding a classical car event in Kyushu that will be routed through the newly designated World Heritage Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution. Could you start by telling us what motivated you to launch this unique event?
Mr. Kobayashi: The most famous classic car rally in the world is Italy’s Mille Miglia. In 2007 and 2008, I participated with my old friend Hideki Togi, the gagaku musician. We have both been classic car aficionados for a long time. Participating in the Mille Miglia was a real eye-opening experience that later led to the creation of Rally Nippon.
What kind of rally is the Mille Miglia?
Mr. Kobayashi: This is an annual event participated in by classic car lovers from around the world. There are more than 400 cars and over 800 participants. The rally covers three days in which the cars are driven over Italy’s public roads for a total distance of about 1,000 miles (1,500 kilometers). Up to 1957, it was a public road speed race, but was discontinued after some fatal crashes. About 20 years later, the event was revived by people who remembered the old rally with nostalgia. This time, however, it was not a race for speed but an opportunity for classic and vintage car owners to get together and enjoy driving leisurely through the old race routes.
The routes take you through a lot of World Heritage sites that you can enjoy along the way. For example, you can drive right through some of the famous monasteries of Assisi. The local people enjoy the rally too and welcome the cars with cheers as they come driving down the road. Some of the older fans will seek out their particular favorites and talk fondly about how they rode in that car with their boyfriend or girlfriend.
Owning and maintaining a classic car takes time and money. It’s a lot of work. You have to run the engine every so often being kept in an operational state or it will break down. Still, there is a culture in Italy and the West in general that values history and old things.
Former General Manager, Nagasaki Shipyard and Machinery Works, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Chairman, Fujisankei Group
Executive Managing Advisor, Fuji Television Network, Inc.
Executive Managing Advisor, Fuji Media Holdings, Inc.
Advisor, Federation of Japan Port and Airport Construction Association
(Ex. Chairman of Specialists Center of Port and Airport Engineering)
Mayor of Nagasaki City
Former Director of the Sano Tsunetami Memorial Museum (currently known as Sano Tsunetami and the Mietsu Naval Dock History Museum)
Director of NPO Association for Thinking about Satoyama
Director of National Congress of the Industrial Heritage
Honorary Chief Priest Toshinari Ueda
Former Mayor of Omuta City
Archaeologist and Heritage Conservation Specialist
A fellow of the Japan Federation of Engineering Societies
Team Member of the Industrial Project Team Office for the Promotion of World Heritage Listing under Cabinet Secretariat
Governor of Kagoshima Prefecture
Mayor of Hagi City
Mayor of Uki City, Kumamoto Prefecture
The Former Employee of Nippon Steel Corporation
An Associate Professor of the Faculty of Science and Engineering in Iwate University
Chairman of the Tourist Guide Association of Misumi West Port
President of Kuraya Narusawa Co., Ltd.
Chairman of Izunokuni City Tourism Association
Director and General Manager of Gunkanjima Concierge
Producer of the Gunkanjima Digital Museum
Owner at Tōge Chaya
Chairman: Mr. Hidenori Date
President: Mr. Masahiro Date
Proprietor, Houraikan Inn
Representative Director of Egawa Bunko non-profit incorporated foundation
The 42nd head of the Egawa Family
Democratic Party for the People (DPP) Representative for Nagasaki Prefecture
President of the NPO, Way to World Heritage Gunkanjima
Representative Director
MI Consulting Group
President of Watanabe Production Group and Honorary Chair of Watanabe Productions Co., Ltd.
Member of the House of Councillors
Governor
Kagoshima Prefecture
World Heritage Consultant
Director and Dean, The Kyushu-Asia Institute of Leadership
Representative Director, SUMIDA, Inc.
Journalist, founder of the Shimomura Mitsuko Ikikata Juku School
Representative, Rally Nippon
Chairman, Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution World Heritage Route Promotion Council Director, National Congress of Industrial Heritage
Representative Director, General Incorporated Foundation National Congress of Industrial Heritage (Advisor, Public Interest Incorporated Foundation Capital Markets Research Institute）
Mayor of Nagasaki City
Policy Director at Heritage Montreal
World Heritage Consultant
Executive Director of Kogakuin University
Heritage Architect and International Consultant
Head of Data Acquisition at The Glasgow School of Art’s School of Simulation and Visualisation
Head of Industrial Heritage, Historic Environment Scotland, Edinburgh
Scottish Ten Project Manager, Historic Environment Scotland, Edinburgh
Mayor of Izunokuni City, Shizuoka Prefecture
Pro-Provost and Chairman of Council of the Royal College of Art. Heritage advisor of Canal & River Trust for England and Wales.
Dean of Tokyo Rissho Junior College
Professor emeritus of Keio University
Mayor of Kitakyushu City
At the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee convened in Bonn, Germany, from June 28 to July 8, 2015, the decision was approved to inscribe the Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution on the World Heritage list.
At a celebratory party held to mark the occasion, some of the primary promoters of the project spoke of their joy in achieving their goal and of the trials and tribulations to getting there.
Director and Managing Executive Officer, Hanshin Expressway Company Limited
Member, Board of Directors, National Congress of Industrial Heritage
Vice-Governor of Shizuoka Prefecture
Mayor of Hagi City
Chairman, Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd.
Mayor of Omuta City
Deputy Director-General, Lifelong Learning Policy Bureau, MEXT
Former Counsellor, Cabinet Secretariat
Mayor of Kamaishi City
Member, Board of Directors, National Congress of Industrial Heritage Counselor, Shimadzu Limited
Chairman of the Consortium for the World Heritage Inscription of Modern Industrial Heritage (Kyushu-Yamaguchi) and governor of Kagoshima Prefecture (as of 2015)