The following information was true as of July 31, 2013. Please be aware that the site described and the links provided below may have been updated or edited since then.
- Yamaha Motor Communication Plaza
English page: http://global.yamaha-motor.com/showroom/cp/
Japanese page: http://global.yamaha-motor.com/jp/showroom/cp/
The Communication Plaza is described as the Yamaha Motor Corporation's “corporate museum and exhibition forum.” In addition to all of the basic features of a museum website such as a description of the facility, its collections, and exhibitions, the website also includes a digital library.
- Digital Library
English page: http://global.yamaha-motor.com/showroom/cp/library/
Japanese page: http://global.yamaha-motor.com/jp/showroom/cp/library/
The digital library is an online archive of Yamaha publications dating back to the late 1950s including both Japanese and English versions of “Yamaha News” as well as the Japanese language “Yamaha Boats” and the English language “Fishery Journal.”
- Japanese Language Yamaha News (1959 - 2004): newsletter distributed to Yamaha motorcycle dealerships for nearly 50 years, originally focusing on new products from Yamaha Motors, it developed to include economic and market trends in Japan and around the world as well as other topics
English page: http://global.yamaha-motor.com/showroom/cp/library/yamaha_news_jpn/
Japanese page: http://global.yamaha-motor.com/jp/showroom/cp/library/yamaha_news_jpn/ - English Language Yamaha News (1966 - 2009): newsletter distributed to Yamaha sales companies and distributors internationally, originally focusing on regional races or events and Yamaha motorcycle and marine products, it expanded over time with versions in other languages added as well
English page: http://global.yamaha-motor.com/showroom/cp/library/yamaha_news_eng/
Japanese page: http://global.yamaha-motor.com/jp/showroom/cp/library/yamaha_news_eng/ - Yamaha Boats (1964 - 2009): Japanese language publication, originally to introduce various perspectives on the boating scene, but later became a tool linking Yamaha with marine store dealerships throughout Japan
English page: http://global.yamaha-motor.com/showroom/cp/library/boat_news_jpn/
Japanese page: http://global.yamaha-motor.com/jp/showroom/cp/library/boat_news_jpn/ - Fishery Journal (1977 - 1994): English language internationally acclaimed periodical introducing Japanese coastal fishery methods to those in similar industries in developing nations
http://global.yamaha-motor.com/business/area-marketing/fishery/journal/fishery-journal-digital-archive.html
All 44 issues of the Fishery Journal are available online, but currently only the first ten issues are available for each of the first three publications. Work is underway to upload the entire collection and completion is expected by the summer of 2015. The issues that are available have been made so in full-color high quality PDFs, easily viewable, but unfortunately not searchable. The addition of a database or list of articles would make the publications more accessible and useful.
The Yamaha Digital Library remains, however, a valuable and interesting resource for scholars and Yamaha enthusiasts alike and the wealth of information in English makes it particularly worthwhile.
Link(s)
- New Categories "Shashi-related Website Reviews" and "Nishiki-e-related Website Reviews"
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/tobira/20130205
