On 12-13 October in 2016, members of the TOYOTA Motor Corporation(hereinafter TOYOTA)'s "5 Continents Drive Project" -Latin America- visited TAO on the way to their goal.

A commemorative photograph with members of TOYOTA 5 Continents Drive -Latin America- in front of the TAO base facility.

"TOYOTA 5 Continents Drive project" is a project which was initiated with the aim to foster human resources who will be able to take responsibilities for "building better cars". In order to accomplish the aim, employees of TOYOTA themselves drive five continents with TOYOTA cars. Following Australia in 2014 and North America in 2015, the project started the third leg in Latin America from late August in 2016 spanning 3 and a half months. We took the leg as a good opportunity to let the project know about the presence of Japanese users who use TOYOTA cars at a site far from Japan, and we asked the project members to visit the TAO site which is located in highland of 5640m altitude on the other side of the earth. Also it was a good opportunity to deepen ties with TOYOTA and TAO through direct interaction, such as ceremony and informal social gathering.

A commemorative photograph with members of TOYOTA 5 Continents Drive -Latin America in front of the miniTAO telescope at the summit of Co. Chajnantor.

We have chosen TOYOTA cars as our "partner" for about 15 years. And the visit by the members of the TOYOTA 5 Continents Drive project was a delightful event for us to let many personnel in TOYOTA know the fact that there are Japanese end users at 5640m altitude on the other side of the earth. Also, it was a great opportunity for us to deepen ties with TOYOTA's technicians/engineers.

Contents

• Relationship between TAO and TOYOTA cars
• Departure ceremony for members of TOYOTA 5 Continents Drive -Latin America-
• Members of TOYOTA 5 Continents Drive -Latin America- climbed up toward the TAO facility located at the summit of Co. Chajnantor

Relationship between TAO and TOYOTA cars

We, the TAO project, has had a long relationship with TOYOTA, since we have first visited the area around Co. Chajnantor to investigate and decide a construction site of the TAO telescope. TOYOTA cars are highly reliable in driving in extreme environments such as highlands of 5640m above sea level, unpaved road, snow fall, rock fall, strong wind, and cold that will reach -15 degrees Celsius at night, and therefore they have been an invaluable "partner" for us for about 15 years.

A TOYOTA car, powerfully heading toward the TAO observatory even on a 4-m-width unpaved road. Sometimes we are forced to remove snow on the way to the observatory.

Departure ceremony for members of TOYOTA 5 Continents Drive -Latin America-

On October 12, 2016, we have held a departure ceremony and a reception at a public hall in San Pedro de Atacama, attracting 53 participants in total from the TOYOTA Motor Corporation, Embassy of Japan in Chile, San Pedro de Atacama city, NAOJ Chile Observatory, and other related companies.

In the departure ceremony, addresses have been given by Mr. Osamu Sadakata, Managing Director of the TOYOTA Motor Corporation, by Mr. Orihara, Counsellor, on behalf of Mr. Naoto Nikai, the Ambassador of Japan to Chile, and by a representative of the Mayor of San Pedro de Atacama. Then, concept videos of the TOYOTA 5 Continents Drive project and the TAO project have been screened.

The subsequent reception was started with a toast of Professor Yuzuru Yoshii, PI of the TAO project. With rice balls and miso soups prepared by members of TAO, we cheered for the members of the TOYOTA 5 Continents Drive -Latin America- for their success in their further long drive to the goal. The reception was closed with souvenirs presented from Mr. Osamu Sadakata, Managing Director of the TOYOTA Motor Corporation, and a closing remark made by Mr. Masahiro Inoue, Manager of Latin America.

A customer interview to the members of TAO was conducted before the ceremony by employees of TOYOTA who are in charge of technical development of cars. The interview covered a wide variety of topics: concerns on driving a car in an unusual environment such as the TAO road, surveys on handlings and functions of TOYOTA cars, troubles ever encountered, and astronomical goals achieved with TAO.

We prayed for the success of each other's project, and deepened the friendship between TAO and TOYOTA in this opportunity.

Mr. Orihara, Counsellor and a representative of the ambassador of Japan to Chile (left) and a representative of Mayor of San Pedro de Atacama (right) who gave the addresses in the driving ceremony.

Toasting at the reception (left) and Professor Yoshii Yuzuru, PI of TAO project, proposing a toast (right).

Mr. Osamu Sadakata, Managing Director of the TOYOTA Motor Corporation, who presented souvenirs (left) and Mr. Masahiro Inoue, Manager of Latin America who made the closing remark (right).

Members of TOYOTA 5 Continents Drive -Latin America- climbed up toward the TAO facility located at the summit of Co. Chajnantor

On the next day, October 13, 2016, a caravan of 13 cars with 42 people (TOYOTA and TAO members) drove heading toward Co. Chajnantor to visit the TAO site. On the way to the summit, we experienced a trouble on one of a TOYOTA RAV 4 cars that stopped due to lack of oxygen when driving over the altitude of 5000m that is the maximum altitude guaranteed for performance. Afterward, we successfully arrived at the summit without further trouble including altitude sickness. Afterward, the members of the TOYOTA 5 Continents Drive -Latin America- departed from San Pedro de Atacama toward Antofagasta, their next destination.

A caravan of the TOYOTA 5 Continents Drive -Latin America- heading for TAO, Co. Chajnantor.

A commemorative photograph with the members of the TOYOTA 5 Continents Drive -Latin America- at the entrance of the access road to the summit of Co. Chajnantor.

A commemorative photograph with the members of TOYOTA 5 Continents Drive - Latin America- in front of the miniTAO telescope at the summit of Co. Chajnantor.

Supplementary Information

• HP of TOYOTA 5 Continents Drive (Japanese)