After a 22-year run, this petrolhead oasis in the heart of Tokyo will be shuttering its doors.

The heart of Japanese car culture, arguably, is located in its capital of Tokyo.

There’s everything from classic cars at Daikanyama T-Site, to itasha-liveried cars at Akihabara UDX. Or, if you’re a fan of all things with wheels, the Daikoku Parking Area is always there for a sampler of their famous car culture.The heart of Japanese car culture, arguably, is located in its capital of Tokyo.

While all these are a bit more community-driven – enthusiasts pulling into a car park to talk cars – Toyota, one of the largest car companies in the world, has maintained a theme park of sorts in the heart of Tokyo.

Appropriately named MegaWeb, the 24,000m² facility first opened in 1999 to enable everyone, young and old, to sample "the fun of mobility". Inside MegaWeb, there was the Line-Up Zone featuring their Toyota’s latest models, and the Ride One test-drive track that went around the building.

What really drew the petrolheads in is the History Garage museum and its motorsports heritage section, which promised a year-round feast for the eyes. Fascinating too, was the Restore Pit restoration garage where Toyota’s expert technicians toiled away bringing legendary cars back to life.

Sadly, Toyota have just announced that MegaWeb will close its doors on 31st December 2021. MegaWeb and the nearby Super Autobacs had always been my go-to place while the family went shopping, so suffice to say that I’ll miss it once air travel resumes.

Toyota does mention that MegaWeb “will be reborn as a multipurpose arena” come 2025, so here’s hoping a new showroom will open in its place. In the meantime, here’s some memories of MegaWeb from years past.