Bandai Museum, Mibu, Japan

Above, the old Bandai Museum building in Matsuda in 2005.

Six years ago, I took a jaunt to Chiba Prefecture in Japan to Matsuda to visit the Bandai Museum.

Above, yours truly on the Gundam lift at the old Bandai Museum.

A year later, the museum closed down.

Above, Gundam display at the old Bandai Museum.

Now, the Bandai Museum has been relocated to Mibu (壬生町, Mibu-machi) in Tochigi Prefecture. It is about an hour and a half train ride from Tokyo.

Above, the Bandai Museum's collection of Ultraman helmets.

The Bandai Museum features displays of Godzilla, Gundam, Ultraman and many other Japanese pop-culture characters. Besides displays, the museum has several gift shops to purchase toys of those characters.

Above, Godzilla toys for sale at the museum.

To get to the Bandai Museum, here are the train lines to take:

Tokyo 07:51 - Nippori 08:02 (JR KeihinTohoku line)
Nippori 08:08 - Kitasenjyu 08:16 (JR Jyoban line)
Kitasenjyu 08:21 - Tochigi 09:26 (Tobu Isezaki line)
Tochigi 09:39 - Omochanomachi 10:01 (Tobu Utsunomiya line)
Cost : JR 210yen, Tobu 1030yen

It is about a ten minute walk from Omochanomachi.