Yumenoshima (Dream Island) In Tokyo

Above, the forward deck of the Lucky Dragon No. 5. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Godzilla fans are already familiar that the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, along with the Lucky Dragon No. 5 incident, were big influences on the creation of the Godzilla character.

The Lucky Dragon No. 5 (Daigo Fukuryu Maru) is presently housed as an exhibit in Tokyo's Dream Island Park in the Koto Ward. The Japan Times has posted an article by Kit Nagamura on Dream Island. The article points out that, along with the Lucky Dragon No. 5, there are other things to see.

Nagamura begins the article with:

Yumenoshima (literally, “Dream Island”) in Tokyo’s Koto Ward is aptly named because as in real dreams, the island’s narrative encompasses both bucolic and nightmarish elements. 

I alight at Shin-Kiba Station, the final stop on the Yurakucho Line, and stroll north to Yumenoshima Park for a bit of dream analysis.

The history of Dream Island is also provided by Nagamura. The Lucky Dragon No. 5 exhibit is open to the public. Admission is free.

Above, the building that houses the Lucky Dragon No. 5 exhibit. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Lucky Dragon No. 5, because of its influence in the creation of Godzilla by Toho, is spotlighted in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan on page 25.

To read the article, go here.