Godzilla's Seaside City Home

Above, the Godzilla slide with a dusting of snow. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Hardcore Godzilla fans are very much familiar with the (roughly) 30-foot Godzilla slide at the Kurihama Flower World park in Yokosuka.

I visited the Godzilla slide in February 2014 on a cold day that included occasional snow flurries. As the park's trams weren't operating that day, I had to hike up to it. Fortunately for me, I was in good enough condition with hiking experience to make the hike without having a heart attack in the process. I may go there again later this year when there's better weather conditions and the tram is operating.

Stripes Japan has posted an article on the Godzilla slide with some history on the current slide and one that was originally erected at Tatara Beach.

They begin with:

YOKOSUKA, Japan — The "Godzilla" series started in 1954. In the middle of the first film, a warning is broadcast as the nation braces for attack by the giant monster: "Godzilla has been detected undersea 15 miles northeast of Kannonzaki cape, moving toward the northwest." 

Spotted first off the cape in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Godzilla lands on Tokyo's Shibaura waterfront, sweeps away high-voltage barbed-wire fences, stomps off unscathed by a barrage of bombardments and soon turns the bustling Shimbashi and Ginza districts into a sea of fire. 

In other words, the monster never set foot on the grounds of Yokosuka or destroyed the port city. Even so, Yokosukans strongly feel Godzilla still has a deep connection with their city.

If one is a "serious" Godzilla fan, a pilgrimage to the Godzilla slide in Yokosuka is a must.

To read more, go here.