59-Foot Gundam Statue In Japan Now Can Move

Above, yours truly with the Gundam Lift at the Bandai Museum in 2005. 

Fans of Japan's Gundam are in ecstasy over a full size 18 meter (59 foot) Gundam statue in Yokohama that can now move.

According to Sora News 24:

Last month residents of Yokohama, as well as anime fans around the globe, were thrilled to get their first glimpse of the life-size RX-78 Gundam anime mecha standing in the city’s bayside district, roughly 45 minutes south of Tokyo. But even that was just a precursor to the real excitement.

See, while Japan has had other full-scale Gundam statues, Yokohama’s is the first that will be able to move, and it just so happens that Japanese Twitter user @nansei2 was in the area during a recent test and recorded this amazing video of the mobile suit in motion.

To read more, go here.

Japan Planning To Build A Moving Giant Gundam Robot

Above, a Gundam display at the Bandai Museum. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This was eventually bound to happen. Japan is planning to build a moving giant Gundam robot.

According to Japan Today:

TOKYO —A team of Japanese animators and engineers on Wednesday unveiled plans to build a moving 18-meter-tall Gundam robot, in a nod to millions of science fiction fans. 

The “Mobile Suit Gundam” anime series first aired in Japan in 1979, and spin-offs featuring robots locked in intergalactic battles have won legions of enthusiastic fans in Asia, Europe and elsewhere.

To read the full story, go here. 

Half of 20-Something Men In Japan Don't Know Gundam, Survey Says

Above, a close-up of the Gundam lift at the Bandai Museum. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Rocket News 24 posted an article about a survey with a stunning result (at least to Magazine R25): over half of 20-something Japanese males don't know Gundam.

They wrote:

It’s amazing how memory fades over time. Trying to recollect my favorite childhood programs is often a foggy mess. For example, I remember one cartoon where the good guys drove robot cars with arms and the bad guys were these weird plant cars. For the life of me I can’t remember the name of that show in spite of the deep-rooted hatred of trees and vegetables it instilled in me. 

Shows like that were great but as they say, the true classics are the ones that stand the test of time. Surely Gundam, arguably the most famous giant robot anime, is among that class, right? Magazine R25 suggests it might not be. Despite Mobile Suit Gundam’s long legacy of series, R25 claims that 51 percent of Japanese men in their twenties who were surveyed said they “do not know Gundam.”

To read the article, go here.

Gundam Train Coming

Above, it is doubtful the train conductors will be wearing this uniform.

On April 26, the Nankai Electric Railways Co. will begin operation of its Gundam train that will connect Osaka with Kansai Airport.

According to Japan Today:

TOKYO —In a way, it’s slightly ironic that Gundam, Japan’s most venerated giant robot, is honored with a huge statue that stands in the Odaiba district of Tokyo. The original series in the franchise was titled Mobile Suit Gundam, but that 18-meter isn’t going anywhere since not only is it incapable of walking, Odaiba is an island and we’re pretty sure it can’t swim, either. 

Coming soon, though, is a more logical way to pay homage to the franchise: a Gundam train. 

It’s been 20 years since Nankai Electric Railways started operation of its Airport Line, which connects Osaka with Kansai Airport. Nankai’s executives apparently concluded that the best way to commemorate this improvement in the mobility for the region’s residents was by teaming up with anime series “Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn.”

Unfortunately, the Gundam train will make its final run on June 30. They should make it permanent.

To read more, go here.

Gundam's 35th Anniversary

Above, Gundam on display at the Bandai Museum. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Today should not pass without acknowledging an anniversary.

According to RocketNews24:

Gundam fans worldwide, including those in the industry, are taking to Twitter, Pixiv, and other social media to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Mobile Suit Gundam, which began airing on April 7, 1979. The messages have been including artwork, photos of gunpla, and more.

To read more, go here. 

A 13-Foot Gundam Grave Marker?

Above, a Niigata cemetery. Can you picture a 13 ft. Gundam statue standing here? Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Kaiju fans and Japanophiles in general have seen some cool stuff come out of Japan. At the same time they've also seen some strange stuff as well.

The following would have to come under the strange category (at least, my strange category). Then again, a Gundam fan would probably think it's cool.

RocketNews24 reported:

For a few years now, whenever online chatter of a new statue based on the machines of the Gundam universe goes on the picture above seems to always pop up. But exactly where is this MS monument of mourning? Is it even real? 

In the photo, the Gundam headstone appears to be lined up with the other graves outside of the stonemasonry shop, standing proud at around four meters (13ft) tall and weighing in at 10 tons. With that we might assume it’s a custom made incredibly ostentatious yet cool monument to the deceased.

Yes, it does appear to be a possible headstone for a deceased person who was a Gundam fan. RocketNews24 seems to be unsure of the purpose of the stone statue. It could be for someone's grave, but it also could be for a garden decoration for someone.

They are leaning towards the grave marker theory as "it can be found outside of a Kise Sekizai Boseki Center in Yasu City, Shiga Prefecture. Kise Sekizai is a chain of Japanese grave makers in the area."

If someone wishes to be laid to rest under a 13-foot tall Gundam statue, who are we to judge them?

Still, if someone were to come up with a Godzilla grave marker, I can think of several people who might be tempted to get one.

To read the full article and see the statue, go here.

Gundam Blog Post Makes It In The Japan Daily

The Japan Daily has picked up the blog post on the Fukushima City Gundam statue that is getting pretty weather-beaten.

Their post also includes the photo of yours truly posing in uniform on the Gundam Lift at the Bandai Museum.

To see The Japan Daily, go here.

Gundam Losing Battle Against The Elements

Above, yours truly on the Gundam Lift at the Bandai Museum. But
there's another Gundam not in such good shape in Fukushima City.

Poor Gundam. The elements have not been kind to him/her/it.

There's an article at RocketNews24 about a Gundam statue that was built in 2007 to celebrate the incorporation of Fukushima City. Since then, the poor thing has been neglected and its creator has since passed away.

RocketNews24 wrote:

A few years back, toymaker Bandai built a gigantic full-size statue of Japan’s most iconic giant robot, the original RX-78 Gundam. After bouncing around and being displayed in various stages of assembly, the 1:1 scale figure finally found a permanent home in front of the Diver City shopping and restaurant complex in Tokyo, assuring that fans can come see it whenever they like, and also that it’ll get regular maintenance. 

We’re glad to see someone is looking out for Gundam in the nation’s capital, since apparently the years haven’t been as kind to this version of him in the Japanese countryside.

I could probably think of several American Gundam fans who would gladly give this statue a loving home.

To see the Gundam statue, go here. 

Japan's Giant Robots

Above, the Gundam display at the Bandai Museum.
Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To the outsider, Japan seems to have a fixation on giant robots. Some of their pop culture focuses on mechanical giants from Gundam to Mechagodzilla.

The Japan Times has an interesting article on Japanese giant robots, "Dōmo Arigatō, Giant Robotto."

It states, in part:

But how, exactly, did giant robots come to be synonymous with Japanese pop culture? Anime director Shinji Aramaki, who designed transforming vehicles for the 1980s “Transformers” and “Robotech” series, believes they represent a natural flip side to Japan’s obsession with miniaturization. 

Robots came to the literal rescue when Japan began rebuilding its shattered infrastructure in the late 1940s and early ’50s. Retooling what had been weapons factories into toy factories turned out to be a quick way to jump-start the economy. Tin robot toys, the earliest made out of cans discarded by the Occupation forces, represented some of Japan’s first exports abroad after the end of the war.

To read the full article, go here. 

Gundam At Hong Kong Times Square

Figure.Fm posted some photos of Gundam at Times Square, Hong Kong.  They remind me of my 2005 visit to the Bandai Museum where, in meeting a challenge from G-fan Stan Hyde, I squeezed (barely) into a costume and posed on the Gundam Lift.

Here's one of the photos of me on the Gundam Lift:

Now, to see the photos of Gundam at Hong Kong's Times Square, go here.

21 Themed Hotel Rooms In Japan You Won't Believe

Above, you won't find this giant Gundam in any hotel room, but
there are Gundam-themed rooms for visitors to stay in.

RocketNews24 has an article on 21 different themed hotel rooms. They range from Gundam to Hello Kitty to Kamen Rider. And then some!

They start it with:

When choosing a place to stay while traveling, most people look for very specific things in hotels: location, price, continental breakfasts that are open until ten so that lazy people like us can still get some food. 

But others want a little bit more out of the their hotel, like intricately detailed themed rooms! 

Here are some of the best themed hotel rooms Japan has to offer! (Note: links to Japanese-language websites.)

To see the rooms, go here.

Get A Gundam Hotel Room!

Above, Armand on the Gundam Lift at the Bandai Museum.

Fans of Gundam characters can now get a hotel room decorated in a Gundam motif.

The Japan Times reported:

Grand Pacific Le Daiba, a hotel in Minato Ward, Tokyo, will be offering three guest rooms starting Friday with interior decorations featuring characters from the popular "Mobile Suit Gundam" animated series.

Gundam Front Tokyo, which features a huge, life-size Gundam statue and a museum, opened April 19 in the neighborhood and has turned out to be a popular attraction. The hotel's campaign is part of an effort in the area to take advantage of Gundam's popularity.

For more, go here.

Gundam Front Entertainment Center Now Open

Gundam fans now have a place to go to in Tokyo.

From Kyodo News:

Many fans flocked to a facility to experience the world of the Japanese robot animation series ''Mobile Suit Gundam'' as it opened Thursday in a waterfront area in Tokyo's Koto Ward. 

An 18-meter-tall Gundam statue stands in front of the DiverCity Tokyo Plaza commercial complex housing the Gundam Front Tokyo run by Bandai Co. and other organizations. 

The new entertainment spot features ''real-scale'' attractions, including Dome-G for dynamic images of famous scenes in the past series and computer graphic images of new works projected inside the dome of 16 meters in diameter. 

At the Experience Field area, visitors can view such models as the 1/1 Core Fighter Ver.GFT of the first series and the 1/1-size bust of Strike Freedom Gundam Ver.GFT in the Seed Destiny series as well as the 1/3000th scale space fortress A Baoa Qu. 

They can also take photos with their favorites among many characters from the series at Character Photo Spot of the Experience Field. 

People who visited the facility on the first day expressed enthusiasm.

Gundam Front Tokyo To Open April 19

There's a new theme park opening in Tokyo. It's called Gundam Front Tokyo.

According to the Japan Times:

A theme park featuring popular "anime" series "Mobile Suit Gundam" will open on April 19 in Tokyo's Odaiba district.

According to Bandai Co., the new theme park, named Gundam Front Tokyo, will have a huge dome-shaped screen showing images of Gundam, the venerated fighting robot in the popular series, and rare documents related to the series' production will be on display.

The most "Gundam" I've ever done was to pose in a Gundam uniform on the Gundam Lift at the old Bandai Museum (below).




To read the full article, go here.

Remembering The Late, Great Bandai Museum

Above, Godzilla prop from "Godzilla x Megaguirus."

Remembering The Late, Great Bandai Museum

Photos and text by Armand Vaquer


G-FAN #75 (Spring 2006 issue) contained my article, “A Japan Mini-Vacation” which featured a visit to the Bandai Museum, five years ago this coming October.

The Bandai Museum had a huge collection of Godzilla, Ultraman, Gundam and other Japanese super-hero exhibits, toys and numerous shops for the traveling fan to part with his/her money at. The museum’s moniker was, “Character's Hall of Fame and their History With Bandai Since 1950” (a mild case of “Engrish” here).



Unfortunately, the Bandai Museum was closed down on August 31, 2006. [The following year, on April 28, 2007, "Omocha no Machi Bandai Museum" opened for business in Mibu, Tochigi.]

It is easy to see why. Their opening schedule was confusing. One day it would be open, then closed for two days, and then it would be open again. Its location was what we would call “out in the boonies” of Tokyo. Although it sat right next to the Matsuda Station on the Joban Line (there were plenty of signs in the station pointing the way to the museum, so a visitor couldn’t possibly get lost), it was not access-friendly to visitors who didn’t have a good working grasp of the Tokyo train system.

Still, if one made the effort to go to the Bandai Museum on an open day, it was well-worth the excursion.

As it now has been over three years since the Bandai Museum permanently shut down its doors, here is a look back at the museum and what it contained.

The exhibit areas of the museum consisted of two parts, Character World and Gundam Museum, with the remaining areas of floors (5 through 8) were for shops, event space, and visitor amenities.

If one should get hungry, the Gundam Café was located on the top floor (8th floor) of the museum.



G-Base (above) was a store located at the exit of the Gundam Museum and it sold premium Gundam items such as collectables and figures, but it also had limited and exclusive items that were only available at the museum store.

Above, Godzilla dioramas on display.

Capsule toys were sold at Gashapon World. Godzilla toys were sold on the fifth floor. The store contained Bandai Godzilla toys, including the museum exclusives. I picked up the King Goji museum exclusive (it cost around $60 US). The Godzilla exhibit contained the full line of Godzilla toys including movie props from Godzilla x Megaguirus and GMK.



The Gundam Lift was located on the Gundam floor (7th floor) where visitors could don a Gundam costume (photo, above), provided they could fit in one, and pose for photos on the Gundam Lift for a fee. Luckily, I was able to fit into one.



The Ultraman exhibit contained helmets (photo, above) from the various Ultraman series along with a big collection of Bandai’s Ultraman toys and full-size dioramas.

Above, Ultraman toys on display.

Perhaps had the Bandai Museum been in a better location (Odaiba or Shibuya immediately come to mind) and a sensible business schedule, it could have survived.

It is too bad that the Bandai Museum closed down. But it will live on in visitors’ memories and photo collections.