Anime robot Gundam to hold court in Tokyo

Attention, anime fans: The giant robot Gundam, from the Japanese TV series of the same name, will be standing tall in Tokyo this summer.

The 59-foot high statue — which will be able to strike a pose with its 50-plus moveable parts and eject mist and light beams — will hold court at the entertainment complex Odaiba in southeastern Tokyo from July 11 through Aug. 31, 2009.

The statue’s creation marked the 30th anniversary of Gundam, which got its start in 1979 with animated sci-fi series “Mobile Suit Gundam.” Since then, the pop-culture robot has graced more series, as well as movies, comics, video games and many a T-shirt.

If you can make it to Tokyo during the display’s run, note that tour operator Nippon Travel Agency is offering a “Green Tokyo Gundam Project” excursion. This will include hotels with statue-view rooms as well as Gundam models and other souvenirs. As of this writing, the tour operator’s head office in the U.S. did not have details about booking these packages, so you may need to contact the agency’s Tokyo office [+81 (03) 3614-3066].

The towering display, which will also be viewable from certain boat cruises in Tokyo Bay, is meant to support Tokyo’s bid to host the Olympic Games in 2016, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.

— Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

[Photo: Gundam, to be displayed starting July 11. Credit: (c) Sotsu, Sunrise]

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This entry was posted on Thursday, July 2, 2009 at 10:23 am by Susan Derby and is filed under Arts & Culture, Asia, Family & Kids, Hotels, Japan, News, Tips & Advice, Summer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.