In September 2010, I squeezed in a side trip during a business work trip to go see the 1:1 Real Grade Gundam on display in Shizuoka.
It's a reassembly of the one that was previously on display in Odaiba,
and with the addition of a beam saber, the pose was also slightly changed.
Also, unlike the Odaiba version, decals were added all over every nook and cranny of the body.
The 1/144 RG Gundam is actually a plastic model version based directly on this guy's design and decaling.
Shizuoka is a regional city about 200km south of Tokyo, located close to Mt. Fuji.
It's where the factories of Bandai and various other plastic model manufacturers are based.
There are several ways to get there, but taking the Shinkansen from Tokyo seems to be the most straightforward option.
For the Shinkansen to Shizuoka, it's best to depart from either Tokyo Station or Shinagawa Station.
Since Haneda Airport and Shinagawa Station are close to each other, in my case I took the Shinkansen from Shinagawa.
The fare is around ¥5,500.. It's the Shinkansen, Japan's equivalent of Korea's KTX, so it's fast alright — but pricey too;;
By the way, there are several types of Shinkansen,
and if possible, you're probably better off taking the Hikari (high-speed type with fewer stops) rather than the Kodama (which stops at more stations).
On the way there I took the Kodama (about 1 hour 20 minutes), and on the way back the Hikari (about 50 minutes).
Since it's a non-reserved seat Shinkansen ticket at the same price where you just check the timetable and choose between the Hikari and Kodama yourself,
I hope this is helpful for anyone planning to visit Shizuoka.
Take the local train one stop from Shizuoka Station to Higashi-Shizuoka Station, and you can already spot the 1:1 Gundam in the distance from the station.
Entrance to the Shizuoka 1:1 RG Gundam exhibition.
Admission is free.
Since I visited on a weekday afternoon, it was nice and quiet~.
Wow.. seeing it in person, the 1:1 Gundam is just awesome!
It was overcast when I took these, so the lighting in the photos isn't great — sorry about that.. T_T
View looking up from below.
At 18m tall, getting a proper front-on shot was just impossible.. T_T
Size comparison with a cigarette pack.. Even just one foot is absolutely massive.
Up close, the paint finish on the surface is actually much better than you'd expect.
(Spot the cigarette pack!.JPG)
They let you get right up underneath it and touch it for a set period of time,
so you can take photos from directly below as well.
Checking out the torso. It looks exactly like the 1/144 RG.
The beam saber added for the Shizuoka version.
It's not even pink — just plain white — and there's no lighting effect at all, which was a bit of a letdown.
In practical terms, it seems to function more like a conduit for supplying power and dry ice to the inside of the Gundam's body.
View from the back.
It. Is. Mag. Ni. Fi. Cent.
Every 30 minutes there's a show with music that runs for a few minutes,
during which steam (dry ice) blasts out from the ducts.
Zoomed-in shots from various angles
Steam also billows out from where the beam saber is inserted.
Check out the show footage in the YouTube video below..
There aren't many special effects so it might not be the most thrilling watch,
but it should give you a good sense of what it's actually like :-)
A zoomed-in clip of the steam coming out of the armor
A short clip showing the lights on the back
Once the steam goes off, water just drips all over the floor..
So the part-time workers have to mop like crazy. Kinda feel bad for them.
As it gets dark, lights start coming on here and there..
Backpack lighting
The sun slowly sets.. and with that, the show wraps up once every 30 minutes, and the venue closes at 6pm.
2. Shizuoka Hobby Museum
Right in front of the 1:1 Gundam display in Shizuoka, there's the Shizuoka Hobby Museum.
Admission is ¥600 for adults.
Whether that's expensive or cheap is up to you..
Inside, they have exhibits on the history of Japanese plastic models along with notable kits.
I'll just let the photos do the talking without any extra commentary.. ^^;
There's also a 1:1 Core Fighter on display.
Up close it's a little simpler than I expected.. but the sheer size makes up for it ^^
Inside the museum there's a separate plastic model shop,
though the selection is pretty ordinary.
As for limited editions, they have things like the MG Musha Gundam Mk-II Tokugawa Ieyasu Version (¥7000) and such.
3.
Surrounding Area & Miscellaneous
Right in front of the 1:1 Gundam there's a photo zone built up on some steps..
Once you climb up, they let you pose for a photo holding a beam saber prop.
The catch is, there's a photographer waiting there who takes a shot for you.. and it's not free.
They shoot something like this, and once you come back down from the photo zone,
they immediately print it out, package it up, and ask you for ¥1000 ^^;
I did hear beforehand that there was a paid photo service..
But I went up thinking I could just take my own photos with my group, and ended up getting caught in the system(?) before I knew it.
The one saving grace is that the print quality is actually pretty decent.
Still, it felt like getting robbed of ¥1000 out of nowhere, which left a bit of a sour taste lol
There's also a Gundam Café nearby, but unlike the one in Tokyo it doesn't serve food — it's just a simple takeout drink stand.
Coffee is around ¥300 which is pretty cheap, though the taste is so-so..
They also sell a giant Gundam-shaped taiyaki(?) but it didn't look appetizing at all so I didn't try it.
There are also plenty of other little snack stalls around.
This is the smoking area.. it's tucked away in a spot that takes quite a bit of wandering around the venue to find. (cough)
There's also a separate souvenir and plastic model shop.
Obviously there's no way I could skip going in, right?
They sell souvenirs like postcards, T-shirts, snacks, fans, and more.
Limited edition and RG Gunpla sales booth.
Shizuoka commemorative HG First, SD First limited editions, and
Bandai injection molding machine models, Eco-Pla, and more are on sale.
Eco-Pla are pitch-black HGUC-class Gunpla made from recycled plastic..
I get the whole environmental protection idea, but honestly they don't look that great so I don't really feel the urge to buy them..
I was curious about the Gundam snacks they were selling here, so I picked some up.. ¥1000.
Opened it up and there are 12 little bread snacks inside.
There are 2 different designs stamped on the surface.
They look kind of like those custard cakes you find at the supermarket..
They're actually pretty tasty :-)
The price though... OTL.
On the way out..
From September 2010 it closes at 6 PM, so it was a shame we couldn't really enjoy the night view.