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Published: August 8th 2009
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I should probably start this entry with a little explanation, I love the anime show Mobile Suit Gundam. I love the writing, the action, the message, political intrigue, characters, and the freakin awesome robots. There is nothing about that show that I don't like because it's so well thought out and put back together to tell a really good story and makes a strong statement about war. I know the primary reason why the show makes so much money is because they can sell robots to kids and make a lot of money from it, but these other parts make it a show that can be understood and played together perfectly.
This year is the 30th anniversary of the original Mobile Suit Gundam and to celebrate this, there has been a giant Gundam built in Odaiba park. Right down the street from the Fuji TV studios. As is so happened, there was a large TV event going on, so it was going to be like killing two birds with one stone. So, in pure selfish glory, I e-mailed my friend Amy and told her that I wanted to go to Odaiba for the day to check it out and walk
around. Luckily, she was very open to this idea and was in full agreement to head over that way. We made plans to meet up at and then I found myself heading down on the 9:26 shinkansen and discovered that my luck wasn't all that great. It was raining.
Plans were scratched for a new alternative that Amy had, a new shopping center, Sunshine City, that was rumored to have a gyoza museum and an aquarium. Since only the IDEA of a gyoza museum was more than enough to get my attention, we headed out toward Ikebukuro on the Yamanote Line. After a fruitless endeavor to get some lunch and eating ice cream instead, we found our way on the crowded elevator to the aquarium. Yet when we got to the Aquarium an amazing thing had happened, there was sunlight and no rain. At this moment I clutched at the chance to get back to Odaiba and see the Gundam in all it's dorky glory.
Back on the Yamanote we rode back to Shimbashi to catch the monorail to Odaiba. The monorail is a lot of fun to ride and it has a great view of Odaiba as
you come up to and under the Rainbow bridge. The Fuji TV Studio is overly futuristic, right on the water, and just pretty interesting to look at. The view of the rest of Tokyo from the top must be nice, we didn't get to go in because there were so many people there for the festival/event. We just ended up walking around and, I believe, in the wrong direction and headed down to the street to walk to the park where the Gundam is.
Apparently, the park is where the government is going to situate park of their bid for being the 2016 Olympics. There were parts that were completely blocked off, but the rental BBQers were still out and enjoying a slightly rainy BBQ along the water. The water way is really nice. Ferries go back and forth and some seem to even set up camp by the Rainbow bridge. After a brief gaunt we walked up and saw the Gundam. It's HUGE and on the hour the head moves and there is a Japanese voice over and everything. The other thing that was huge was the crowd to see it. People would have been climbing all over
that thing if they could have. People were under it and just moving their way around and around. You could get your picture taken professionally and eat some festival food while you waited as well as buy some Gundam apparel. The t-shirt that I wanted was out though. I looked.
After I had my dorky fill of the Gundam, we headed and had a lunch/dinner over looking the water before heading back to Yokohama for the night. The night was spent making inside jokes and watching videos on Amy's computer. Not a bad way to end a day out in Tokyo.
By the way, my sister landed and is just fine now, if not completely jet-lagged.
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LebdaWhen
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Gundam
Great story Kate love the way you spin everything. Glad your sister landed. Didn't know you had a statue of liberty.