Hundreds of thousands of anime enthusiasts and globetrotters from different parts of the world are interested in Japanese animation shows, manga or comic books and video games. Most of them look forward to personally experience the diversity of pop culture in the Land of the Rising Sun. Among the most iconic animated characters in Japan that gained tremendous popularity worldwide is Gundam. Both locals and foreign tourists alike are fascinated by this giant robot anime franchise, making Gundam as a major pop culture phenomenon not only in Japan but also on a global scale.
It did not come as a surprise when a life sized Unicorn Gundam statue was constructed in the capital city of Tokyo as an additional tourist attraction for anime lovers from Japan and all over the world. The full scale statue is the newest and greatest attraction of the robot anime franchise standing at almost sixty five feet. Located at the southern area of Diver City Tokyo Plaza, travellers can easily get to the Unicorn Gundam Statue by walking about ten minutes from Daiba Station. The statue is definitely one of the must-see tourist spots in Tokyo with its amazing and distinctive features perfect for photos.
This 2019, the Organizing Committe of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo in cooperation with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the University of Tokyo released press statements regarding their combined plan to launch into space model Gundam robots patterned from the animated movie “Mobile Suit Gundam”. These robots are intended to transmit messages of encouragement and support for the Olympic games in order to electrify and add more interesting activities to the sports event.
These model Gundam robots are approximately ten centimeters in length to fit inside a microsatellite with an automated bulletin board where the greetings and words of support for the Olympic games will be displayed. The organizers are set to initiate the launching of the Gundam robots to thhe International Space Station on board a special ship by March of 2020. The satellite will thereafter be released in space ready to position the automated bulletin board and Gundam robots to be sent back to Earth.
Reference:
‘Gundam’ robots to greet Olympians from space
Giant Tokyo Robot! Gundam Celebrates its Biggest Attraction Yet
Unicorn Gundam Statue in Odaiba
