Why You Can Trust CNET Up close and personal with Tokyo's 59-foot Gundam statue
In Tokyo there's a 1:1 scale "replica" of a Gundam mobile suit. Here's what it looks like up close.
It's even bigger than it looks. Standing in front of it, my head tilted back -- it's huge. It's sci-fi come to life: an 18-meter/59-foot tall Mobile Suit from the anime series "Gundam."
Built initially to celebrate the series' 30th anniversary, the enormous statue has traveled around a bit.
It now stands guard in front of the DiverCity mall on the artificial island of Odaiba in Tokyo Bay. It doesn't walk around (sadly), nor can you climb up into it (bummer), but for fans of the anime, or anyone who just digs giant robots, it's pretty cool.
Here's how it looks up close.
Getting to Odaiba is pretty easy, like getting anywhere in Tokyo. Several lines run to or through it. It's a bit of a walk to get from the station to DiverCity. But once you get there, you're greeted as you approach by the suit itself. Though unable to defend Earth from any alien invaders, it does at least light up.
A few times a day, it even puts on a little show.
The nighttime show is even better.
If you're in Tokyo, is it worth making a trip out to Odaiba just to see a robot model? I don't know -- I did, and I'm not even a fan of the show. There's just something cool and weird about a 59-foot robot statue, even if it's standing in front of a mall.
And if you happen to actually be Gundam fan, inside DiverCity is Gundam Front Tokyo, which should be enough Gundam-ness for anybody (here's an English wiki with everything that's inside). If not, there's also a Gundam Café in Akihabara.
As well as covering audio and display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000-mile road trips and more.
Also check out Budget Travel for Dummies, his travel book, and his bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines. You can follow him on Instagram and YouTube.