We had witnessed the astonishing phenomenon of the giant Gundam taking its first few steps. We’ve even watched the bizarre head blessing ceremony for it via a series of videos posted by netizens online. Now, set your dates aside as you will be able to see the life-size Gundam up close and personal as Gundam Factory Yokohama has finally set an official grand opening date.
The harbourside Gundam complex will open its doors to the public on 19 December 2020. The 18-meter mobile suit was originally set to have its debut on 1 October 2020, but plans were derailed due to the coronavirus situation. Moreover, it will only stay open for a limited time from 19 December 2020 to 31 March 2022.
Guests who visit the mecha’s home will be able to visit two main areas. Firstly, the Gundam Lab will feature the building process of the full-scale Gundam suit. It will even allow guests to experience what it’s like to sit at the cockpit of the life-sized suit and look over the urban landscape via an AR experience.
Next is the crown jewel of the attraction, the Gundam-Dock Tower. You will be able to climb the scaffolding surrounding the giant mecha and observe this monument of masterful engineering and artistic passions up close. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to climb into the actual cockpit, but seeing something from anime brought into reality is already something of a spectacle in itself.
Other facilities include a Gundam Cafe and a gift shop.
The gift shop is called The Gundam Base selling exclusive merch such as the RX-78F00 Gundam 1/144 scale moveable figure.
Beyond the grand opening for the life-size Gundam, the opening hours for the attraction will be from 10 am to 9 pm daily with the last admission at 8 pm. You can purchase your tickets from their official site.
Guests will also receive a free snap-together 1:200-scale Gunpla plastic model as part of their admission cost.
Tickets are priced at 3,300 yen (S$42.70) for the Gundam-Dock Tower. For the Gundam Lab, tickets are priced at 1,650 yen (S$21.35) for Adults ages 13 years old and over and 1,100 yen (S$14.23) for Children 7 years old to 12 years old. There will be free entry for up to three children ages six and below.
Fumiko is an avid fan of spreading herself too thin and drowning in too many fandoms. She would love to spend all day reading fanfiction at home and crying.
Si Jia
