Everything in Japan is coming up Star Wars right now. There was the amazing snow sculpture at the Sapporo Snow Festival in February, the stunning rice field art in July, beautiful Nebuta festival floats in August, and of course those amazing Samurai Star Wars figures that are about to go on sale. A new hope has risen for fans as this will be the first time in 10 years that Jedi Masters and our favorite droids will grace the big screen.
Another city in Japan has decided to strike back with a Force-inspired exhibit in the only place in the country that could match up to the desert planet of Tatooine. In the sand dunes of Tottori, a massive Star Wars sand sculpture is going to be erected. A return of the giant sculptures, if you will.
Dubbed Tsuna no Star Wars or “Star Wars in Sand” this sand dune menace will stand 3.4 meters (11.1 feet) high, 7.4 meters (24.3 feet) across and 4.2 meters (13.8 feet) deep. Ahead of the actual unveiling, the design has been released revealing which characters will appear in the sculpture.
▼ Soon, this pile of sand will go from this…
▼ …to this!
Fans will be delighted to see everyone’s favorite droids featured prominently in the sculpture. Joining them is the darling of the new trilogy, the BB-8 droid.
As well as the loveable droids, the iconic Star Wars ships like the Millennium Falcon, X-Wing and TIE Fighter will be featured in the background. The artistic sculptor responsible for this colossal undertaking will be Katsuhiko Chaen, winner of numerous sand sculpting awards around the world. He developed his talents as a sand sculptor in his hometown of Satsuma, Kagoshima, but has gone on to lead sand projects all over the world.
This particular sculpture will require 160 tons of sand brought in by 16 trucks and will take about two months to complete. The exhibit will be on display at the Tottori Sand Dunes from October 8 until the end of December, just in time for Episode VII‘s premier on December 18.
▼ Look for a wide, sandy landscape and camels.
With so many Japanese festivals and events with Star Wars on display, casual fans might feel like it’s been an attack of the Star Wars advertising machine. However, big fans are relishing the chance to celebrate the influential science fiction franchise. After the prequels were mostly panned for not living up to expectations, people are cautiously optimistic for J.J. Abrams’ new film. If the movie isn’t any good, Disney and Lucasfilm will be shaking in their boots for fear of the revenge of the die-hard fans.
Even if the movie disappoints, this sand sculpture will definitely be out of this world. So if you are in the Tottori area, make sure to take a look before it is gone forever. The sculpture will be one in a million, kid.
Source: NariNari
Top image: Twitter/@disneystudiojp, Twitter/@aoki_travel (edited by RocketNews24)