Gundam takes a one-day break from fighting Zeon to raise sustainability awareness and save fans some cash.
The Gundam Factory Yokohama facility is a big deal for anime robot fans, both literally and figuratively. Not only is it a full 1:1-scale statue of the original RX-78-2 Gundam, it actually moves, and the sight of an 18-meter (59-foot) mobile suit in motion is an incredible sight.
Unfortunately, the moving Gundam isn’t just large in stature and significance, but in ticket price too. Entrance to the facility costs 1,650 yen (US$15.15) for visitors age 13 and up, and 1,100 yen for kids 7 to 12. However, there is a way to get around those costs, and no, it doesn’t involve sneaking into Gundam Factory Yokohama like you’re a Zeon soldier infiltrating an Earth Federation base while munching on space rations.
November 3 is Culture Day, a national holiday in Japan, but this year at Gundam Factory Yokohama it’s also been dubbed Sustainable Day. The moving Gundam wasn’t designed only to be awesome, but also eco-friendly in its movement, as it’s powered entirely be renewable energy generated by the Hama Wing wind turbine found on the opposite side of the bay from the mobile suit.
▼ Hama Wing, not to be confused with Gundam Wing
To showcase the power of clean power sources, Gundam Factory Yokohama is offering free admission to the facility on November 3. In addition, while supplies last visitors will receive a 1:144-scale RX-78-2 “Ecopura” model, made out of recycled materials. Guests are also encouraged to bring any runners (the plastic frame model parts are set in during manufacture) they may have at home from Gundam models they’ve finished putting together and drop them in Gundam Factory Yokohama’s recycling boxes, as part of the new program toymaker Bandai started earlier this year.
If you want to head up into the scaffolding that surrounds the mecha for a closer look, there is still the facility’s standard additional charge of 3,300 yen per person per person. However, Gundam can be seen from ground level, so the scaffolding ticket is really for the hardest of the hardcore, and even for them, waiving the cost of the base admission and providing a free model should help serious mobile suit admirers carve out space in their budget for the extra scaffolding cost.
Wisely realizing that simply throwing open the front doors would result in massive overcrowding, reservations are required for the free admission day, and can be made online here starting at 10 a.m. on October 20.
Related: Gundam Factory Yokohama
Source: Gundam Factory Yokohama via IT Media, Robot Start
Top image: Gundam Factory Yokohama
Insert images: City of Yokohama, Gundam Factory Yokohama
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