Director Tomino and LUNA SEA Appeared at the GUNDAM FACTORY YOKOHAMA Opening Ceremony!

GUNDAM FACTORY YOKOHAMA, a facility where visitors can witness the culmination of the dream project of creating a moving life-size 18 meter Gundam, will open on Saturday, December 19th, for a limited period due to a collaborative effort with the city of Yokohama as a part of the Mobile Suit Gundam 40th Anniversary Project.

The facility consists of two areas: the GUNDAM-DOCK, a deck where the moving Gundam is stored, and the GUNDAM-LAB, an area where visitors can have fun while learning about the mechanisms used in the moving Gundam. Also within GFY, GUNDAM Café YOKOHAMA Satellite offers guests original cuisine, local foods unique to Yokohama, and exclusive merchandise available only at the facility, and the GFY official shop THE GUNDAM BASE YOKOHAMA Satellite.
The GUNDAM Café POP UP STORE YOKOHAMA will also open for a limited period from Monday, December 21st to Monday, January 11th, 2021 within the gates of JR Yokohama Station.

An opening ceremony was held on Friday, December 18th, a day before the grand opening of the facility, and Yoshiyuki Tomino, the director of the Mobile Suit Gundam series, and the members of the rock band LUNA SEA attended it.

At the opening ceremony held today on Friday, December 18th, Yasuo Miyagawa, the representative director of Gundam GLOBAL CHALLENGE, greeted the audience as the event’s organizer. The life-size Gundam statue was unveiled at Odaiba Shiokaze Park in Tokyo in 2009, and it was revealed that there were 4.15 million visitors within 60 days ever since it was on display. This eventually led to Gundam GLOBAL CHALLENGE, a project that began in 2014 to create a moving life-size Gundam by 2019, the year of the 40th anniversary of the Gundam series.

Miyagawa stated that he could not forget the words of emeritus professor Shuji Hashimoto of Waseda University: "The advance in technology has led to reality catching up with fantasy." "There are hardly any dreams left for technology to take on." and "I want to teach people how to find dreams.”

Miyagawa then explained that this moving Gundam could become a starting point for the current generation and future generations to talk about upcoming Gundam titles and new technology, and that "The steps that this moving Gundam takes will also be steps toward the future of Japanese technology and a bright future."

Next, Fumiko Hayashi, the mayor of Yokohama stated "It is a great honor that Yokohama was chosen as the stage for one of the world's first and most magnificent dreams”, and that visitors who stop by should enjoy the view of the Gundam up close with the bayside scenery of Yokoyama.

Finally, Yoshiyuki Tomino, the general director of Mobile Suit Gundam appeared on stage. After seeing the completed moving Gundam, he says he explained that he realized the greatness of the shape of the human figure and how great toy-like color schemes were. He also stated that although children instinctively understand the "kindness" that can be felt when a human figure of this size moves, adults are foolish and have lost this kind of imagination.
At the end of his interview he smiled and said "I'm really happy that everyone who was involved in this project was able to learn such things through this project. Please take a good look at it. This Gundam is a kind and friendly entity.”

A special performance for the ceremony was then unveiled. The smooth and awe inspiring movements of the 18 meter tall machine were shown in full display.
Following this, LUNA SEA, the secret guest of the ceremony, held a live concert featuring "THE BEYOND", the theme song for the 40th anniversary of Gundam, fascinating the audience at the venue with a masterful performance.

The next part of the ceremony was a special talk session with Director Tomino and LUNA SEA's RYUICHI, and SUGIZO. Director Tomino stated "I didn't think anyone would actually put in all this effort to make a life-size Gundam. Thank you very much, and thank you for your hard work."

In addition, RYUICHI, who is also the Kanagawa Friendship Tourism Ambassador, excitedly stated "Can you believe that a Gundam that actually moves is here in Yokohama instead of anywhere else in the world!" SUGIZO, who describes himself as a fan who usually sides with the Principality of Zeon, shared that tears flowed from his eyes due to the awe inspiring appearance of the moving Gundam that stimulated his primordial instincts, and also stated "I was so moved to be able to play in front of the Gundam and Director Tomino is something that I couldn’t even dream of as a child. However, I would like to see a moving Zakufor the 50th anniversary!”

GUNDAM FACTORY YOKOHAMA is scheduled to open for a limited time until March 31, 2022 (Thursday).
Buy your tickets in advance on the official website and make sure to stop by.