Overview
No trip to Tokyo is complete without a visit to Shinjuku's Godzilla head, which towers down on the popular district from Hotel Gracery Shinjuku. If you're a fan of the King of the Monsters, you'll now need to add another stop to your next Japanese itinerary once international travel resumes: amusement park Nijigen no Mori, on Awaji Island in Hyogo prefecture.
First announced in 2019 and open for business since October 10, 2020, the theme park has just become home to a life-sized version of the scaly creature — even if Godzilla's actual size has changed over the course of its 65-year history. The kaiju was 50 metres tall in the 1954 Japanese classic that started the long-running monster franchise, and measured nearly 120 metres in the most recent US film. In 2017's animated Netflix flick Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters, it even spanned a whopping 300 metres.
At Nijigen no Mori, good ol' Zilly measures 120 metres, and that's in length. You'll find Godzilla on its stomach, mouth open and presumably roaring, with amusement park patrons able to zipline into it. Usually folks are trying to avoid the huge creature and his fire-breathing gob, but that's obviously not the case here.
Called Godzilla Intercept Operation National Godzilla Awajishima Research Centre, the attraction is part of a 5000-square-metre zone dedicated to the famed critter, asking attendees to take on the role of island scientists. In that guise, the ziplining occurs in the name of science, because the huge beast has become trapped in the earth. Shooting games are also part of the Godzilla zone, and so is Zilly-themed food. If you haven't tucked into hot dogs, curries, burgers and cream puffs shaped like Godzilla, Mothra and their fellow kaiju, well, you clearly can't really call yourself a true Godzilla fan.
Nijigen no Mori also now boasts a Godzilla museum, which is the world's first permanent exhibition dedicated to the scaly creature. Here, you'll find dioramas, props from the films and over 80 monster figures, as well as prototypes, artwork and other movie materials. And yes, there's merchandise for sale, naturally.
Also, if you're wondering which Zilly this giant one resembles — Godzilla's appearance has often changed from film to film, too — it's the version of the lizard-style gargantuan from 2016 Japanese movie Shin Godzilla.
If Godzilla Intercept Operation National Godzilla Awajishima Research Centre is now on your post-pandemic must-visit list, entry costs ¥3800, which equates to just over AU$50.
For more information about Godzilla Intercept Operation National Godzilla Awajishima Research Centre, which is now open, visit the Nijigen no Mori website.
Via Nijigen no Mori. Images: Nijigen no Mori.