On the shelf in Japan

4.6.2023

My trip to Japan just days ago was amazing. It was a dream realized. After more than three years of staying in the house because of the pandemic, I finally returned to my favorite place on earth. And the trip did not disappoint. Each day was full of memorable moments. Some days had more than others.

Over the last year or so I’ve had dreams of going to Godzilla stores in Japan. Those dreams ended with euphoria and deep satisfaction having found the Godzilla figure of my dreams. During my trip there were moments of deja vu with feeling that I was dreaming and that I was reliving my fondest dream memories. Walking into Nakano Broadway, Jungle in DenDen Town, and Admski were surreal experiences.

Perhaps the pinnacle of my memorable moments was finding my X-Plus box art on the shelves of my favorite shops. I spotted the X-Plus MechaGodzilla 1974 model kit and Yuji Sakai’s Godzilla 1991 in the New Special Mandarake shops in Nakano Broadway. Later, I saw MechaGodzilla at Mandarake in Akihabara. When in Osaka I saw MechaGodzilla in Admski and the Yuji Sakai Godzilla 2000 statue in the flagship Jungle store. Having official Godzilla box art in the Japanese market was always beyond my imagination.

The trip topper was my visit to the X-Plus corporate headquarters in Osaka. I spent about two hours speaking with the president of X-Plus discussing products in development and new releases. My trip was a personal and professional dream come true.