Inagi · JP

Gundam Monument (RX-78-2 & Char's Zaku), Inagi

Tucked beneath the railway viaduct at JR Inagi-Naganuma Station, the Gundam Monument is a pilgrimage photo-spot for anime fans: two full-size sculptures of the RX-78-2 Gundam and Char Aznable's red-and-pink MS-06S "Char's Zaku," each standing about 3.6 metres tall, set face-to-face like a frozen duel from Mobile Suit Gundam. The statues are the centrepiece of Inagi's "Mechanical Designer Kunio Okawara Project." Okawara, the original mecha designer behind Gundam and countless other series, grew up here, and the city has turned its streets into an open-air gallery of his most famous machines. The monument's setting—an information hub called Pear Terrace, with park green behind and a bench-lined plaza in front—makes it as much a place to linger as a place to photograph.