While many people are familiar with the tall Gundam monument in Odaiba, at Kami-Igusa Station, one will find a 3 meters (9.84 feet) bronze Gundam sculpture in front of the station.
For those riding the Seibu Shinjuku Line (Seibu Railway) to Suginami, Tokyo, Kami-Igusa (which opened back in April 1927) is a station which averages about 20,030 people per day.
But once you arrive, what many people will find is a residential and business area and may find it odd to see a Gundam sculpture at the front of the station.
The reason for it is that the neighborhood is the headquarters of Sunrise Animation, the studio which created the original Gundam (Kido Senshi Gundam) series back in 1978.
And 30-years later, the residents of Suginami paid for a Gundam statue to be built at Kami-Igusa Station.
If you are headed to Kami-Igusa Station, Sunrise Studio HQ is just across the street (a little over a block away) and you can go inside the main floor. To the rear of the station is Ishizuka Cycle, one of the older family-owned bike shops in Japan. And there are numerous places to eat nearby.
Overall, if you are a fan of Gundam or a cyclist, definitely stop by Kami-Igusa Station and check the area out!
