Located just outside the east exit of Matsudo Station in Chiba Prefecture on the JR Joban Line is Bandai Museum, a place where all true Gundam fans must go once in their lifetime… and not more than once.

Well, it looks like a big building, but Bandai actually only takes up 4 floors and most of them are merchandizes so the actual Gundam Museum is quite small. Entry to most places is free except for the Gundam Museum which requires a 500-yen day ticket.

Kerokerokero. Kerororororo.

A model of a colony from Universal Century. All the displays in the Gundam Museum are printed in both English and Japanese. If you look at the three mirror structures from the front of the colony, you can actually see the landscape inside.

Creepy mono-eye. This is a 1/1 scale model of the head of a Zaku. The eye switches on regularly and look around, presumably for Federation spies. It even produces the distinctive switching-on sound.

Apparently a Zaku weights about 9 elephants and runs much slower than a cheetah.

You can pay 500 yen to rent a costume and pose in front of…

A 1/1 replica of the Gundam. You can also pay 500 yen to fire a miniature (airsoft) replica of the machine gun of a Zaku. Or you can pay 500 yen to enter the Gundam’s cockpit and then pay another 1000 yen to get a commemorative picture taken…

And if that’s not enough money wasted spent, you can find all forms of overpriced food at the G-style Cafe. G for Gundam that is. There are deserts with names like “Akatsuki no Kuruma” (New York Style Cheese Cake), “Kira no Namida”(Oreo Cheese Cake) and “Lacus no Kyuujitsu” (Chocolate Cheese Cake). There are also Haro cocktails available in four different colours. (Actually Calpis drinks mixed with fruit flavouring) A cheese cake costs about 500 yen and a Haro cocktail is 600 yen. Don’t even ask for the main menu.

Oh yeah, pictured above is “Lacus no Kyuujitsu”. I am a fanboy. :3

And here we have the toilet.

And here are the rest of the photos.