Ban Dai and the King of Robots

Giant Gundam near Ban Di headquarters in Shizuoka

Ian has a friend at Ban Dai, the third largest toy maker in the world. Ban Dai's products include Ben 10, Gundam, Godzilla, Power Rangers, Sailor Moon, Teen Titans and many more.

 He was able to get us special permission to visit the Hobby Shop in Shizuoka where they make all the super high end ultra-geek toys.  Many of the sections on the tour were TOP SECRET kind of like Wonka land.  The whole company was required to wear Gundum character uniforms.  Everyone except the top five company members were required to be "good guy" earth federation characters and the president and top four employees are allowed to be a "bad guy" Zeon rebels.  They are really, really into Gundam and toys.

Special ID card door to enter the third floor design area

in the conference room

the factory

Precision is everything and they use a special laser to get the fine detailing and fit.

None of the models use glue so everything must fit perfectly.  The machines that fabricate these Gundam are top secret and the work is done on site because they don't trust the Chinese to create the quality product they seek and not to copy them.

showing the level of detail: blue Gundam character with one yen coin behind it (size of a dime) and to right of  blue one on edge of coin is a super miniature version in gray about the size of the blue Gundams shin

This was a fully articulating hand

all pieces come attached to plastic sheets

Automated assembly with 27 machines working around the clock with only 1 person on the floor over seeing operation at a time

plastic color

Somehow the pieces come with very sophisticated movement, that seems ball and joint, but isn't.  They say they are able to do it by sparing the plastic on in different stages.  I couldn't understand it, but this is part of the top secret design.

Alec and a perfect grade samurai Gundam model

fancy models

Our guide, a 50-something employee, showed us the uber elite large models perfect grade (above high grade and master grade) models with 1,000 pieces to assemble.  they absolutely put Lego to shame.  The guide said that the models take him 12-13 hours to assemble, but that the master designers could easily do it in 5-6 hours!  He mentioned that it might take someone not so used to it a little longer to assemble.  So Scary!


After the factory and design tour we went to a model site with a giant Gundam that has been traveling around Japan.

Let's just say that while the boys, especially Jack and Alec, had a great time, big and little robots just aren't my personal thang.  But what made the trip perfect for me was that I finally got my million dollar view of Mt Fuji.  There are only few days are a year when Fuji-san is cloud-free.  We got to see it in all it's glory on the bullet train trip there and back as well as from the headquarter's lunch room which had a perfect picture framed view of the mountain.

Ahhhh, perfection

Margot's Best of Lists

My Favorite Things in Japan:

1.  trains on time down to the minute 99.9% of the time

and the time this train pulled in was...14:35

2.  fresh sushi from our favorite mom and pop joint

we always order "chef's special or omakase

2.  Roanji rock garden

3.  Mt. Fuji

I just took this yesterday from the shinkansen/bullet train window

4.  Meiji Shirne and the walk through forest leading up to it.

5.  the big buddha near our old apt.

6.  flowers and fruit-laden trees at the end of November

a persimmon tree

showa kinan park at sunset at the end of November

roses in yoyogi park in mid-November

7.  tsukemen from Benten

8.  heated toilet seats

9.  Sumo

10.  my neighborhood tschetchoke shoppe

Some Things I find Crazy about Japan:

1.   the last train of the night in one of world's most metropolitan cities is midnight

2.  money machines excpet stacks of bills

3.  warm curry risotto or milk pancake drinks from vending machine

actually pretty tasty if you like warm butter and syrup flavored milk

too scared to try the risotto in a can (next to the corn potage)

4.  cigarete machines still everywhere

5.  how many people can cram into an already full elevator

and they were still coming!

6.  the plethora of dogs in outfits

7.  interesting snacks

I passed

backed apple with ice cream, chocolate syrup and cornflakes as park food

the egg again

7.  architectural surprises

8.  umbrella stands everywhere

9.  bike assesible steps--this is great

10.  bars at the entrance to pedestrian walkways which make passing through while jogging a bruising experience

these ones provide more space than most

Alec's Best of Lists

Some Reflections on life in Japan by Alec:


My favorite amusement park in Japan is called La Qua.  My favorite ride was called the Wonder Drop.  It was a flume where you ride around then you drop.  There were tons of other rides but that was my favorite.

The craziest thing I saw in Japan was when we were running and we saw a giant turtle with a guy walking it.  It was a really cool turtle.  It had spikey legs and was walking slow.  I think that I want a turtle like that.

not the one we saw, but very similar

My favorite fun park in Japan is a huge park with a fun slide.  There's also a climbing wall, a tread mill thing and a zipline.  But the park was even better because our cousins were with us.


I think the biggest difference between America and Japan is the food.  It is so different.  They have sushi, ramen, tempura and other foods.  Even the American food here is different.  But it is also really good so I don't care.


The biggest difference between stores in America and in Japan is that most of the stores if you walk through Shibuya are completely open.  In America no stores would ever have open fronts.  I like that because then you can see what kind of store it is.

Alec's Top 10 List of Crazy Japan things:

1.  what's with egg on top of everything and usually raw

`

2. not as much color--buildings, people

4.  after school cram schools

5.  parts of animals we would never eat are common munchies here

6.  kindergartners go to school and travel by trains and buses without supervision

7.  only 4 TV channels

8.  cigarette machines

9.  can scan your train pass to pay for purchases at vending machines and stores

10.  Kingakuji shrine, the silver pavilion, wasn't silver at all.

3.  no matter which way you put a ticket into a subway machine, it will come out facing up and the right way.

Alec's favorite things in Japan:

1. ebi wasabi nuki

2.  lots of fun parks

showa kinan park kid's forest

3.  lots of amusement parks

La Qua

4.  stores with open fronts instead of just doors

5.  vending machines everywhere and the never ending options

6.  department store roof top amusement and game parks

wouldn't the littler cousins love this?

7.  Edo outdoor architectural museum stilts and old fashioned games

8.  naan as big as your torso

he has already eaten a few inches off the top

9.  Kinokuniya bookstore where you can read all the manga you want

10.  favorite temple: Gingakuji temple, the golden pavilion