Revisiting the Godzilla Slide in Kurihama!

The Godzilla slide in Kurihama! Photo by Brett Homenick. 

After visiting Kamakura, Jacob and I took a hike in Kurihama Flower World to look at the Godzilla slide. It was my first time to be there at night, which added some atmosphere to the pictures. Check them out!

RETURN TO KURIHAMA FLOWER WORLD! Revisiting the King of the Monsters!

The King of the Monsters stands tall in Kurihama Flower World! Photo by Brett Homenick.

During my day trip to Yokosuka, I paid a visit to Kurihama Flower World, which many Godzilla fans will recognize as the home to the enormous (nine meters high, 10 meters long) Godzilla slide in the park's Adventure Land section.

Welcome to Kurihama Flower World! Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Given that it had more than three years (hard to believe it's been that long!) since my first trip there, I decided to give it another look. My decision was made much easier by the fact that I had other business in Yokosuka, so the trek to Kurihama would be much shorter than it otherwise would be.

Godzilla stands just a few feet down the road. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Despite the blistering heat, I made the hike up Kurihama Flower World and looked forward to seeing the slide again. One thing I wanted to do this time was actually to go down the slide. During my first visit, a typhoon had just blown through Tokyo, leaving the slide a muddy mess. This time, however, the weather was about as sunny as it could get.

It's Godzilla! Photo by Brett Homenick.

The sun began to set, giving an interesting lighting to the photos I took. It also posed a few problems, as I couldn't really photograph the slide from certain angles. Still, I think the pictures turned out extremely well.

The Godzilla slide, as seen from behind. Photo by Brett Homenick.

After snapping some pictures, I decided to give the slide a try. Unfortunately, I ended up having to force myself down the slide, since nothing happened when I first tried! It turns out that the slide is much better to look at than to use.

After spending a few minutes with the King of the Monsters, it was time to turn around and go home. Considering all the hiking I did in the sweltering summer heat, I feel like I've done enough exercise to last me the rest of the year. So I think I'll take it easy until around New Year's!

It was great to see Godzilla again in all his glory. Perhaps another trip might be in the cards in the near future, but we'll have to wait and see what happens.

GODZILLA RAVAGES KURIHAMA! The King of the Monsters rules the Flower World!

Godzilla is ready for his closeup, but are you ready for Godzilla? 

Godzilla fans are familiar with the two Godzilla statues in Tokyo. The first one was erected in Hibiya Chanter Square in conjunction with the release of Godzilla vs. Destroyah (1995), which was billed as Godzilla's last film. In more recent years, Toho Studios built a bigger Godzilla statue (the size of the filming suit) that stands outside the studio gates. These statues have been photographed and written about endlessly by Godzilla fans, leaving the impression that that's all there is to see.

This guy might disagree!

Of all the Godzilla structures in Japan, this is by far the biggest and perhaps even the coolest. It's about as close as anyone will ever get to seeing the real thing!

And it's not just cool to look at; you can slide down Godzilla's tail! Yup, it's actually a playground slide, not a statue. Be warned, though, it was built with children in mind (I can't believe I actually had to type that!), so the slide itself is narrow. Although I didn't use it myself (recent typhoons left it a little too muddy for me), I had a hard time seeing myself actually sliding down the thing.

The Big Guy holds court in Kurihama Flower World, located in Yokosuka, Kanagawa. You can find it in the Adventure Land section of the park, among other various playground-style activities.

The Flower World is quite a distance from Tokyo (about an hour and a half train ride), which would likely explain why so few monster movie fans who travel to Japan visit it or even know of its existence. 

Of course, whether this attraction might be of interest is completely up to the individual. But I must say that I'm glad I made the effort to see it. It was quite impressive, and it sure beats shopping for Bandai figures!

If you're interested in the backstory behind the massive slide, this link has the details.

Finally, I shot some video at the slide, and here it is. Call it the first installment of Pigeon Kicker TV. Or don't. That part is also up to you.