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Japan hasno shortage of places for otaku to travel towhen visiting the country, with “pilgrimage” points and interesting destinations for fans of Japanese anime, manga, games, and movies. While traveling to Tokyo and Osaka are likely the first places that you may think of when planning a trip to Japan, there are plenty of other places beyond those big cities with special things to offer. One such landmark has just been revealed far from Japan’s most famous cities, near the bottom of the main island in Saga Prefecture.
As part of a campaign to promote tourism, Saga Prefecture unveiled a newGodzillamural in an unlikely place- on the side of a dam. How the mural was created is even more interesting, because it was not done with paint or any ordinary medium. The mural was revealed on November 22nd as part of the “Sagaprise” tourism campaign, announced on the X (formerlyTwitter) account and website of the company that created the mural, along with Sagaprise and Saga Prefecture’s official websites.
Japan’s Newest Tribute to Godzilla
The King of Monsters as You Have Never Seen Him
Japan has no shortage of Godzilla tributes and merchandise, with entire stories dedicated to the King of Monsters, theme parks, mosaics, and even a life-size statue of his head in Tokyo. And why not? Godzilla isarguably one of Japan’s most famous characters, with international fame that rivals even Pikachu and Hello Kitty. Godzilla has been around since 1954 when he first arrived on the scene, created by Toho Studios, and has never lost his popularity both domestically and abroad.
Now, Godzilla has a whole new landmark for fans to go and see, and it is larger than life. This new Godzilla mural is on the side of Iwayagawauchi Dam in Saga Prefecture. It was created by pressure washer company Karcher, who reportedly have been planning the mural since sometime in July. Work on the mural began on November 4th, 2024, and the final piece was revealed on November 22nd. It was created by a team of 7 people, who used more than 2,400 point markers to create the design.
Godzilla vs. Saga “Godzilla in Saga Dam Art Project Powered by Karcher.” A super giant “Godzilla” appears on a dam in Saga Prefecture! The Iwayagawauchi Dam, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, will be used as the canvas for a spectacular dam art project 🎉.
The project, which started on Monday, November 4, to create a magnificent Godzilla artwork by cleaning dirt from the dam itself, took about four months of preparation, starting with careful preliminary meetings, followed by the cleaning process conducted by a total of seven people, and was completed on Friday, November 22 🙌.
The most important part of the dam art production was to faithfully reproduce the design on the wall of the huge dam, and this time, in order to express the details of Godzilla, which were much finer than previous designs done overseas, the artist focused on the precise point markings, edging, and delicate and dynamic cleaning process. The artist has taken great care to depict a powerful Godzilla that looks as if it is about to move, taking full advantage of the dam’s characteristics.
Since this is a work of art that utilizes the natural environment, the dam art can only be viewed under natural conditions. Why not visit the Iwayagawauchi Dam to see this work of art that can only be seen now!
The only downside is that no one is certain how long Godzilla will last on the dam, as it will be determined by the “natural conditions.”
Good Timing for a New Godzilla Landmark
Celebrating a Major Win for the Franchise
While Godzilla never goes out of fashion, and new movies seem to be coming all the time, now is a great moment to stop and celebrate the recent success of the King of Monsters. Just last year, in 2023,Godzilla Minus Onemade history for the franchise. The movie went on to win the first Academy Award that Godzilla has ever earned. The award was for Best Visual Effects. In addition to this historic win,Godzilla Minus Onewon countless other awards, including the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Screenplay.
No other Godzilla movie has had such an epic level of success on the awards circuit, and it took nearly seventy years to win an Academy Award. That makes now the best time to celebrate the lasting legacy of Godzilla, preserving a special time in the franchise’s history and giving fans something truly special to go and visit. Godzilla will not last forever on Iwayagawauchi Dam, though, so if you want to see it for yourself, you had best go sooner rather than later.
