The Akai Kutsu is a shuttle bus that goes around a circular route to many of the local attractions. It starts and ends in front of Sakuragicho
It runs everyday but schedules are different for weekdays compared to weekends. One time fare is 200yen. An all day pass is 500yen and can be purchased in many places including the bus itself. My hotel is another location for purchase
One of the first stops is World Porters then proceeds to Hammerhead Park and the nearby Hammerhead Park and complex
Still an active ferry terminal, this renovation was built around the crane that serviced the area
The hammerhead crane still exists and helps visually direct visitors to its location
The structure at the pier is a, say it with me, retail and dining facility. The difference however is the hotel situated on the top 3 floors
Looking in the opposite direction of MM, you can see the Tsurumi Tsubasa Bridge. The suspended portion of the bridge on the right is very similar to the eastern span of the San Francisco Bay Bridge
The western portion is the Yokohama Bay Bridge
At one point during the day, I came back to the building and found a ramen food court. Because of Ichiran, I chose this spot because of the similar type of ramen they serve
The menu offerings looked good and ordered the tonkotsu ramen number 1. Unfortunately, the ramen was not stellar
However, if you cant get enough, theres a vending machine where you can take home refrigereated ready to eat versions from each of the ramen joints
The bus weaves through areas like the bayside, Chinatown, and Motomachi. I alight at Harbor View Park that overlooks the bay. This view is more north facing
This more toward the east. If you look closely, you will see the Gundam RX 78-2 at Gundam Factory
If you couldnt see it above, heres a closeup. The superstructure makes it look like the sprues off the model kit
This is the fourth homage to the iconic anime character
The first was also an RX 78 the stood sentry over Tokyo Bay. Went on tour and returned to Odaiba to Diver City
Later, a slightly animated Unicorn Gundam took its place. Transformming from Unicorn to Destroyer modes with accompanying lights and music.
Another Gundam was erected in Fukuoka in front of another mall, Lala Port
This one is the most articulated one yet. This is the first Gundam to take its baby steps forward and be able to kneel
It can strike different poses and sometimes will vogue when no one is looking
This attraction is fee based and will cost money to get into Gundam Factory. An additional cost to get up close and personal allowing entry onto the gantry
During the scheduled shows, the platforms swing away to allow the mecha to move out into the open
The stop at Marine Tower puts you in the are of Yamashita Park and Gundam Factory in addition to the park.
This is a temporary exhibition and is slated to be torn down. The deadline was extended to March 31, 2024. This is recent news as initial extension was 3/31/23
Would you suspect size 2000 sneakers?
This scheduled display was short and had minimal movement ending in a finger point to the sky
The shows at night are more spectacular because of the addition of lighting effects in addition to the movement and music
Bandai once had a museum in the outter Tokyo area. I believe in Matsuto? They had a life sized bust of the RX 78 and you could get close than these people
They left him pointing for along time
Lining up for an up close and personal look the the arm pits of a mecha
Still pointing as I left. Can I get a reset?
Making my way back to the bust stop while taking in the sun and nice weather of the day. Several people also leaving after the Gundam song and dance
Going back to the MM area aboard the same bus that brought me here
Went to dinner at Jonathon's at World Porter's. Of course I had the dink bar to accompany dinner. Of course I had the iced cappuccino as the beverage of choice
The roast beef salad probably wasnt the only thing I ordered. At this point, I would need to reference the video to remind me what else I had
After dinner, a stroll around the island to take in the neon lights of the city. Cosmo World has several thrill rides incluiding a jet coaster, the obivous ferris wheel, as well as a water flume ride
There are carnival games as well as an arcade with games of chance like the ufo catcher/crane games Japan is famous for
A walkway in the middle of a body of water connects Sakuragicho to the amusement area with the trams traversing above
Across the street from the hotel is a post office, a main branch at that. The post boxes in front of the building has Pokemon atop them. Pikachu on one and Evie on the other. Some people are into that
Tommorrow will be the last day in Japan. Instead of spending that time in Yokohama, I will visit someplace new to me. Yokosuka, south of Yokohama, is home to a US naval base and known for Navy curry
