Plastic model manufactures flourish in Shizuoka! We have some famous ones here.
But why are there so many plastic model manufactures in Shizuoka?
Well, this bring us back to Edo (or Tokugawa) era, about 400 years ago. In 1600s, as Shogun, Ieyasu Tokugawa moved to Shizuoka, Sunpu Castle, to retreat, he called many skilled woodworkers to make furnitures and stuff. They are the origin of those plastic model manufactures. And here in Shizuoka, we produce 90% of Japanese plastic models! In every May, there’s a hobby show held in the city. The show focuses on newly releasing hobby products.
“Gandam” is probably know by a lot of you. And did you know that all the Gandam plastic models are made in Shizuoka!? There’s the “BANDAI HOBBY CENTER” in Shizuoka! They plan, develop, and manufacture everything in this HOBBY CENTER.
You can take the factory tour if you apply for it in advance. (Apply through their website, the tour is scheduled by them. And it’s competitive!) You get to see the factory, their offices where they plan and design all the products. Staffs there wear uniforms of Gandam, so it’s gonna be quite interesting tour!! (FYI, you’re not allowed to go inside of the building unless you make a reservation for the factory tour.)
| BANDAI | |
|---|---|
| Open-Close | The factory tour schedule will be announced on Bandai's website |
| Address | 500-12 Naganuma, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka-shi, Shizuoka-ken, Japan, 420-0813 |
| Tel | +81-54-208-7511 |
| Access | Train: Take Shizutetsu train from Shin Shizuoka st. and get off at "Naganuma" st. Approx. 6 min ride. 130yen/adult, 70yen/child |
| Note | They don't have any assistance in English for the factory tour. If you need me to attend with you, please let me know. Bandai's Website |
“Tamiya” is also one of the biggest manufactures of plastic model, radio controlled cars, and various modeling tools and supplies. The head office is located in Shizuoka-shi. You can go visit their museum and showroom for free.They have great reputations among their fans of outstanding quality and accurate scale detail. (I didn’t know that.)| TAMIYA MOKEI | |
|---|---|
| Open-Close | The show room area is open from 9am to 4:30pm. Showroom visit reservation |
| Address | 3-7 Ondabara, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka-shi, Shizuoka-ken, Japan, 422-8610 |
| Tel | +81-54-286-5105 |
| Access | Bus: JR Shizuoka Bus terminal @11, take #30 or 31 (Oshika-line) , get off at "My home center mae". Approx. 20min ride. 190yen/adult, 100yen/child |
| Note | Tamiya Website |