Another quirky sight to be found in Kobe is the mammoth Tetsujin 28 Robot Statue!
Towering at an impressive 59 feet high he is somewhat innocuously sited in a fairly drab square surrounded by tower blocks.
Tetsujin-28 is a manga character from Mitsuteru Yokoyama’s 1956 “Tetsujin 28-go”.
The story is about a robot built to be a military weapon that, upon the death of his creator, becomes friend and companion to the creator’s young son.
Together the pair fight crime and defeat other robots bent on destruction.
The huge statue was erected in memory of the huge 1995 earthquake to demonstrate the community’s strength and resilience.
It was also designed to encourage tourism to Kobe which was economically ruined by the earthquake,
He is a magnificent beast and well worth a detour to marvel at!
