Summary
The fun science fiction animeKaiju No. 8is one of the highest rated animecurrently airing in the Spring 2024 animeseason. With a fun balance of humor and action, its no surprise that this anime has won over plenty of fans - and that does not even include the fans it already had from a very successful manga. In Japan,Kaiju No. 8has been popping up more and more on posters, products, and more, and its first (of likely many) special collaboration events is happening now.
What makes this first event extra special is not necessarily its contents, which are pretty fun, too, but its location. TheKaiju No. 8event took advantage of the anime being set in modern Tokyo to hold its event in the same place where a major part of the show is set. We are talking about Tachikawa, a city in the Greater Tokyo Area. Tachikawa is an important setting in the real anime, and the city has definitely capitalized on that by creating an event literally called “Kaiju No. 8 x Tachikawa City.”
Warning: The following contains minor spoilers for Kaiju No. 8 up to Episode 4, now streaming onCrunchyroll.
Tachikawa City inKaiju No. 8
Kaiju No. 8is on its fifth episode this week, and so far, the named locations have all been in Yokohama or the Western Greater Tokyo Area. Tachikawa is one of the places in the latter, a suburb of Tokyo large enough to be classified as its own city. InKaiju No. 8, it is the home of theJapan Anti-Kaiju Defense Force’s Western Tokyo base, where the main character, Kafka Hibino, goes to take his practical exam to join the Defense Force.
At the Tachikawa base, the audience was alsointroduced to the larger side castof the anime, including Kikoru Shinomiya, Iharu Furuhashi, and even Kaiju No. 9. It is also the place where we got to see Kikoru’s impressive kaiju-neutralizing skills in action for the first time, and where Kafka revealed his secret to her. Tachikawa is an important location in the anime, and that is why the city has taken advantage of its significance to host this event.
Kaiju No. 8 x Tachikawa City
The event itself began on April 26th, just in time for the Golden Week holiday in Japan, and parts of it will be running through the end of June. One of the highlights of theKaiju No. 8x Tachikawa City is the stamp rally, where participants have to go to certain locations to receive a stamp (in this case, digitally), and when all the stamps are collected, they can earn a prize. The stamp rally is free to participate in and can be accessed via the event’sofficial website. All you have to do is open the map, travel to the six checkpoints around Tachikawa, and then show your completed map at the event exchange counter to receive a free pin.
There is also a special pop-up shop running through the end of June, with exclusive goods for theKaiju No. 8x Tachikawa City that can only be purchased at the event. These include special postcards, pins, stickers, charms, t-shirts, and even fluffy slippers that look likeKafka in his kaiju form. If you spend more than 2000 yen, you will also get a character fan until June 14th, which is great to beat Japan’s summer heat.
Around the city of Tachikawa, especially at the points visited for the stamp rally, there are also cardboard standees of the leading characters for great photo ops. A few of these places will also have more exclusive goods for sale. These stores will also be giving awayfree character coastersfor every 500 yen spent in the stores, with different designs available from different stores. Finally, very impressively, right in Tachikawa station there is a life-size sculpture of Kafka in his kaiju form.
Tachikawa may not be a usual place for people to visit, but forKaiju No. 8fans, it is definitely worth the special trip between now and the end of June. The stamp rally is also totally free, as are taking photos of the Kafka statue and other standees, so the event is accessible to anyone who wants to participate and get a free keepsake exclusive to this event. Tachikawa can be accessed easily from Shinjuku Station on the Chuo Rapid line without changing trains, and the event will be running until June 30th.
