Having grown from a tiny one-room shop into a collectibles behemoth with global reach, Kaiyodo remains one of the world’s premier producers of anime figurines. Fans of the company’s creations travel from near and far to experience founder Osamu Miyawaki’s personal theme park, Kaiyodo Hobby Land, a spectacularly geeky museum exhibiting a collection of some 10,000 figurines and plastic models across 13 areas.
You won’t be able to miss the life-size models of the heads of a Tyrannosaurus and a Triceratops, created in collaboration with special effects visionary Chris Walas, the man behind the creatures in films such as Gremlins and The Fly. If you’re lucky, you may also spot some of Kaiyodo’s figurine artisans and monster-makers at work in the demonstration zone.
Note that same-day tickets often sell out, so it’s best to secure your pass in advance through the website.