An Australian writer recounts their childhood fascination with the robot character Gigantor from Japanese cartoons and visits Kobe to see a life-size statue of Tetsujin 28, the original name for Gigantor in Japan. Built in 2009 by local businesses and government after the devastating 1995 earthquake, the giant blue robot stands at 18 meters tall as a symbol of resilience. The article details the writer's emotional journey to Kobe, their awe upon seeing the statue, and exploring the nearby museum dedicated to Gigantor’s creator, Mitsuteru Yokoyama.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-14,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
My fascination with Japan started as a child, and it came exclusively through television.
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it → start → television
The Samurai and Phantom Agents featured hilariously terrible dubbed English, but introduced Australian kids to ninja and samurai.
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Samurai → feature → ninja
One cartoon has stuck with me to this day.
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cartoon → stick → day
Gigantor was about a giant blue robot who fought evil, but he was controlled by a 12-year-old boy.
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he → fight → boy
In Japan, the robot was known as Tetsujin 28, and was created in 1956 by manga artist Mitsuteru Yokoyama, who lived in Kobe.
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who → know → Kobe
When the Great Hanshin Earthquake struck Japan in 1995, Kobe was the worst-hit city – more than 4500 people in the city were killed, 40,000 people were injured and 400,000 buildings were destroyed.
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buildings → strike → city
In 2009, local businesses and government banded together to build a statue of Tetsujin 28 to symbolise the city’s resilience and rebuilding.
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businesses → band → resilience
They hoped it would become a tourist attraction that would reinvigorate the stricken neighbourhood of Shin-Nagata, which lost about 80 per cent of its buildings.
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which → hop → buildings
At home, I have a couple of shelves full of various Gigantor toys and models, collected from four trips to Tokyo in the past three years.
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I → have → years
To say I’m obsessed is an understatement.
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I → say → ?
And that’s why I’m finally here in Kobe for the first time, on a day trip from Osaka.
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I → ’ → Osaka
I want to see the place that gave birth to the big guy and pay homage.
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that → want → homage
After a 13-minute trip on the shinkansen (bullet train) from Osaka, I arrive in Kobe, then take a short ride on a local train to Shin-Nagata station.
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I → arrive → station
I walk a few minutes, turn a corner into Wakamatsu Park and there he is – 18 metres tall, 45 tonnes, his shiny blue metallic shell glinting in the sun, his giant red-tipped feet dwarfing a nearby child’s bicycle, his right arm defiantly held aloft.
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arm → walk → bicycle
All of a sudden, I’m nine years old again.
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I → ’m → ?
I have to hold myself back from squealing with delight.
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I → have → delight
He’s huge.
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He → ’ → ?
He’s magnificent.
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He → ’ → ?
He’s awesome.
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He → ’ → ?
I start snapping pictures from every imaginable angle.
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I → start → angle
The cartoon’s theme tune plays on a loop in my head: “Gigantor the space age robot, his power is in your hands.
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power → play → hands
I am a man of a certain age, and yet I ask a passer-by to take photos of me underneath the statue, striking the same pose as Gigantor.
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I → ask → Gigantor
I have no shame.
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I → have → shame
Nearby, I find a row of streetlights that use the robot’s distinctive helmet-shaped head as light fittings.
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that → find → fittings
And down the end of the neighbourhood’s main shotengai (shopping street) I find Kobe Tetsujin Sangokushi Gallery, which is dedicated to the work of Gigantor’s creator, and includes small working models for the statue, a video of its construction (unfortunately only in Japanese) and 1960s toys, comics and merchandise devoted to him, along with artefacts related to Yokoyama’s other manga creations.
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which → find → creations
The rest of my day is spent experiencing what this revitalised city has to offer.
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city → spend → what
I take a ride on the Kobe Nunobiki Ropeway, a cable car that takes you on a steep ride up into the hills.
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that → take → hills
The top station offers magnificent views of the city below.
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station → offer → city
Then I take a long, leisurely stroll down through the lush Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens, home to 75,000 herbs, plants and flowers, descending to the middle station and taking a return journey to the bottom on the cable car.
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I → take → car
Not far away, it’s a brisk uphill walk through Kitano-cho, where European-style villas and mansions, once owned by international traders and diplomats from the 19th century, are intact and open to view.
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villas → ’ → century
I’m not a big fan of Starbucks, but I relent as the one in Kitano-cho is situated in a lovely, sprawling English colonial-style house built in 1907.
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one → ’m → 1907
Afterwards, I wander to Ikuta Shrine, one of the oldest in Japan, dating to AD 201.
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I → wander → AD
It has a splendid row of bright red torii gates, and is a place where people come to pray for romance or safe childbirth.
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people → have → romance
Next, a long walk along the promenades that line Kobe’s bay and port area, including a visit to the Port of Kobe Earthquake Memorial Park, displaying stark reminders of what happened here more than 30 years ago.
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what → line → reminders
Then, as the light is starting to fade, it’s a 10-minute walk to Nankinmachi, one of only three Chinatowns in Japan.
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it → start → Japan
Over dumplings and beer, I happily end a day in which I came to see a robot from my childhood and ended up discovering much more.
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I → end → more
THE DETAILS
FLY
ANA flies twice daily from Sydney direct to Tokyo; from Perth ANA operates daily flights between December 1 and April 20, and three times a week otherwise, with connecting flights to Osaka.
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ANA → fly → Osaka
A 14-minute ride on the Seishin-Yamate line train from Shin-Kobe station gets you to Shin-Nagata station, the closest to Gigantor/Tetsujin 28.
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ride → get → Tetsujin
STAY
Koko Hotel Osaka Shinsaibashi is a smart boutique property ideally placed for the beginning of your day trip to Kobe.
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Hotel → place → Kobe
Nearby Shinsaibashi station links you to the main railway hub at Shin-Osaka station, for the shinkansen to Kobe.
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station → link → Kobe
…and 1 more, not listed.
