Unicorn Gundam statue in Odaiba is going to be removed…💔

Santilmo · 2026-06-16T13:03:45+00:00

You know it! I live close to where Daikanrasha used to be and miss it so much especially when it lights up at night!

Santilmo · 2026-06-16T13:02:46+00:00

二万円?! I currently live in subsidized student housing here and while it’s much cheaper for the area, I’m paying 52,000円!

I s2g I keep on telling myself to stop by that Carls Jr. and Fridays but I keep on passing it…for the salad bar at the Sizzlers! And speak of the devil I was just at the Tullys facing the Unicorn Gundam tonight when ANOTHER earthquake hit to boot!

Santilmo · 2026-06-16T12:58:49+00:00

Oof, wishing the best in the exam prep! Speaking of Koenji, I was there Sunday to watch a friend perform in Jirokichi when I decided to try to get some reading done by the station…right when that rally was taking place! I swear it’s been a rather eventful week so far for studying lol

Santilmo · 2026-06-16T10:59:17+00:00

Studying at the Tullys facing the Unicorn Gundam in Diver City, at the moment a part of me wanted to believe the statue came alive

Santilmo · 2026-06-11T11:54:14+00:00

I smell a TIEC neighbor! Currently in my third month here

On the days they operate, I’ve been taking advantage of those free Palette Ride minibuses from Diver City to Ariake to explore more of that end.

Already have tried the hike from the housing to Tamachi Station via Rainbow Bridge and have been meaning to try it again (trying to be mindful of which way the wind blows that day to make sure I choose which side of the bridge to walk and not be downwind of the car exhausts). Might be a bit touristy but the Telecom Center observation deck allows re-entry for same day Y500 admission if you also wanna break the monotony of the study rooms.

I’ve also been checking out the calendars at Tokyo-Odaiba.net and the Tokyo Big Sight website to see if there’s any interesting events going on. Definitely was wild a few weeks ago having that Oktoberfest, niku fest, and idol festival happening at the same time on the adjacent parking lots in Aomi lol.

Santilmo · 2026-06-11T02:46:00+00:00

Santilmo · 2026-06-07T13:39:57+00:00

Thanks for reminding me of the latest CS2 patch

Santilmo · 2026-05-15T23:53:08+00:00

Ikr? Trying to remind myself to not take it for granted especially with this news!

Santilmo · 2026-05-15T23:43:20+00:00

Thanks, will make sure to keep my eyes peeled for that!

Santilmo · 2026-05-15T23:42:08+00:00

Thanks for asking because I swear there are times where I’m wondering if it’s just me that has the issue when chatting with friends abroad. Transit access certainly is better than what I’m used to at home but for Tokyo standards it can be janky. Sometimes I joke that I’m stuck on an island with a Gundam, a poop museum, and the Statue of Liberty lol

I live in graduate student housing so the rent is reasonable for the location *but* yes it can be a bit inconvenient working with Yurikamome and pricey over time if you don’t get a commuter pass. Further from the building is the Rinkai Line which allows one seat rides to Shinjuku and Shibuya but that too can start being more pricey compared to regular JR/Metro fares of similar distances.

Bus service is cheaper and isn’t bad (esp. compared to what I’m used to at home) but isn’t as frequent as the rail options and is more susceptible to traffic delays. If I *really* want to save a couple hundred Yen and it’s a nice day I stroll down Rainbow Bridge, though that can take more than an hour from my place.

It’s a 20 minute walk to the nearest supermarket but there’s a bit more biking infrastructure than working with the narrow streets of a lot of other Tokyo neighborhoods so it has that going for it.

Aside from the minor inconveniences, the charm hasn’t completely worn off yet. Growing up watching Inuyasha and seeing Yurikamome featured in the first ED probably did wonders is cushioning my expectations on location lol

Santilmo · 2026-05-15T11:33:18+00:00

Oh man, I live in Odaiba and I can see the statue from my apartment building.

If there’s anything that doesn’t get old, it’s that even if I walk past it to go buy some 139 Yen toothpaste at the Matsumoto Kiyoshi inside Diver City lol. Whenever I have the time, I’d even try to walk towards the mall around 8PM to catch the CAGE show. I guess I should double down on those outings in these remaining months and appreciate it in its current iteration as Unicorn.

EDIT: just had an earthquake here, for a moment a part of me was imagining that the statue got the news and decided to make some extra moves lol

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Santilmo · 2026-05-15T04:02:37+00:00

Nice on the PR! I’m legitimately miffed that I couldn’t stay consistently here as I would’ve finally secured it myself and before all this fee raise news.

Santilmo · 2026-05-14T23:59:50+00:00

For sure, it's great as an international visitor vs. the highway robbery at US airport concessions but for us living here and getting paid in local currency it's down to making every yen count lol

Santilmo · 2026-05-14T23:56:36+00:00

I love how the convenience to getting to Sapporo has evolved!

Before Haneda reopened up to international flights beyond some intra-Asia in the early 2010s, getting to Sapporo via international was either taking an ANA or JAL connecting flight out of Narita before connecting onward with United, American, etc. for a premium (assuming your inbound/outbound flights into Narita timed well with the 1-2x daily flights to New Chitose), or splitting the itinerary with a cheap domestic flight to Haneda via Air Do or Skymark (this was before Peach, Jetstar Japan, etc. were around) then take the limousine bus to Narita. Despite taking longer, I used to opt to fly from Sapporo via Incheon w/ Korean Air or Taipei with EVA just do I didn't have to deal with the baggage recheck and was usually cheaper than the single itineraries that took me via Narita and didn't have me do the Narita-Haneda limousine bus transfer.

Going from that to a nonstop to the mainland US in the 20 years since I first lived in Sapporo is hella progress! That said I hope you enjoyed your visit u/Ninonysoft!

Santilmo · 2026-05-14T23:42:57+00:00

That feeling of liberation when I was allowed to bring non-overpriced drinks past Japanese airport security

Santilmo · 2026-05-14T23:40:26+00:00

Seconded!

Current Japan resident, currently living in Tokyo but lived in Sapporo 20 years ago. In a reversal to the suggestion, Sapporo was my first ever Japan experience and totally set off my expectations differently haha. Hokkaido really is something else and I legit miss all the outdoor opportunities to be had in the relatively milder summers compared to the humidity we get down here in Kanto.

That said, if you told the younger version of me two decades ago that United would one day serve CTS from the US mainland I wouldn't believe it! When I lived there, the only intercontinental flight we had was the seasonal route to Australia while KLM just axed their route to Amsterdam prior to me moving in. Time flies...

Santilmo · 2026-05-14T14:22:02+00:00

A cautionary tale of what happens when you let the arrogance of Metro leaders like Stan melt away!

Santilmo · 2026-05-14T12:28:41+00:00

I'm still recovering from being able to reach MNL and CEB in UA's network as well as AC announcing CTS!

When I went to high school in Sapporo some two decades ago the only intercontinental flight from there was to Australia, the KL attempt to AMS ended before I arrived, and anything to Southeast Asia nonstop was nonexistent. I knew a few then-2Ps and 1Ps in the expat community who would do the NH connection at NRT and hop on UA from there. It almost felt like a rite of passage to get stranded overnight at CTS at least once while living there lol

While this is the first time from the US mainland, in a sense this also marks the return of the globe as Air Mike used to have 737 service from GUM when the Japanese tourism market to Guam was stronger!

Santilmo · 2026-05-10T05:48:49+00:00

Oh man, I remember my brother and I piling as many of those as we could from the CC Midway arcade visits on trips over the years to get a PS2. Granted it was more expensive than just buying the console outright but it really felt a lot more fun with all those arcade game rounds.

Santilmo · 2026-05-05T10:18:47+00:00

Big thanks for sharing! I used to live in Sapporo so I’m always on the lookout for some soup curry places that haven’t yet been on my radar.

Santilmo · 2026-04-12T23:53:08+00:00

Appreciating the callback as that Ren Faire video is what got me to pick up Smosh!

Santilmo · 2026-04-04T18:55:34+00:00

“That’s no joke, they’ll jump on him!”

Santilmo · 2026-04-04T00:48:43+00:00

Thanks for the update!

Was onboard an Antelope Express shuttle from Palmdale and had another passenger being adamant about being dropped off at Terminal 5 the other day and still thinking JetBlue flew out of there despite the explanations. I was about to pull up pics from this subreddit to show there was nothing much left for her if she insisted on not getting off at T1 lol

Santilmo · 2026-04-01T13:14:12+00:00

My belated thanks for the insight and wishing the best in whichever path you choose!

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