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On Location
Godzilla vs Destoroyah in Japan

UPDATE: In November 2010, I finally got to visit Tokyo!
My Picasa Album includes Odaiba and other Godzilla landmarks and attractions. Enjoy!

Just when you thought I covered everything… Here are Godzilla's rampages through Japan;
the locations featured in the 1995 movie Godzilla vs Destoroyah

The reason I expanded this section is two-fold. This was one of my favorite sections to make: the one that shows I want to be a complete Godzilla vs Destoroyah page, one that separates itself from the hundreds of Godzilla pages out there. The second reason is that I enjoy looking up the places so much, that I was invited to do a presentation on it at G-CON'99! Although, sadly, I could not attend, these On Location pages are the result of the extra research I did. Call it homage to the presentation that wasn't.


Japan

Not surprisingly, Godzilla vs Destoroyah took place in Japan. However, the beginning had one significant twist. Godzilla attacked a place other than Japan for the first time in the Heisei series, choosing Hong Kong for his stomping grounds!

Before Hong Kong, Godzilla had left Birth (or Basu) Island, a fictitious South Pacific isle which had a meltdown of its own.

On his way north to the fictitous Adonoa Island in the Bering Sea, Godzilla passed by Taiwan and Okinawa. While attempting to attack the Ikata nuclear power plant at the Bungo Channel, the Super X3 was able to freeze him.

Junior emerged off the beach at the Omae Cove, presumably also headed to Adonoa Island, his birthplace.

Junior and then Godzilla were lured to a city where Destoroyah was already attacking the humans. Fittingly enough, this city is...


Tokyo

In Tokyo, an enormous metropolis of over 27 million, most of the action took place around two areas: Shinagawa and the Tokyo Waterfront Subcenter (reclaimed land over Tokyo Bay).

Shinagawa is a ward ("ku") of Tokyo that has undergone some recent development, especially on Tennozu Isle. Godzilla made landfall and chomped on a train near Shinagawa Station in Godzilla 1954.

What do we call this area that contains the districts ("cho") of Aomi and Ariake (and Daiba)? I've seen it called Tokyo Waterfront Subcenter, Rinkai Fukutoshinn, Odaiba, Teleport Town, and Rainbow Town. Most likely, all of these are true in one form or another: the Tokyo CVB and JNTO web sites call it Rainbow Town and the locals call it Odaiba. At any rate, this area is landfill created over Tokyo Bay in 1986. The Tokyo World City Expo was planned here in 1996, but was later cancelled and development was halted. By having the Godzilla movie here they hoped to bring more publicity to the area.


See a detailed pop-up map I made.

Destoroyah first appeared as a microbe from the Tokyo Port Tunnel. After escaping from a lab, he ate the fish at the Shinagawa Aquarium. Multiplying, he (they) attacked the police at the Telecom Center in Aomi. The JSDF arrived on the scene and confronted them at the Ariake Coliseum. After combining into his Aggregate form, he flew over to terrorize the area around Shinagawa Station.

Godzilla Junior made landfall at Shinagawa and battled Destoroyah at Tennozu Isle. Junior ended the fight by blasting Destoroyah into the Shinagawa Power Station.

Godzilla arrived and met his son at Haneda Airport. He came in time to see Destoroyah carry away and smash his son at Ariake. Destoroyah returned the airport to fight Godzilla and drag him to the climactic battle in Ariake at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center.

See some of the landmarks featured


The Squirrel (top) says: "Domo Arigato Dulce for getting the map!!"
She picked up the Bilingual Map of Tokyo (Shobunsha) at Tokyo's Narita Airport to help with my presentation.

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