It’s CHRISTMAS!!!
And it’s the time of year when everyone is allowed to go a little bit crazy – but as we’ve seen, the Japanese rarely need an excuse to do that every other day of the year! So at Christmas they go even more crazy..er. In addition to celebrating the birth of the Little Lord Jesus, our Far Eastern friends also celebrate another ancient legend – by erecting huge Christmas trees in the shape of Godzilla!
There’s no doubt that aside from fantastic gadgetry such as Sony Playstation 3 and new PS Vita and Panasonic and Toshiba tellies, he’s one of Japan’s most famous exports, appearing in around 30 movies, battling giant rivals such as Mothra (a big moth, of course) and being made into a range of rubbery toys. It’s not uncommon, come the festive period, to spot Gojira (his native name) towering over the rooftops or popping up in the shopping centres during the annual gift buying rush!
The famous monster is recognisable by his long body, terrifyingly armed with sharp dorsal fins and a whip-like tail, but at Christmas time he’s adorned in twinkling lights and tinsel and often replaces the traditional Christmas pine. In Japan he can range in size from a Godzuki-sized miniature to a building-high beast. Imagine seeing a 60 foot dino dressed up like Lady Gaga on New Year’s Eve – Frightening!
We’ve seen in previous Only in Japan features that the Japanese love robots, so it’s no surprise that some even go so far as to add robotics to their Godzilla-mas tree – bringing the beast to life with mechanical parts, moving limbs and even smoke breath to replicate the movie monster’s fiery breath! Yes – a Mecha-Godzilla-mas tree!!
It may be the height of blasphemy, but who’s going to argue with the Mighty G? (No. Not Google!). And does Jesus have his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? – No, he doesn’t.
We do have to wonder what other traditions Godzilla mimics – Does he also give his own version of the Queen’s Speech in trademark shriek?
Merii Kurisumasu from the Gadget Helpline!
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