PG 1/60 ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam 1st & 2nd batch - UPDATE

Today the first batches of the long awaited Gunpla kit PG 1/60 ZGMF-Strike Freedom Gundam has arrived. Along with it, a PG Strike Rouge + Skygrasper kit.

At the time of shooting this picture, several PG kits were already shipped to customers.
This is what's left for now. Of course amongst them, one is kit is mine ;-)

UPDATE:
3rd batch has arrived and this week there are some interesting offers on
Morgenroete Inc. Gunpla store!!
Will you get this PG kit for Christmas?

Two weeks in Japan (conclusion)

After a long period finally the conclusion of the Japan trip. After the arrival in Tokyo metropolis we headed directly to the Tokyo Tower. As usual there was a lot of smog, what resulted in a ghost-city like picture at 250 m height.
On Saturdays allmost every citizen of Tokyo is running and jogging along the Tokyo parks near the residence of the emperror of Japan. It doesn't matter the conditions are hard. With temperatures of 37 degrees Celsius and humidity of 90% people keep on running. We also visited the business district Shinjuku and the 'twin towers' of Tokyo Government Building which are 202 m high.
The next day I spent a day with my niece who was graduating in Japan for Biomedic Technologies and would return to the Netherlands within a few weeks.
She showed me Akihabara, Shinjuku, Meji jungu in the Shibuya district.

As known the Akihabara district is a heaven for otaku. All electronic gadgets, videogames and cosplays are concentrated in this area. Fascinating....
I was also able to get my hands on new SNES carts from the 90's. I love it!!!
The store was called Retro store....catching! All videogames systems from the 80's till now are available!
As you can see: Loads of retro games!
Later that day we spent some time on world's famous crossing point at the Shibuya district.
Two days later we concluded our journey in Japan and returned to The Netherlands with a dayflight with KLM.

The return flight was a little less comfortable due to a lot of turbulence during the flight.

It was a great way to explore the Kansai region and Tokyo metropolis. Somewhere in the future, I would like to take another trip to Japan.

Do you like city-trips?








Parking in Tokyo & Jogging with 37 degrees Celsius!









The original Metal Gear! & Lots of Super Famicoms for a bargain!








The remarkable English skills of the Japanese & Wedding in Meji Jungu








Asakusa district for souvenirs & Shibuya 109 Center Gai at dusk.









Tokyo Narita Airport & Boeing 747-400 PH-BFL City of Lima.







KLM's Economy Comfort class & Halfway around the polar circle.

Nice view!

Two weeks in Japan (part 3)

The next day we went to Nara. Nara was also the capital of Japan in the 8th century. Today it is a small town with approx. over 4000 habitants. But the history remains. This year is the celebration of Nara's 1300 years anniversary.
Throughout Nara there are nearly 'infinite' amount of deers walking around for some sempei (a sort of biscuit) from tourists.
We also have visited the highest building in the Kansai region, the Cosmo WTC tower, which is about 260 m high. We had a nice and clear view over almost the whole Kansai region. Even the Akashi-Kaikyo bridge in Kobe (World's longest suspension bridge) could be seen.
Kobe would be the next place to visit. Though in 1995 been smashed by mother nature due the earthquake, Kobe has been recovered quite fast. Besides a monumentary at the Kobe tower at the port, there is not much left that reminds you of the catastrophe from 15 years ago...incredible. We also took the bus and cross the Akashi bridge to Awaji Island. There is not much to do, but it was quiet and beautiful to see some more nature. Back in Kobe we visited the Kobe Tower which is 108 m high.
A platform at about 90 m turns around in 25 minutes. We enjoyed the view with a good glass of beer.
Another day passes by and we decided to visit the Botanic Gardens nearby the Nagai Stadium in Osaka. It lies in the southern district Minami. We were amazed by the excellent sports-accomodations for public and professionals. The athletic stadium of Nagai has also a soccer-field which surpasses many reknown stadiums in Europe in facilities and condition.

On July 23rd we travelled from Osaka-City to Tokyo Metropolis. Of course, we took the famous Shinkansen, known as the bullet-train, which is a misconcept since the bullet-design dated from the 1960's and is obsolete by now.
The distance between saka and Tokyo is approximately 600 km. We did it in 2h40min. with the Shinkansen Nozumi 700 Series and a rms speed of +250 km/h....amazing.
Unfortunately there was a lot of smog that day. So we weren't able to catch a glimp of mount Fuji between Shizuoka and Kanagawa.
That's it for now. Next time, the conclusion of the Japan trip.







Japanese gardens in Nara & deers








Kimono & view on Osaka Bay








Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge & Kawasaki monument.






Botanic garden & Nagai Stadium








200m run & accomodation Kikue Osaka






Shinkansen N700 Interior

Two weeks in Japan (part 2)

Part two starts with a daytrip to Japan's former capital Kyoto. We visited the Ginkaku-Ji temple and garden.
At first we missed our get-off point at the temple. After a while we concluded that we should go back a few km. A local on bike who was initially a little irritated because we were standing in the way, was very kind to help us. He was one of the very few Japanese who spoke properly English. The plan was to walk along the 'path of philosophy' to the Nanzen-Ji temple. But halfway we decided to get of the track and take the bus back to te centre of Kyoto due to the high temperature rising till 36 degrees Celsius. At Kyoto station we visited another temple and also the Kyoto Tower which is about 130 meters high. A new record in comparison to the Tsutenkaku tower (103 m).
The Kyoto station was also very impressive. a high rised building with many escalators. One after another going sky-high!
The next day was another day in Greater Osaka. We visited the famous Kaiyukan aquarium. The theme of this aquraium is 'The ring of fire', because it shows the species from all around the Pacific Ocean. A great watertank filled with 5,4 million liters of water and their famous residents: 2 Whale Sharks and 2 Manta Rays.
Later that day we visited another tower: the Umeda Towers. Another new height has been reached: 173 m.
The view was again....amazing....pictures were taken from the floating garden between the both towers.
Later that evening we also took a break at Namba parks before getting dinner. A park that has risen on the roof of the shopping mall in Namba. More pics are coming up!

Further impressions of these days.








Sea Otter and Manta Ray






Whale Shark and Japanese Spider crab







Nemo's and Umeda Tower







Umeda Tower at distance and Namba Parks