{"id":44480,"date":"2025-06-26T16:41:48","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T23:41:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/?p=44480"},"modified":"2026-08-17T12:21:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T19:21:29","slug":"spaceproject383","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/spaceproject383\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Space Project<\/em>, March 1983"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Big Space Project: Yamato Launch<\/em><\/h2>\n

The premiere of Final Yamato<\/em> was matched by a new exhibition at Family Land, a theme park in Takarazuka (near Osaka). It was converted into Takarazuka Garden Fields in 2003, but twenty years earlier it featured the \u201cBig Space Project,\u201d a pavilion devoted to both science fact and fiction. It ran from March 19 through June 5 as indicated on the flyer shown above.<\/p>\n

The flyer told quite a story about what visitors had in store…<\/p>\n

Text on front of flyer<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

This spring, the Space Battleship Yamato<\/em>, given a new lease on life, will embark on a journey into the unknown vastness of space<\/p>\n

A character from space is coming to Takarazuka…a fitting launch to dominate the spring news!!<\/p>\n

Text on back of flyer<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The main characters of space are Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> and NASA\u2019s space shuttle. In addition, the venue, design designed to inspire children\u2019s dreams and a sense of adventure, also features a section on the science of space, creating an experience of space romance at a glance.<\/p>\n

“Wow, it\u2019s huge!” The children exclaim as they look up at the space shuttle at the entrance to the venue. The members of the space exploration team will board this space shuttle and embark on a journey into space. On either side of the bridge leading to the venue entrance, the Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> and its main character characters, Susumu Kodai, Yuki Mori, and Captain Okita, greet visitors. The area around the venue is likely to see many families taking commemorative photos.<\/p>\n

Upon entering the venue, you find yourself in the cockpit of a space shuttle, and the corridor leads to a warp tunnel, instantly launching you into space. Soon, your spaceship will land on a sci-fi planet and you\u2019ll encounter the Space Battleship Yamato<\/em>. However, to get there you must explore a hollow planet that has become a graveyard of space.<\/p>\n

“Oh, it\u2019s Yamato<\/em>!” The children\u2019s excited voices echo through the venue. The journey through space is over, and the explorers are drawn into the boarding area of Yamato<\/em>. There is an exhibition corner that traces the 10-year history of Space Battleship Yamato<\/em>. It highlights many of the topics that have come up from its shocking debut in 1974 to its final chapter. This is a section that will excite even those who aren\u2019t anime fans. And the main corner up ahead is amazing!<\/p>\n

The main bridge of Yamato<\/em> is recreated, and the big screen shows Yamato<\/em>\u2019s poignant struggle to protect Earth.<\/p>\n

Here, a digest film of the final movie is streamed, bringing together all the characters from Yamato<\/em>. The sub screen displays the enemy fleet, and a group of stone battleships attack Yamato<\/em>. For about five minutes, the heroic actions of the soldiers of love unfold dramatically.<\/p>\n

After the dynamic exhibits, you\u2019ll find a learning corner about the science of space. There are displays of zoetropes, which can be described as the principles of film, introductions to scientists who are working to solve the mysteries of the universe, valuable research materials, and a section dedicated to NASA\u2019s space shuttle, which has entered the operational stage<\/p>\n

The setting is a world of dreams for children, where fantasy and science overlap. This is arguably the best space plaza of the spring.<\/p>\n

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The Sankei Shimbun [newspaper] was a sponsor, which made them a go-to source of information on the event, starting with the ad shown above…<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

…and a very eye-catching article showing a photo of the pavilion’s entrance. That might just be a 1\/1 scale Yamato<\/em> bridge tower.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Personal account from O.G. superfan Toshihiro Watanabe (who collected these artifacts): <\/p>\n

This event was held at Takarazuka Family Land (closed in 2003) in Hyogo Prefecture, famous for the Takarazuka Revue. It’s as if they anticipated the delay in the release of Final Yamato<\/em> since it was scheduled to start on the 19th. <\/span><\/p>\n

I’m sure there were quite a few fans who went straight to Takarazuka after seeing the movie on opening day. In a way, it all worked out for the best. I regret not going at the time, since my enthusiasm for Yamato<\/em> had started to wane somewhat. <\/span><\/p>\n

What’s interesting here is that the event was not organized by the Yomiuri Group, but by the Fuji Sankei Group’s Sankei Shimbun [newspaper], Kansai Television, and Radio Osaka (which would later join the group).<\/span><\/p>\n

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The highlight of the exhibition was a “three-dimension digest” of Final Yamato<\/em> populated with model kits and video footage. Attendees could probably buy all sorts of Yamato<\/em> loot at the park, but those specific to Family Land were a pocket calendar card and a plastic badge. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Another unique item was this full-size Kodai face mask with a half-face helmet add-on.<\/p>\n

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Return to previous article<\/a><\/p>\n

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