Godzilla Is Officially a Resident of Tokyo
Todd Rigney
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It’s good to know that the people of Japan don’t hold a grudge. After decades of stomping across Tokyo, Godzilla is officially a resident of the Shinjuku ward. Is it a coincidence that the announcement was made around the same time the Toho Cinemas Kabukicho/Hotel Gracery Shinjuku entertainment complex opened for business and ahead of the Japanese reboot? Probably not.
RocketNews24 explains that in addition to officially declaring Godzilla a resident of Tokyo, the government issued an official document stating as such. In fact, quite a few people have stopped by the Shinjuku ward office to pick up a copy. Fortunately for those of us who live thousands of miles away, some photos of the document have recently popped up on Twitter.
There are currently only 3,000 copies available to the public, so if you live in the area, grab ’em while you can. Given Godzilla’s enduring popularity, chances are they won’t last long.
ゴジラの住民票もらってきたー！3000枚限定だって！ pic.twitter.com/Q8gFC35rXg
— ほりゆーこ@酔っこら処 (@dybastar) May 29, 2015
Is your Japanese a little rusty? Here’s what the document says. Thanks, RocketNews24!
Name: Godzilla
Address: Shinjuku-ku, Kabuki-cho, 1-19-1
Date of birth: April 9, 1954 [the year of the release of the very first Godzilla film]
Date of becoming a Shinjuku resident: April 9, 2015
Reason for special residency: Promoting the entertainment of and watching over the Kabuki-cho neighborhood and drawing visitors from around the globe in the form of the Godzilla head built atop the Shinjuku Toho Building.
Previous visits to Shinjuku Ward: 3 times; Godzilla (1984), Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), Godzilla 2000 Millennium (1999)
After making Godzilla an official cultural ambassador, which includes an enormous Godzilla bust at Toho HQ, Shinjuki mayor Kenichi Yoshizumi declared that the cinematic monster is the “pride of Japan.” Sadly, Godzilla hasn’t appeared in a Japanese production since director Ryuhei Kitamura’s 2004 Godzilla: Final Wars. However, Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi’s reboot is expected to hit theaters next year. Check out the teaser image for Godzilla 2016 below.
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