Godzilla Head

Hard to believe, but Godzilla is now eligible for Social Security. He first emerged from his atom bomb disturbed slumber in 1954, and 29 films later—despite his senior status—he’s still “King of the Monsters.”

No place knows this better than Godzilla’s hometown of Tokyo, where a giant head of the scaly menace has been seen towering over the Toho Building in the Shinjuku Ward. Toho is the Japanese studio behind the Godzilla franchise, and they added their trademark character to help publicize their Shinjuku movie theater complex. The building also houses Hotel Gracery, a a 970-bed hotel which opened in 2015 and features Godzilla-themed rooms.  

The head harkens back to the classic Godzilla, instead of the more lateral and lizardly look he took on in the 1998 version. He evokes the beloved and cuddly “guy in a rubber suit” look, with some added light-up eyes and glowing claws. And every few minutes he lets out his signature screechy roar, a little bit car crash, and a little bit nails-on-chalkboard.

The Godzilla head is 40 feet tall, which is life-size if you consider that the original monster topped out at 165 feet–about a 16-story building. He can’t quite stomp on his Toho creators downstairs, but he can still give them a good scare.