Gundam in Tokyo: Gundam Base, Buying Gunpla & the Unicorn Statue's End

The short version

The life-size Unicorn Gundam in Odaiba is gone — its display ended on 31 August 2026 — but The Gundam Base Tokyo on DiverCity Tokyo Plaza 7F is still open and remains the best single stop for gunpla. Pair it with Akihabara's hobby shops below for a Gundam day in Tokyo; everything except what you choose to buy is free to browse.

The Unicorn Gundam statue (display ended 31 Aug 2026)

The 19.7-metre RX-0 Unicorn Gundam stood on the 2F Festival Plaza in front of DiverCity Tokyo Plaza from 2017. Its display ended on 31 August 2026, after a farewell ceremony on 29 August, and the daily transformation and night shows ended with it. As of 18 September 2026 no replacement for the site has been announced, and Bandai Namco's separate "Gundam Landmark" concept has no confirmed location. If you want a life-size Gundam today, the RX-93ff ν Gundam at LaLaport Fukuoka is still on display — details on our Unicorn Gundam statue page.

The Gundam Base Tokyo (gunpla superstore)

On DiverCity 7F, The Gundam Base Tokyo is Bandai's official flagship for gunpla (Gundam plastic kits): the widest range anywhere from entry-grade to Perfect Grade, store-exclusive and limited kits, paint and tools, display galleries, and build benches where you can assemble on the spot.

• Floor: 7F, DiverCity Tokyo Plaza.
• Hours: generally 10:00–21:00, in line with the mall — confirm on the official site before you go.
• Tax-free: yes, but the paperwork is done at the mall's counter, not the shop till. DiverCity's own tax-free shop list (dated 1 November 2025, checked 18 September 2026) puts THE GUNDAM BASE TOKYO under the 2F tax-free counter in the Tourist Information, for purchases of ¥5,500–550,000 including tax in one store on one day. Bring your passport. See our tax-free shopping guide.
• Payment: cash, cards, IC and QR all accepted.

Getting to Odaiba

Two trains drop you within ~5 minutes' walk of DiverCity:

• Yurikamome line (the automated waterfront monorail) — ride from Shimbashi or Toyosu to Daiba Station (Odaiba-Kaihinkoen also works). It's the scenic option over Rainbow Bridge; not covered by the JR Pass.
• Rinkai line — to Tokyo Teleport Station, ~5 minutes' walk. The Rinkai line through-runs with the JR Saikyo line from Shinjuku / Shibuya / Osaki, so it's the fastest from the west side.

Both pair with a Suica / PASMO IC card. Akihabara to Odaiba is roughly 30–40 minutes either way.

Where else to buy gunpla

You don't need Odaiba to buy kits — Akihabara has the deepest stock in Tokyo:

• Yodobashi Akiba — a giant hobby floor with a wall of current gunpla at list price; tax-free counter in-store.
• AmiAmi — discounted new kits inside Radio Kaikan.
• Surugaya & Mandarake Complex — secondhand, vintage and out-of-print kits (Mandarake also ships overseas).

Slot it into a day with our one-day Akihabara itinerary.

Shipping kits home & tax-free tips

Boxed kits are light but bulky, so they fill a suitcase fast. Some big shops ship overseas from their own online stores, or you can consolidate and send a box yourself — but only for kits bought tax-paid: since 31 March 2025, anything bought tax-free has to leave Japan in your own luggage (see our guide to shipping figures from Japan). Good news for builders: gunpla count as 'general goods' for tax-free, not consumables — so they aren't sealed in a tamper-evident bag, and you're free to open and build a kit while you're still in Japan (you do have to carry it out of Japan yourself when you leave). Only consumables like food and cosmetics must stay sealed and unopened. The system itself changes on 1 November 2026: sales from that date move to a refund method, where the consumption tax is returned after customs confirms at departure that the goods are leaving Japan (Japan Tourism Agency), and that check has to happen within 90 days of the purchase date (National Tax Agency). Just keep your passport handy when you leave, since tax-free purchases are recorded electronically against it and customs can check at departure.

Note: the Gundam Cafe is closed

If an old guide points you to a Gundam Cafe, ignore it — the entire chain (Akihabara, Odaiba, Fukuoka, Osaka and Yokohama) closed permanently in early 2022. No permanent Gundam Cafe operates in Tokyo today. Plan around the Gundam Base store and Akihabara's hobby shops instead.

As of 18 September 2026.