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Tokyo Tower Bent by Japan Quake; Gundam Statue Broken? Photos/Vid

by Jordan Yerman | March 11, 2011 at 12:11 pm

21020 views | 2 Recommendations | 8 comments

Tokyo Tower Bent in Japan Earthquake

The iconic 1,091-foot Tokyo Tower fared very well during the devastating earthquake that hit Japan on March 11. Only the very tip of the tower was bent.

Here you can see some video footage of some of Japan's skyscrapers during the 8.9 earthquake. Japan's strict building codes (and construction firms following those codes) are no doubt responsible for saving a lot of lives and preventing plenty of damage.

Not one building in Tokyo collapsed during the quake.

University of Nebraska professor Carlos Assarta shot some footage from the observation deck of Tokyo Tower, where he was stuck during the quake. You can see people's reactions change as they realize that they are experiencing an earthquake, and not just a gust of wind.

Gundam Statue Destroyed in Japan Earthquake?

The giant Gundam statue apparently did not fare so well. The giant robot seems to havetoppled in the quake, broken off at the knees, as you can see below. [Update: Is the Gundam statue really broken? It lives in Shizuoka, which was within the shake zone. Crunchgear removed their own story about the fallen Gundam statue. Turns out that the Gundam statue is still standing, and the photo below is hoax! It's a repost of the dismantling of the original Gundam statue in 2009.]

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Marle (not verified)

at 12:31 on March 11th, 2011

I suspect that is a photoshopped picture - the Gundam statue was taken down in 2009. There is one is Shizuoka now but that is very far from the earthquake's effects.

Jordan Yerman

at 12:49 on March 11th, 2011

Good call. While Shizuoka was within the USGS' shake-zone map, there aren't yet any reports of damage in that area. Could this just be some anti-Gundam troll at work?

alex t (not verified)

at 04:38 on March 12th, 2011

I almost cried, I have been wanting to see that statue for over 2 years and I am now in japan and was going to see it next weekend (and it will be taken down soon)! I believe it is a hoax too... rude. (AUGH)

graspee leemoor (not verified)

at 06:59 on March 13th, 2011

You almost cried because the gundam statue was broken?

Get your priorities straight: thousands of people died in teh earthquake and tsunami and you're worried about a freaking statue?

Duo 27 (not verified)

at 15:41 on March 15th, 2011

I'm sure this person's priorities are just fine. Yours? Not so sure... It is cruel to belittle a person's emotional reactions to this tragedy. Especially since sometimes it takes something relatively insignificant to others to bring the reality of horrific cicrumstances home. It can't hurt you to be a little respectful of someone's grief no matter how much it may seem confusing to you.

Jordan Yerman

at 13:15 on March 11th, 2011

Sure enough, that Plixi photo of the toppled Gundam statue is a hoax.

Oh, and Maru was unharmed in the quake.

leolim (not verified)

at 20:26 on March 11th, 2011

obviously wing seed and oo fanboys just to get back at uc fans

newtypeX (not verified)

at 08:39 on March 12th, 2011

I need a photo evidence that the RX 78 stands still. This way, the hoax would stop and people would not circulate the wrong info! the blogs about the destroyed gundam is virtually everywhere in the net!