Gigantor

In Kobe they're planning to erect a statue of Gigantor (or 鉄人28号 for those in the know). "statue" might be understating it a little - its going to be more like a lifesize replica of the manga character; 18 metres high and weighing 70 tonnes. It'll serve as a memorial to the character's creator, and as an attempt to revitalise a badly hit area of the 1995 Kobe area earthquake. As wacky as it seems, I still think I'd rather a giant robot monument as a town centerpiece than the glorified lampost that we have. via boingboing and 3yen.com