In Odaiba, where you can enjoy shopping and entertainment, there was a spot where you could interact with the latest robots. "Kawasaki Robostage" by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Kawasaki Heavy Industries), which reopened on November 1, 2025, is an experiential facility based on the concept of "realizing coexistence and cooperation between humans and robots." From a showroom displaying industrial robots, it has been reborn through renewal into a "space to learn about robots." This time, together with Sora Okabe, a student tourism ambassador for Minato City (MINATO CITY NEXT AMBASSADOR), we will convey the charm of the new "Kawasaki Robostage."

Kawasaki Robostage is located on the 1st floor of the office building Tradepia Odaiba. It is about a 5-minute walk from Tokyo Teleport Station on the Rinkai Line and Odaiba-kaihinkoen Station on the Yurikamome Line. The glass-walled facility located at the front of the building exuded an open and futuristic atmosphere.

Originally, this facility opened in August 2016. It started when Kawasaki Heavy Industries' Robot Business Center sales department moved to this building, utilizing the vacant 1st-floor space as a showroom. At that time, its role was strongly as a "business frontline," where customers would view robots and then conduct business negotiations in the office on the floor above. However, about 10 years have passed since opening. Through the spread of COVID-19 and the redevelopment of the surrounding area accompanying the Tokyo Olympics, the face of the city of Odaiba has also changed significantly. What visitors seek has also shifted from simply receiving information to "experience" and "learning." Therefore, in this renewal, with the wish for more people to "know the fun and possibilities of robots," the exhibition content has been significantly revamped.

The magnifying glass-shaped lens handed over at the entrance is a key item for looking around the exhibition. Pure white monitors are installed here and there in the hall, but if you look through this lens, images and explanations will emerge. It is said to be an ingenuity to have visitors enjoy actively by intentionally adding the step of "holding up the lens."

Ms. Okabe also toured the hall with sparkling eyes, as if enjoying a treasure hunt, saying, "I wonder what is hidden where next." The process of finding out with your own hands, rather than being given information, makes learning deeper.

The text exhibition where you can learn basic knowledge of robots explains the types, shapes, and complex structures of industrial robots in an easy-to-understand manner. When hearing Kawasaki Heavy Industries, many people might think of motorcycles, aircraft, or railway vehicles, but actually, it is also a pioneer that started commercial production of industrial robots for the first time in Japan. In 1969, Kawasaki Heavy Industries released Japan's first industrial robot, "Kawasaki Unimate 2000," to the world. The technology and know-how that have continued to support Japanese manufacturing for over half a century since then are condensed here.

One of the highlights of the exhibition is the demonstration by industrial robots. Here, the process at a factory manufacturing acrylic stands (Acsta) is reproduced right in front of your eyes.

The series of flows from the robot accurately grasping the processed Acsta, carefully packing it into a tray, and making it ready for shipment is a movement that humans cannot imitate. I was impressed by the figures of robots repeating quick and accurate movements without even a deviation of a few tenths of a millimeter.

Robots move according to pre-input programs, but actually, there are many situations that cannot be handled by that alone. For example, robots that are remotely operated by humans handle objects with different shapes each time or perform flexible work requiring exquisite senses unique to humans.

In the "Remote Control Challenge" corner, you can experience operating the remote control robot system "Successor" developed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries.

For operation, you can choose either a pad-type controller familiar from video games or a more specialized stick-type dedicated controller. You can challenge a game of passing a metal rod attached to the tip of a robot arm through a complexly bent metal pipe.

If you touch the pipe 5 times, it's game over. Since the time is displayed when you clear it, you unintentionally get heated up. It is said that some people who are accustomed to stick-type controller operations in VR games etc. achieve surprisingly high scores. Ms. Okabe also gripped the stick and challenged! With a serious expression, she delicately manipulated the arm and brilliantly completed the course to the goal.

In the following area, you can learn about the future image of robots. Themes such as "Autonomous Mobile Robots," "Robots and AI," "Mobility Fusing Motorcycle and Robot Technology," "Development of Humanoid Robots," and "Robots Solving Social Issues" are introduced through videos. The magnifying glass-shaped lens is active here too. Peering into the monitor through the lens, the vision of how future robots contribute to society was vividly depicted.

The figure moving freely around the hall catches the eye: the social robot Nyokkey. Unlike fixed industrial robots, it is an autonomously running service robot. Designed with the premise of working together with people, its utilization has already begun in medical and nursing care settings.

When you say "Hello!", Nyokkey reacts cutely. In the future, there are plans for him to be in charge of customer service as a clerk at the product sales booth in the facility. In the near future, we might see Nyokkey working naturally in the city.

At the end of the facility, there is also a corner where visitors can draw "robots needed in the future" with their own hands and post them on the wall. Ideas of free imagination pasted all over the wall, such as "a robot that plays with you" and "a robot that listens to your worries," make you excited just by looking at them.

Ms. Okabe also wrote down the "robot needed in the future" she thought of herself and left it firmly on the wall. The day might come when the robot envisioned is truly realized with Kawasaki Heavy Industries' technology.

Items irresistible to "Kawasaki fans" are lined up at the product sales booth. Starting with elaborate plastic models of industrial robots, the lineup is packed with commitment, including face towels and mugs for everyday use, and even Nyokkey keychains.

Particularly rare is "Wasanbon" shaped like the Kawasaki Heavy Industries logo. Actually, it was realized by soliciting "new souvenir ideas" from within Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The gap between the image of heavy industrial products and the delicate sweetness of Japanese sweets is interesting, and it is sure to be appreciated as a souvenir.

This coverage fully experienced the latest robot technology. Ms. Okabe also looked satisfied, saying, "I feel like the world of robots has become closer to me." Currently, about half of the visitors visiting "Kawasaki Robostage" are said to be tourists from overseas. Interest in "Japanese robot technology" is now universal. Also, recently, inquiries for visits by school events and groups have been increasing, and special classes for children who will lead the future are also being conducted (reservation required). In addition, Kawasaki Heavy Industries is actively holding initiatives to make robots feel closer, such as the experience event "Let's Become a Kawasaki Robot Engineer!" at Haneda Innovation City. Children who touched robots at events and "Kawasaki Robostage" might become engineers manufacturing robots someday. "Kawasaki Robostage" gets crowded during large consecutive holidays such as summer vacation, but you can look around relatively slowly right after opening on weekdays. Why not visit "Kawasaki Robostage" and see with your own eyes the future created by humans and robots, not only for those who love robots but also for those who haven't had much opportunity to touch them until now?

<<Kawasaki Robostage>>
Address: Tradepia Odaiba 1F, 2-3-1 Daiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Hours: Weekdays 13:00-18:00, Sat/Sun/Holidays 10:00-18:00
Closed: Every Tuesday (Open if it is a holiday), Year-end and New Year holidays
Admission: Free
*For other details, please check the official website below.
https://kawasakirobotics.com/jp-sp/robostage/