Godzilla Minus Zero Brings a Monster Makeover to Yurakucho’s SEIKO Clock

Godzilla’s theme music is filling the air in Japan! To celebrate the upcoming release of Godzilla Minus Zero, the SEIKO Marion Clock now features marionettes dressed as Godzilla, with the King of the Monsters’ signature melody accompanying their performance in a Tokyo neighborhood with deep ties to the series. 

The event began on October 19 and is scheduled to continue through mid-November, with performances every hour from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Visitors can stop outside the Yurakucho Marion shopping and cinema complex to enjoy the display ahead of the movie’s opening.

A Tokyo Meeting Place Since 1984

Located above the building’s front entrance, the SEIKO Marion Clock has been drawing attention for more than four decades. Unveiled in 1984 as Japan’s first large automaton clock, it helped inspire a nationwide wave of elaborate public timepieces combining music and moving figures.

During its regular performances, a fanfare signals the opening of the clock’s 2.6-meter-diameter face, revealing mechanical dolls that play musical instruments by striking metal tubes. The current presentation gives this familiar routine a kaiju twist.

Seasonal programs have marked Christmas and New Year, while the dolls themselves received a refresh in October 2021. Through these changes, the installation has remained a popular meeting spot in Yurakucho.

A Location with Godzilla History

The setting makes this collaboration especially fitting. The Yurakucho Marion building occupies the former site of the Nihon Gekijo, commonly known as Nichigeki, a theater struck by Godzilla’s tail during the monster’s rampage in the original Godzilla (1954).

The replacement complex opened in 1984 and appeared that same year in The Return of Godzilla, with its windows shattering as the monster moved against the building. In 2023, Godzilla Minus One digitally recreated the old Nichigeki for its devastating Ginza sequence, connecting the location to another era of the franchise.

Nearby Hibiya offers further stops for fans, including the Shin Godzilla statue at Hibiya Godzilla Square and the earlier bronze monument now housed inside TOHO Cinemas Hibiya. For more information on local landmarks, check out our article, Exploring Godzilla’s Tokyo Through Ginza and Hibiya. Together, these landmarks make the surrounding streets rewarding to explore before returning to the SEIKO Marion Clock for its hourly performance.

Experience the next chapter on the big screen! Godzilla Minus Zero arrives in theaters across North America on November 6, with IMAX Early Access screenings on November 3!