Well Evangelion fans, the moment you’ve been waiting for all these years has finally arrived: you can now slide down the leg of a 18.5 meter (60ft) statue of Rei Ayanami.

The “leg” is actually a giant inflatable slide that visitors can ride down for free during the Shiohaku Expo 2012, which runs from July 25 to Aug 26 2012 in Shiodome, Tokyo.

The attraction was built in anticipation of the November 2012 release of Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo and those who take the plunge receive a “Certification of Sliding”…whatever that is.

We visited the Shiohaku Expo event center before July 25 to see giant Rei for ourselves and while we weren’t able to slide down it ourselves, it’s worth taking the trip to Shiodome just see how big she is. It’s difficult to truly understand the impact of a 18.5 meter tall anime girl with an inflatable slide for a leg unless you see it in real life.

We were even more impressed with the level of detail, figuring that a statue of her size would have ended up with the paint job of a 3rd-rate amusement park mascot character. But all the intricate details of the plug suit were present and Rei’s facial expression didn’t look awkward in the least.

Those of you wondering what it feels like to slide down a giant Rei Ayanami should be sure to head to the Nittere Plaza in Shiodome before August 26. We recommend maintaining the Gendo Ikari pose while sliding for extra points.

【Giant Rei Ayanami Inflatable Slide】
Open 10:00-18:00, July 25 – August 26 2012
Location: Shiodome Nittere Plaza (Minataoku Higashishinbashi)
Admission: Free (though they charge for entrance into the Shiohaku pavilion itself)


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