Howitzers, Humvees and a giant robot welcome visitors to Marine base near Mount Fuji

CAMP FUJI, Japan — Howitzers, armored vehicles and Humvees lined the flight line as Japanese visitors climbed aboard, posed for photos and got a rare hands-on look at the military hardware normally kept behind the gates of this Marine Corps training base.

There was also a giant robot in the mix.

A life-size statue of Ingram AV-98, from the Japanese anime “Patlabor,” stood among the weapon displays during Saturday’s Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji Friendship Festival.

A Japanese boy poses with a Marine atop an armoured vehicle during the friendship festival at Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji, Japan, Sept. 12, 2026. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

Ingram AV-98, from the Japanese anime “Patlabor," towers over the military displays during the annual friendship festival at Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji, Japan, Sept. 12, 2026. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

A Japanese boy tries out a handwheel used to adjust the firing angle of an M777A2 howitzer during the friendship festival at Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji, Japan, Sept. 12, 2026. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

The annual festival brought U.S. service members together with residents of nearby Gotemba and members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force for nine hours of food, music, military displays and performances. Fireworks capped off the free event.

M777 howitzers, LAV-25 light armored vehicles were among the equipment opened to visitors.

Taiko drummers, Gotemba dancers and Bon Odori performers shared the program with the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Fuji School and III Marine Expeditionary Force bands.

Japanese troops and local residents perform a tradittional dance during the friendship festival at Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji, Japan, Sept. 12, 2026. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

Walter Q. Jackson and Saarah perform during the friendship festival at Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji, Japan, Sept. 12, 2026. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

Camp Fuji — the Marine Corps’ primary training facility on mainland Japan — sits in Shizuoka prefecture southwest of Tokyo, adjacent to the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Camp Takigahara.

“Events like today give us an opportunity to share our own traditions, learn from one another, and strengthen the ties that connect us,” Base commander Col. Sung Kim said at the festival.