"You know 'e is a crazy man," Fredette, a feisty, flame- haired assistant, warns in a French accent as she hands over a yellow hard hat. "A mad man. Un fou. And very, very busy. You must be quick."
And so it is something of a surprise when a tall mild-mannered man with a soft voice and smiling eyes turns up on a bicycle only minutes later and introduces himself as Francois Delaroziere, the force behind Yokohama's recent infestation.
For those who missed it this past weekend, two giant mechanical spiders were set loose on the city, and now a stroll down the streets of Yokohama will never be the same. To mark the 150th anniversary of the port, one of the arachnids is making the bay area its home for 150 days, taking daily walks and living in Red Brick Warehouse in Yokohama's Bayside Area, where it can be visited up close. With the machine standing more than 12 meters high with eight spindly legs, 50 hydraulic joints, 10 human operators and weighing no less than 37 tons, arachnophobes would do well to stay at home.