tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55181735267439271312024-03-18T08:30:16.812-07:00Sidelong Glances of a Pigeon KickerBretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.comBlogger1935125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-30521592017144794722024-03-18T08:28:00.000-07:002024-03-18T08:29:19.502-07:00FAIL SAFE! Reconsidering an American Classic with a Japanese Connoisseur of Cinema!<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiztt3pjrFC9TFY5YFjw-oR-XVth1Cs_FpgbWmiJiPzsD4InNVeFGLmnX1WvBadOUWiyeouyjgDChr05ThEqEEBtAZBI0ryuJb2PMp1rtadpE7E4fNgoy0Cn13_nVijxY_M11SwKjCGMxPSGV6GM4XfnJgrsk2FFruPuSz-a7GuhpUZF-EoQ3T63bqMbCo/s4032/PXL_20240318_125516782.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiztt3pjrFC9TFY5YFjw-oR-XVth1Cs_FpgbWmiJiPzsD4InNVeFGLmnX1WvBadOUWiyeouyjgDChr05ThEqEEBtAZBI0ryuJb2PMp1rtadpE7E4fNgoy0Cn13_nVijxY_M11SwKjCGMxPSGV6GM4XfnJgrsk2FFruPuSz-a7GuhpUZF-EoQ3T63bqMbCo/s320/PXL_20240318_125516782.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiroshi Kashiwabara. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Tonight (Monday, March 18), I paid a visit to Hiroshi Kashiwabara's cafe to participate in an event focused on a classic movie. (If you know anything about Kashiwabara-san, you know about his extensive fondness for American oldies.) The topic of the evening was the Sidney Lumet thriller <i>Fail Safe</i> (1964).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZeqjYS8q9m_ogIUcy53eItQ9QKxs7jObhqiOd180Yz-SwoSwAUldQZrSlKihsRTauq5BFUTUwl8lcjpkpSecZ1VreiO6vVtq1pxKk_esIiMV_ThJ3U1W0U5yTwfQQdlunvfs6Om4qMA_1ew0kI-EZduAQvWq9Yu5HV8nIepD4tnSilYiGBCBmch7bCA/s4032/PXL_20240318_120852432.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZeqjYS8q9m_ogIUcy53eItQ9QKxs7jObhqiOd180Yz-SwoSwAUldQZrSlKihsRTauq5BFUTUwl8lcjpkpSecZ1VreiO6vVtq1pxKk_esIiMV_ThJ3U1W0U5yTwfQQdlunvfs6Om4qMA_1ew0kI-EZduAQvWq9Yu5HV8nIepD4tnSilYiGBCBmch7bCA/s320/PXL_20240318_120852432.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the memorabilia on display. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It's always been fascinating to me (in a less-than-positive way) that <i>Dr. Strangelove</i> (1964) is regarded as an all-time classic while <i>Fail Safe</i> has largely been forgotten. I first saw <i>Dr. Strangelove</i> circa December 1996 when I was going through my Kubrick-Is-God phase (through which most teenage boys eventually have to pass). That and <i>The Shining</i> (1980) were the two Kubrick films I had the most trouble getting into. (I'd throw in 1962's <i>Lolita</i>, too, but does a film that minor even rate?)</div><p></p><div><div>I just never found <i>Strangelove</i> particularly clever or funny. It has its moments (most of which I found out later were improvised), but I'd be hard-pressed to call it one of the best films of 1964, let alone of all time.</div></div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEpSgDGEMGhlZkvb7XztEYkST3NANZErMdJ-wv67FXfl1XBGCcHkdulw51QCBLaefkgiXxrgIM9odpsa74pUyVG939rs9q49H7n-3aArdr4rWHXJ0s4E_s2367Spbr97B_VwK_itiGumYLpOlJiGo2PTaukKR2xMI1Lwm4XSbrlJCK6gyNoCUmswHAR1Y/s4032/PXL_20240318_120859236.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEpSgDGEMGhlZkvb7XztEYkST3NANZErMdJ-wv67FXfl1XBGCcHkdulw51QCBLaefkgiXxrgIM9odpsa74pUyVG939rs9q49H7n-3aArdr4rWHXJ0s4E_s2367Spbr97B_VwK_itiGumYLpOlJiGo2PTaukKR2xMI1Lwm4XSbrlJCK6gyNoCUmswHAR1Y/s320/PXL_20240318_120859236.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even more memorabilia! Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Around August 1997, I saw <i>Fail Safe</i> for the first time on late-night cable TV. It was everything that <i>Strangelove</i> wasn't. I've since read that audiences of the time avoided <i>Fail Safe</i> because they supposedly found the subject matter humorous in the wake of the Kubrick film, but I certainly wasn't laughing. (Heck, I wasn't laughing the first time around, watching the genius auteur's would-be comedy.) <i>Fail Safe</i> kept me on the edge of my seat, and ever since that evening I've considered it the superior film.</div><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTG9DEIM8goj4ZmDtNin-xnuWNZy618lJWUlxt_OdugblSYBm1IICX2vXpAC1T2sCTT9c4KPZH4Iyd2x4UrilB2Mamnpvv6KtC3YwZnJgdZgbhOyx4GxnjwXVFppnD5QpUdzqXcJC2JsJzMNfAmGKOZY1X_Xau2TiNuTRgNkIzzeG7mQU65H8dEsgCeSI/s4032/PXL_20240318_125501074.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTG9DEIM8goj4ZmDtNin-xnuWNZy618lJWUlxt_OdugblSYBm1IICX2vXpAC1T2sCTT9c4KPZH4Iyd2x4UrilB2Mamnpvv6KtC3YwZnJgdZgbhOyx4GxnjwXVFppnD5QpUdzqXcJC2JsJzMNfAmGKOZY1X_Xau2TiNuTRgNkIzzeG7mQU65H8dEsgCeSI/s320/PXL_20240318_125501074.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Anyway, a funny thing happened this evening. When I entered the venue, I noticed a few attendees giving me a quizzical look. One of them asked Kashiwabara-san if I was an actor. He explained who I was, after which I confirmed to the folks in attendance that I'm indeed not a performer.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0dnovs8SRkjN_t5iTw2Nwd4Xf1WUzNn3hBRJyhbKrtzt8dfxc4OZ68U7IJz4SWkOpYORdN1Lz_NdOMDVI6fCSsO2ItKvgb-EhgwI-P38VSoYLSMCIemIKjMIqYUDLQMJbwuld7ZpV4NtB8BIDuxGhx2x8sLd8VkfzYKzGhgWjWFqiBrYfj65qf0FcgA/s4032/PXL_20240318_125505826.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0dnovs8SRkjN_t5iTw2Nwd4Xf1WUzNn3hBRJyhbKrtzt8dfxc4OZ68U7IJz4SWkOpYORdN1Lz_NdOMDVI6fCSsO2ItKvgb-EhgwI-P38VSoYLSMCIemIKjMIqYUDLQMJbwuld7ZpV4NtB8BIDuxGhx2x8sLd8VkfzYKzGhgWjWFqiBrYfj65qf0FcgA/s320/PXL_20240318_125505826.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div>When the discussion of the film ended, Kashiwabara-san asked me to stand up, and he proceeded to tell the gathered attendees about more about me. I wasn't expecting to be put in the spotlight, but it's always flattering. Afterward, a few attendees expressed interest in seeing my interviews, so I shared the URL for <a href="https://vantagepointinterviews.com/">Vantage Point Interviews</a> with them. They seemed impressed!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><br /></div><div>Tonight was a fun night of film discussion. Many thanks to Kashiwabara-san for making it possible!</div></div>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-85520519341696129892024-03-17T07:33:00.000-07:002024-03-17T11:36:58.650-07:00Celebrating an American Classic with Three Tsuburaya Productions Legends!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBaUTLUporRWYJiY0hFqvVz519KmdMmohmZyNENjmsP9kQxabdnSixyP19FsRC2WZBuO91zejiy3DoLg0V0xz9XJ16_iiSRD4t1lL6a2htSRjuq-NVwRBpq9m8wEO-XiP72YUPPdYANy-htJVKrWv6v43RBq3RJVDrcTmD5uBnjS-1z00RmEoHq1hyphenhyphenTyo/s4032/PXL_20240317_083114296.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBaUTLUporRWYJiY0hFqvVz519KmdMmohmZyNENjmsP9kQxabdnSixyP19FsRC2WZBuO91zejiy3DoLg0V0xz9XJ16_iiSRD4t1lL6a2htSRjuq-NVwRBpq9m8wEO-XiP72YUPPdYANy-htJVKrWv6v43RBq3RJVDrcTmD5uBnjS-1z00RmEoHq1hyphenhyphenTyo/s320/PXL_20240317_083114296.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masao Nakabori. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Today (Sunday, March 17), I received a very kind invitation from former Tsuburaya Productions script supervisor Atsuko Tanaka to join a special event in Jimbocho. The topic of the event was a breakdown of the various film techniques used to create <i>Citizen Kane</i> (1941), hosted by Japanese cinematographer Masao Nakabori. </div><div><br /></div><div>What made this invitation special in particular is that she offered to meet me about 40 minutes before the start of the event so that we could spend some time together prior to the event. She also invited me to the after-party, which was even more generous of her. But, as it turned out, that wasn't all.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiia8Hkw00lpdXwnn5NWrDCHLNI5ymmXoe4yxPDZ8tDacQlgSnYHpITM44H2c57-x6oXyDzVsjbc3m_M5giZYMWVhtz_PIcSmbu_uBZ-EQ54AVGDm7d-a6ARkbZDeqBCHLlMs4XBwawX-Fxs5FSYlTd0OuEfy2IaGmwDGNmw_mD3Ct6a2yW4DilFfB_MB0/s4032/PXL_20240317_054828183.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiia8Hkw00lpdXwnn5NWrDCHLNI5ymmXoe4yxPDZ8tDacQlgSnYHpITM44H2c57-x6oXyDzVsjbc3m_M5giZYMWVhtz_PIcSmbu_uBZ-EQ54AVGDm7d-a6ARkbZDeqBCHLlMs4XBwawX-Fxs5FSYlTd0OuEfy2IaGmwDGNmw_mD3Ct6a2yW4DilFfB_MB0/s320/PXL_20240317_054828183.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atsuko Tanaka. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>She told me that another Tsuburaya Productions script supervisor, Noriko Shishikura (a.k.a. Noriko Suzuki) would be joining her. Shishikura-san doesn't do many appearances at events in Japan, and I'm not aware of her appearing at any other gathering. Suffice it to say, it was a rare opportunity!</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXy5WKquLpW28S4L3e7_qC2QGJ6sfp1Nm6bOlhA2Tn49QrsL8fjfHX7wwj3U__YNGmzqEg7W2A12k1__FBkJAjGlNId5Dl_7uuuNH00E2UQ2WhfJK_ly99aoU1aHE8JAWRJzTdscQBD8Yn13G9THbdYdnDfFmGCRXOMcgMCNeAm2OnPI21LB4qPcYUCE0/s4032/PXL_20240317_094901609.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXy5WKquLpW28S4L3e7_qC2QGJ6sfp1Nm6bOlhA2Tn49QrsL8fjfHX7wwj3U__YNGmzqEg7W2A12k1__FBkJAjGlNId5Dl_7uuuNH00E2UQ2WhfJK_ly99aoU1aHE8JAWRJzTdscQBD8Yn13G9THbdYdnDfFmGCRXOMcgMCNeAm2OnPI21LB4qPcYUCE0/s320/PXL_20240317_094901609.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miyanobu Inori. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><div>First, let's take a closer look at the day's VIPs. <a href="https://vantagepointinterviews.com/2020/04/29/keeping-tabs-on-ultraman-tsuburaya-pro-script-supervisor-atsuko-tanaka-looks-back-on-her-tokusatsu-career/">Atsuko Tanaka</a> is a former Tsuburaya Productions scripter (known these days as a script supervisor), who worked on <i>Ultra Q</i> (1966), <i>Ultraman</i> (1966-67), <i>Ultra Seven</i> (1967-68), <i>The Space Giants</i> (1966-67), and <i>Kaiju Booska</i> (1966-67). In fact, when I showed her my <i>Kaiju Booska</i> DVD sleeve for her to sign, she was quite amused by it.</div><div><br /></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kCkTMA9eFNlM157hccYP_fphiYmsmCXiSMNX3II9ryOYDoESrWwstfjXVgM2SZtF16N0ldgAArU-FcXTuQDkpv2A7cdV0Uli45VVgdyhl6MX_LRg4MVIAZ4HttJsaVHuv7FU89eu9AWc8K5nUxqp2-xtrsTihF3BWsm0T0ZbRGEXALfiMwsYsNDu8Ks/s4032/PXL_20240317_051255952.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kCkTMA9eFNlM157hccYP_fphiYmsmCXiSMNX3II9ryOYDoESrWwstfjXVgM2SZtF16N0ldgAArU-FcXTuQDkpv2A7cdV0Uli45VVgdyhl6MX_LRg4MVIAZ4HttJsaVHuv7FU89eu9AWc8K5nUxqp2-xtrsTihF3BWsm0T0ZbRGEXALfiMwsYsNDu8Ks/s320/PXL_20240317_051255952.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Noriko Shishikura.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://vantagepointinterviews.com/2021/05/31/through-the-lens-of-tokusatsu-cinematographer-masao-nakabori-goes-behind-the-scenes-of-the-ultra-series/">Masao Nakabori</a> is a cinematographer whose credits include <i>Ultraman</i>, <i>Ultra Seven</i>, <i>Operation: Mystery!</i> (1968-69), <i>Silver Kamen</i> (1971-72), and <i>Ultraman Taro</i> (1973-74). On the big screen, Mr. Nakabori frequently collaborated with director Akio Jissoji, including the films <i>Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis</i> (1988) and <i>Ultra Q: The Movie</i> (1990).</div><div></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CJsP2vMCa02_QGQFI6elz4ch4lJ4C0A2Tx-53dmUF958YcZjSapbmdjpqEHRDO1FZdftM9CrDRKtg7zMvy3ASj_-TWcx9mjzBKE-DKwALZJVa74qAcV0oIpyunGLrK49MMQAm7D1ce0S6NQZ7Yux939P5ZyfHSvV-xPBO8tktOyOVY42jzDQhQFit3s/s4032/PXL_20240317_051404274.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CJsP2vMCa02_QGQFI6elz4ch4lJ4C0A2Tx-53dmUF958YcZjSapbmdjpqEHRDO1FZdftM9CrDRKtg7zMvy3ASj_-TWcx9mjzBKE-DKwALZJVa74qAcV0oIpyunGLrK49MMQAm7D1ce0S6NQZ7Yux939P5ZyfHSvV-xPBO8tktOyOVY42jzDQhQFit3s/s320/PXL_20240317_051404274.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Noriko Shishikura (born in 1937) has worn many hats in the Japanese film and television industry, having worked at different times as a scripter, screenwriter, director, and a producer. She was formerly married to Ultra-series director Toshitsugu Suzuki.</div><div></div></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22GIFl1MJfD7YMYWxR3MvbuRs9LuTV_f3WxtxF8dJnh7uTj6rBSkUXvoBG5eb4DceIJlT5GCfY0-JttwxSy9qnW_cH9ru9e4V7MBI5khXk4SE6UoO5SN_KyoyPcq2L4soMafHdNf5PzlNc_eQMFZ-HQgOQQp05T8OL2IDywTaFcq8kdJt56G2p92W1zk/s4032/PXL_20240317_053701523.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22GIFl1MJfD7YMYWxR3MvbuRs9LuTV_f3WxtxF8dJnh7uTj6rBSkUXvoBG5eb4DceIJlT5GCfY0-JttwxSy9qnW_cH9ru9e4V7MBI5khXk4SE6UoO5SN_KyoyPcq2L4soMafHdNf5PzlNc_eQMFZ-HQgOQQp05T8OL2IDywTaFcq8kdJt56G2p92W1zk/s320/PXL_20240317_053701523.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atsuko Tanaka signs a <i>Kaiju Booska</i> DVD sleeve. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div>As a scripter, Shishikura-san has worked on <i>Ultra Q</i>, <i>Ultraman</i>, <i>Ultra Seven</i>, <i>Silver Kamen</i>, <i>Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis</i>, and a bevy of Nikkatsu films from the 1960s, going as far back as 1961. After that, she directed <i>Ultraman: Great Monster Decisive Battle</i> (1979), which is essentially a clip show of previous <i>Ultraman</i> episodes with some new footage edited into it.</div><div></div></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg41CttJ2J_FeTaSW66h41W5Kw9lUytMiEbYuHqJ4hjrlZ_WjiQ7Ot6lY_rHKZQOvVnoZFc7ppDMTxkWiq7myR-gvw6wKy_TNLpnzH3JEDOsmtOE4no4aftTXEB2N1vHOSGZJPZK0-v36Tfw666LHzk_2ujhugcVEMkwbDwZuDixyr_GigQYAXjlLWC9W4/s4032/PXL_20240317_053849480.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg41CttJ2J_FeTaSW66h41W5Kw9lUytMiEbYuHqJ4hjrlZ_WjiQ7Ot6lY_rHKZQOvVnoZFc7ppDMTxkWiq7myR-gvw6wKy_TNLpnzH3JEDOsmtOE4no4aftTXEB2N1vHOSGZJPZK0-v36Tfw666LHzk_2ujhugcVEMkwbDwZuDixyr_GigQYAXjlLWC9W4/s320/PXL_20240317_053849480.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Noriko Shishikura signs an <i>Ultraman</i> DVD sleeve. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><div>She also produced the Tsuburaya Productions TV series <i>Star Wolf</i> (1978), Nobuhiko Obayashi's <i>Cute Devil</i> (1982), <i>Ultra Q: The Movie</i>, and <i>Ultraman Tiga</i> (1996-97), though only with director Jissoji.</div><div></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglrwZPFtZhcncpuZL-R6cPYissb8KnAYQXC1MPpQe3TcJq8qOXo-_vuzeGsCiqYm-5eDnlyy4o4A0Dxn1zuQhFCDaOTF6IK-r66YK81M7RpElJp1d4DjX1IrBJdlmBOz41bCJAqEnJRKJkAIcjn_ksFoESePszxiArp1CBk-HVtUdwf4s9SScf3zBU72A/s4032/PXL_20240317_083133570.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglrwZPFtZhcncpuZL-R6cPYissb8KnAYQXC1MPpQe3TcJq8qOXo-_vuzeGsCiqYm-5eDnlyy4o4A0Dxn1zuQhFCDaOTF6IK-r66YK81M7RpElJp1d4DjX1IrBJdlmBOz41bCJAqEnJRKJkAIcjn_ksFoESePszxiArp1CBk-HVtUdwf4s9SScf3zBU72A/s320/PXL_20240317_083133570.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div>An even bigger surprise was meeting Miyanobu Inori, who worked on three Akira Kurosawa movies in the camera and electrical department. Inori-san had a few stories to share about his experiences. </div><div><br /></div><div>On <i>Dreams</i> (1990), the staff had to create realistic-looking cherry blossoms. Kurosawa was pleased with the results and gave about one bottle per six staff members of White Horse, Kurosawa's favorite whiskey, for a job well done.</div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97P6eoVUpJnBam1oLX0H09PtQOOiz412JSuglJ21pVJuWWlJZiZF-iSO040Ii6_irmheRlm5SyxM1PEuVnrzOKvMf6Spqjxk2Ydr1v8PCrgVIiAYws7pEEYVy5bF91lNEv1e9GeMYl7EwF-EHmF8cmdY8RhYYS7N5Olt6vy3l1y_JqogutzVQFDfpOt4/s3264/PXL_20240317_095239703.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97P6eoVUpJnBam1oLX0H09PtQOOiz412JSuglJ21pVJuWWlJZiZF-iSO040Ii6_irmheRlm5SyxM1PEuVnrzOKvMf6Spqjxk2Ydr1v8PCrgVIiAYws7pEEYVy5bF91lNEv1e9GeMYl7EwF-EHmF8cmdY8RhYYS7N5Olt6vy3l1y_JqogutzVQFDfpOt4/s320/PXL_20240317_095239703.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>For the scene depicted on the poster of <i>Rhapsody in August</i> (1991), Inori-san was personally involved in putting film lights under the water to create the desired effect. (I didn't realize one would even do such a thing!)</div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjR9HgF80aDDj5sA_2LJ9TdTsxofER-KXWg_HBzO6ZYKGlCNqh2iE2sVe_7IYFUe8i-1kw9MhSDTMqoFe5xKCfQtNHv-09-6u86E7wJ9eui15iKWH5ZL5HE5IozzlYfMXVEuPp7RQzjqssUL4FnFvwqAp-qQKS95aal_z0M0pG_ZMJppNMSgIwfyaak4c/s3264/PXL_20240317_112723355.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjR9HgF80aDDj5sA_2LJ9TdTsxofER-KXWg_HBzO6ZYKGlCNqh2iE2sVe_7IYFUe8i-1kw9MhSDTMqoFe5xKCfQtNHv-09-6u86E7wJ9eui15iKWH5ZL5HE5IozzlYfMXVEuPp7RQzjqssUL4FnFvwqAp-qQKS95aal_z0M0pG_ZMJppNMSgIwfyaak4c/s320/PXL_20240317_112723355.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Kurosawa liked shooting from far away with a zoom lens. On <i>Madadayo</i> (1993), there was an open set in Gotemba for a scene that took place right after the war. As you might imagine, it's difficult to light a scene from far away. They used a spotlight, with which the actors were fine. But Kurosawa didn't like it because it was too shiny and didn't look realistic.</p><div>A lot to write about, but that only scratches the surface! I had a great time today, and I must thank Tanaka-san for the invitation. It was truly remarkable!</div>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-52403640707582168302024-03-17T06:47:00.000-07:002024-03-17T06:47:58.766-07:00A Special Evening with the Actor Behind 'Megalon's' Goro Ibuki!<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkwKU03QQB6qtmUxIo-I46HTeAtBdidg20TsLOlanVnyG5ZLbd8D7HsDd3H-Uif2QPgzMinuTluXDLBJAMm3D49-RR4jamkA1z9UMD56yu2MZzFA8c8s1BvDq9PvKEN4bqh5KF_xhzujFKivx5AZaHzGoQPkKDnt2X_RV_lAOEPd8aRF4Z6uN69vJD9w/s4496/DSC_0718.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4496" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkwKU03QQB6qtmUxIo-I46HTeAtBdidg20TsLOlanVnyG5ZLbd8D7HsDd3H-Uif2QPgzMinuTluXDLBJAMm3D49-RR4jamkA1z9UMD56yu2MZzFA8c8s1BvDq9PvKEN4bqh5KF_xhzujFKivx5AZaHzGoQPkKDnt2X_RV_lAOEPd8aRF4Z6uN69vJD9w/s320/DSC_0718.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Katsuhiko Sasaki. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">On Saturday, March 16, I was lucky enough to have dinner with Toho actor Katsuhiko Sasaki, the star of several 1970s-era tokusatsu productions at the studio. Sasaki-san is best known for headlining <i>Godzilla vs. Megalon</i> (1973) and <i>Terror of Mechagodzilla</i> (1975).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfstebEpHSx5e8s00aUxRjd7IlgZ13crV_l9lGKt_N7x8q0Y5hnqfwz0O3hB5WAOT94bFGfEX-Bq4rpmK09h0Kz9mm4gpxIjHSB77y5c9bPRIa9afPUerj9BrvhQsUm3FBTHFSudSbLPZGVhbOrcgcA5Iroxt9xcBaupv-xigEaQ8hD3WEc9IE0lw63Q/s4496/DSC_0716.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4496" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfstebEpHSx5e8s00aUxRjd7IlgZ13crV_l9lGKt_N7x8q0Y5hnqfwz0O3hB5WAOT94bFGfEX-Bq4rpmK09h0Kz9mm4gpxIjHSB77y5c9bPRIa9afPUerj9BrvhQsUm3FBTHFSudSbLPZGVhbOrcgcA5Iroxt9xcBaupv-xigEaQ8hD3WEc9IE0lw63Q/s320/DSC_0716.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We met at Futako-tamagawa Station and headed to a restaurant that Sasaki-san is quite fond of. We spent at least two hours there, and the conversation covered a wide range of topics. I was especially interested in Sasaki-san's memories of filming <i>Evil of Drcaula</i> (1974) and how unexpectedly difficult and dangerous it was. The fight scene with Toshio Kurosawa was already tough, but having to film the scene in which Sasaki-san's character drowns was much more dangerous. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlj-ChlM0rlfvPCrmTHM9SSwhOYXFrMPokaro_yVSyZNW3O2gIl-vszupynbp_LLD8HnzAxeelPJmEb1RLSKFjS-D5Ja6lMHwNkhBc67nQkFDGlROYrw58NTVwg9ci2s9SyQPF70i3oPyfILq6-RyboeRXCWxLocGvNGNA1FRJe4R2SytR7yxuuUgZZo/s4032/PXL_20240316_121037464.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlj-ChlM0rlfvPCrmTHM9SSwhOYXFrMPokaro_yVSyZNW3O2gIl-vszupynbp_LLD8HnzAxeelPJmEb1RLSKFjS-D5Ja6lMHwNkhBc67nQkFDGlROYrw58NTVwg9ci2s9SyQPF70i3oPyfILq6-RyboeRXCWxLocGvNGNA1FRJe4R2SytR7yxuuUgZZo/s320/PXL_20240316_121037464.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Katsuhiko Sasaki signs autographs. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>Sasaki-san also reminisced about his father, actor Minoru Chiaki, and how director Akira Kurosawa scouted him while watching him perform onstage as part of the Bara-za theater company. Sasaki-san enjoys <i>Ikiru</i> (1952) among his father's Kurosawa's films.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBGXsh93IS5zurSQuZ957y29_AD-iiWltXmXK3r0-yQTAV7A_CSF2qrRqHxxuP_5QWPlCBL3Jm8rQ0yY8OSdzIV35WM-48e2Of3-_uQDp5L3eDyolPEbl5Zmru3gSJCxboXFLyrMUSLIzDCahltUrRKEqZC2sKro0NYr3WKd9qC5KSybreuC-apgJB2g/s4032/PXL_20240316_122115508.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBGXsh93IS5zurSQuZ957y29_AD-iiWltXmXK3r0-yQTAV7A_CSF2qrRqHxxuP_5QWPlCBL3Jm8rQ0yY8OSdzIV35WM-48e2Of3-_uQDp5L3eDyolPEbl5Zmru3gSJCxboXFLyrMUSLIzDCahltUrRKEqZC2sKro0NYr3WKd9qC5KSybreuC-apgJB2g/s320/PXL_20240316_122115508.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>I must say that Sasaki-san was quite generous when it came to signing things. I brought a bevy of <i>Megalon</i>-related items to sign, and Sasaki-san graciously signed everything I wanted. Definitely a one-of-a-kind gentleman!</div><div><br /></div><div>In particular, I was extremely glad to add his signature to my Blu-ray sleeve of <i>Megalon</i> that already featured that autographs of Yutaka Hayashi and Hiroyuki Kawase. With Sasaki-san's signature, I now have the autographs of all three leads of the film on that Blu-ray cover. Suffice it to say, it's one of my favorite pieces.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSR3aF1qnul_Z5UMdA1bLigZB0Ql23KDnKYbm_fIGjf_5y7aaW6dARCdftUflTufhmASL81GvjtsUPN1UrZhuc2dQJ5cy5fiYQUizS2QBpQ2nfPiaCNeRTR7w828YCeVNGwJ2FTni5u268xM0WQjPQm99iPLvJyU1u84Jw7RJ3RRnBS0fBsnSNyLfOCS8/s4032/PXL_20240316_124045275.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSR3aF1qnul_Z5UMdA1bLigZB0Ql23KDnKYbm_fIGjf_5y7aaW6dARCdftUflTufhmASL81GvjtsUPN1UrZhuc2dQJ5cy5fiYQUizS2QBpQ2nfPiaCNeRTR7w828YCeVNGwJ2FTni5u268xM0WQjPQm99iPLvJyU1u84Jw7RJ3RRnBS0fBsnSNyLfOCS8/s320/PXL_20240316_124045275.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>I should also point out that Sasaki-san paid for our dinner, which, again, was very kind of him. It's this level of generosity that I will miss after I leave Japan. </div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKcKAm-L-Z9NNOqyJnyoZK7E9bqcMTfC7TIQOg2DcXuzKAuYQBs_-lhynwd4jZcxNbbwDhgInhBZC5eXtOxqQzT1o1xL5opbm3C3QbyGQoxW2F-pFwOergfuKaZjK-sQeGCjq9GxI5Poo-dLYxs2GDtZX-mbQ-akMynTyVgGJ4NS3tNWyThvLSHjVVzo/s4032/PXL_20240316_124112402.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKcKAm-L-Z9NNOqyJnyoZK7E9bqcMTfC7TIQOg2DcXuzKAuYQBs_-lhynwd4jZcxNbbwDhgInhBZC5eXtOxqQzT1o1xL5opbm3C3QbyGQoxW2F-pFwOergfuKaZjK-sQeGCjq9GxI5Poo-dLYxs2GDtZX-mbQ-akMynTyVgGJ4NS3tNWyThvLSHjVVzo/s320/PXL_20240316_124112402.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div>As we were walking back to the station, I reminded Sasaki-san that <i>Megalon</i> was my first Godzilla movie, to which he patted me on the back. It was a small gesture, but, when considered through the prism of my personal history with the genre, it means a lot. This was truly an evening I'll always remember. Many thanks to Sasaki-san for making it possible!</div></div><p></p>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-83723259255851129312024-03-16T02:20:00.000-07:002024-03-16T02:20:31.354-07:00Where'd Godzilla Go?<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-RlCPuNbRxqGGYPvdmcqhdSQ04wQbFV3Tav-Kn8JHDrd2I8Mm7jdKUvUkiEYnq6VJ2vHtJftuou8IGPmkBHBzm0RIKaVDOHu_Y7DAiR4GtfA7SlVztLKiYa7jmCELuv62inVhiTa5TG9SkrUt98iUuoo0oilliS59i78A8q2a3LyCzwHkMsP36p5V7c/s4032/PXL_20240315_104303457.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-RlCPuNbRxqGGYPvdmcqhdSQ04wQbFV3Tav-Kn8JHDrd2I8Mm7jdKUvUkiEYnq6VJ2vHtJftuou8IGPmkBHBzm0RIKaVDOHu_Y7DAiR4GtfA7SlVztLKiYa7jmCELuv62inVhiTa5TG9SkrUt98iUuoo0oilliS59i78A8q2a3LyCzwHkMsP36p5V7c/s320/PXL_20240315_104303457.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All that's left of Godzilla outside Tokyo Midtown Hibiya. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">While browsing social media the other day, I saw a post from someone who shared a photo from the recent Hibiya Meets Godzilla exhibit just outside Tokyo Midtown Hibiya. This individual speculated that someone at Toho must have seen <i>Godzilla Minus One</i>'s below-the-line, technical category win at the Oscars, shrugged, and put up a completely irrelevant bust of the original Godzilla from 1954 to "celebrate." </div><p>Well, having stopped by Tokyo Midtown Hibiya on Friday night (less than a week after the Oscars aired), here's all that's left of the "celebration." It was rather short, don't you think?</p><p>(Spoiler: It was always scheduled to end on March 10.)</p><p></p>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-51912187808435924302024-03-16T02:04:00.000-07:002024-03-16T02:05:45.278-07:00A Great Time with the Screenwriter Who Helped Launch Godzilla's Millennium Series!<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxznOWqgfX170-WVNTS_7w8FjUGn_2ac7AUMOO2GHn_kKkrL0vhFNOQtu0xGatB3tFi18OACCcDGSCMtKfxDs42i4VvVMOn1sNcpHeFqLCAAd19TObhroAo34vexUOh-KYKrx5Pt_yOuFCzNJWItND1QlIwxCcLp0suRTXHLUgITOH1-YeD8mKWfJXqHw/s4032/PXL_20240315_081705323.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxznOWqgfX170-WVNTS_7w8FjUGn_2ac7AUMOO2GHn_kKkrL0vhFNOQtu0xGatB3tFi18OACCcDGSCMtKfxDs42i4VvVMOn1sNcpHeFqLCAAd19TObhroAo34vexUOh-KYKrx5Pt_yOuFCzNJWItND1QlIwxCcLp0suRTXHLUgITOH1-YeD8mKWfJXqHw/s320/PXL_20240315_081705323.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiroshi Kashiwabara. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">After meeting Kazuomi Sasai on Friday, March 15, I immediately met up with screenwriter Hiroshi Kashiwabara. I was pleased to have the opportunity to sit down and chat with Kashiwabara-san, as it had been far too long since we last had such a chance.</div><p></p><p>I was bowled over when Kashiwabara-san brought out his "going away" present for me -- the <i>Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II</i> (1993) script that producer Shogo Tomiyama gave him in order to prepare for writing the screenplay for <i>Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla</i> (1994). It is certainly a privilege to own this bit of Toho history!</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuIbGqQIlq0SgZkopn3bj_PGN7670O_bxuHfzL5Xe_x_Pjf-Rp9RfYv-g0dYwOlqxsSPvXsLyDHBlE-ROjqr4Fu-kyxahHAn4D5Z1-uSAF1WW9DARX2ItAOwTPLAKTWCB3-kx2jy-k2SDKsItZHxqf-enwPZ4QHV4mWlAsTlLMu6Aw69Yuxli99A5TYo/s4032/PXL_20240315_073626597.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuIbGqQIlq0SgZkopn3bj_PGN7670O_bxuHfzL5Xe_x_Pjf-Rp9RfYv-g0dYwOlqxsSPvXsLyDHBlE-ROjqr4Fu-kyxahHAn4D5Z1-uSAF1WW9DARX2ItAOwTPLAKTWCB3-kx2jy-k2SDKsItZHxqf-enwPZ4QHV4mWlAsTlLMu6Aw69Yuxli99A5TYo/s320/PXL_20240315_073626597.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiroshi Kashiwabara with his copy of the <i>Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II</i> (1993) script. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">We discussed several topics -- everything from <i>Godzilla Minus One</i> (2023) to the state of American politics. But the conversation mostly centered around movies.</div><p></p><div><p>Kashiwabara-san named his three favorite actors in order for me, which was the first time I'd heard his list. They are: 1. John Wayne, 2. Steve McQueen, and 3. Burt Reynolds. I never realized that Kashiwabara-san was a big Burt Reynolds fan, but there you go.</p></div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQ1WMcemEgHFSEdqyLt7TKigLRkb_P8XENi3ebGM26uqESRvlW-y-dl_mlczXk1t-Z30egmB1DWKWgTZ7nthFnyaTbBRRXlV2csb7rixXmZQ3h6_t48hFlOcaofKLBr-4oeEcZ2MSaOGQX0Jyrai3OzniUJPhOBRi7IfcA9jPsC_w69sO8G_g56bRq4U/s4032/PXL_20240315_073634806.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQ1WMcemEgHFSEdqyLt7TKigLRkb_P8XENi3ebGM26uqESRvlW-y-dl_mlczXk1t-Z30egmB1DWKWgTZ7nthFnyaTbBRRXlV2csb7rixXmZQ3h6_t48hFlOcaofKLBr-4oeEcZ2MSaOGQX0Jyrai3OzniUJPhOBRi7IfcA9jPsC_w69sO8G_g56bRq4U/s320/PXL_20240315_073634806.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiroshi Kashiwabara signs the script. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">He told me his favorite Reynolds movies were <i>The Longest Yard</i> (1974) and <i>Hustle</i> (1975). I wasn't aware of <i>Hustle</i> and thought he might have meant <i>Boogie Nights</i> (1997). He said he likes that one, too, but that <i>Hustle</i> was a separate film. I had to look it up!</div><p></p><div><p>Kashiwabara-san didn't know the English title <i>Deliverance</i> (1972), so, when I showed him the Japanese translation, he shared his admiration for that film, too. That one is probably my favorite Burt Reynolds film.</p></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtcrXHXCuKi-ifa8nk_OaIAcNSpVYCIkO-YzY5Xq5X3O4_Gcl2kXmc7-3jrvFjfBUNBirOSvsvcD732yMzvSpuRKeS3JFQhf2tij7LLlRxn7yTJ1wsExGVDPmGHcRURYk-rvNvl3JClotfMB5jK1NnHWC1N1dGGHHlLoL70mRAELj61omk3UNDHCrH7c/s3264/PXL_20240315_081248742.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtcrXHXCuKi-ifa8nk_OaIAcNSpVYCIkO-YzY5Xq5X3O4_Gcl2kXmc7-3jrvFjfBUNBirOSvsvcD732yMzvSpuRKeS3JFQhf2tij7LLlRxn7yTJ1wsExGVDPmGHcRURYk-rvNvl3JClotfMB5jK1NnHWC1N1dGGHHlLoL70mRAELj61omk3UNDHCrH7c/s320/PXL_20240315_081248742.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">When we were wrapping up, Kashiwabara-san took a photo of me on his phone with the <i>MG</i> script, as well as a photo of the two of us together. Remember what I said about when VIPs want photos with <i>you</i>?</div><p></p><div><p>And, after all that, Kashiwabara-san also signed some <i>SpaceGodzilla</i> memorabilia for me. What a cool guy!</p></div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrCloccbhHBvKMFz5g8-KAxnXqiXrir5BG9uOGkPGKrBbsEBlzcERuYgMU6jgGcaShu3_EEgh1kk1nh8vBXVnMEotdMVpkYktzVEV2PIrynuVaXHdreFTtcfwQwfsOE9KDMnmIoYbXmvpYMxrcu4qxtrObiVVDePbp7cAlL0-plOr2JwjNtb71pESK-AA/s2016/431883209_1585503218917313_4718233656995479164_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="2016" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrCloccbhHBvKMFz5g8-KAxnXqiXrir5BG9uOGkPGKrBbsEBlzcERuYgMU6jgGcaShu3_EEgh1kk1nh8vBXVnMEotdMVpkYktzVEV2PIrynuVaXHdreFTtcfwQwfsOE9KDMnmIoYbXmvpYMxrcu4qxtrObiVVDePbp7cAlL0-plOr2JwjNtb71pESK-AA/s320/431883209_1585503218917313_4718233656995479164_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Hiroshi Kashiwabara.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As we were leaving, much like Asada-san before him, asked me if I knew who Troy Donahue was. Of course, I now know all about his song about Palm Springs!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Many thanks to Kashiwabara-san for his unparalleled generosity. I'm so proud to have that script!</div><p></p>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-50897018834491399692024-03-16T01:31:00.000-07:002024-03-16T01:31:59.252-07:00A Visit with a 1960s-Era Musician and Actor!<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9yVOvs-e8lesJoF2Lvsrki8WZ37SD_GXznnF2cUAHFfZbJBxq-qmkOZxzmSB2APimfdIkckq7WhqQH3XWx0CtmnKp8z7s1Xa9jZ3hZtrRDmrDDDJZ9WFQ1eyAELalGnNrcEPWl1qbpYYo7k_mj6RifvUNqqo07aYUTt3zQCSdL44gVEFStrsbhPyXNc/s4032/PXL_20240315_053851254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9yVOvs-e8lesJoF2Lvsrki8WZ37SD_GXznnF2cUAHFfZbJBxq-qmkOZxzmSB2APimfdIkckq7WhqQH3XWx0CtmnKp8z7s1Xa9jZ3hZtrRDmrDDDJZ9WFQ1eyAELalGnNrcEPWl1qbpYYo7k_mj6RifvUNqqo07aYUTt3zQCSdL44gVEFStrsbhPyXNc/s320/PXL_20240315_053851254.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kazuomi Sasai with a signed copy of <i style="text-align: left;">Ring of Memories</i><span style="text-align: left;"> (1968)</span>. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">On Friday, March 15, I had the distinct privilege of spending an afternoon with actor and musician Kazuomi Sasai (born November 12, 1944), a member of the 1960s musical group Village Singers. He served as the bassist for the band for about three and a half years. According to Japanese Wikipedia, he left the group in 1969 but eventually rejoined the group in 2002. </div><p>Notably, he is the son of film producer Hideo Sasai, who was most closely associated with Nikkatsu, but has also produced films at Toho and Shochiku.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9GV88pd5-eJsIOAQTvC28ZUP_uLfrV2ITGKwnDSYV87qdo3Yy9kxfMh4RD6wCsTVztJqSAV0daSqWrtKiWHVG0J0VDtLKYaqZ0WoA9DZQQdMR_j9IBPMqJEACGbUGpeoCpGVE52VKqsDL8fqnDvaZpA3lyhBWZ3bffVKIKM5z_xOuOmb7_bCHPZJ8DY/s4032/PXL_20240315_053903033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9GV88pd5-eJsIOAQTvC28ZUP_uLfrV2ITGKwnDSYV87qdo3Yy9kxfMh4RD6wCsTVztJqSAV0daSqWrtKiWHVG0J0VDtLKYaqZ0WoA9DZQQdMR_j9IBPMqJEACGbUGpeoCpGVE52VKqsDL8fqnDvaZpA3lyhBWZ3bffVKIKM5z_xOuOmb7_bCHPZJ8DY/s320/PXL_20240315_053903033.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kazuomi Sasai with a signed copy of <i style="text-align: left;">Lemon in the Rainbow</i><span style="text-align: left;"> (1968). Photo by Brett Homenick.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'd met only one member of the band before this -- Yutaka Hayashi. I have to admit that my interest in the Village Singers is more related to their movie appearances in the 1960s rather than their music, but both are still intriguing to me. </div><p></p><div><p>In fact, I brought two DVDs with me for Sasai-san to sign -- <i>Ring of Memories</i> (1968) and <i>Lemon in the Rainbow</i> (1968). Both films, in which the Village Singers more or less play themselves, were produced by Shochiku. </p></div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHIgzm0Imhngn0ZCuJaf6JS1_ErgnThsvAUB1FkrsjebOpIpu8UjhMt9PPXDzUZkL4KPpxrewRUCit9mDr-foYG_k1i04cU6Yix82hTI52pdgowIr3GO8HiP_aFvZbg6gPsDDJkn6ebIcBoxK8w74uFo2P6HhZFdYPXGpUIGIKcOxHWEwfiBNuBSquFM/s4032/PXL_20240315_065519477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHIgzm0Imhngn0ZCuJaf6JS1_ErgnThsvAUB1FkrsjebOpIpu8UjhMt9PPXDzUZkL4KPpxrewRUCit9mDr-foYG_k1i04cU6Yix82hTI52pdgowIr3GO8HiP_aFvZbg6gPsDDJkn6ebIcBoxK8w74uFo2P6HhZFdYPXGpUIGIKcOxHWEwfiBNuBSquFM/s320/PXL_20240315_065519477.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kazuomi Sasai in Toyosu. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We met near Toyosu Station and made our way to a nearby Starbucks. I got a hot chocolate, and Sasai-san got a coffee. We discussed numerous topics. Sasai-san hasn't seen <i>Godzilla Minus One</i> (2023) but is aware of the success it's had around the world. </div><div><p>Sasai-san also told me that his favorite type of movies are suspense ones, like the works of Alfred Hitchcock.</p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZg9Yieth5938kiY1P3mp6MGFs9sqOJNX28BriNlKvDuyWf3a61G1P6uB5HpsFM1KOeuhXGq9RPUcMNBl7RAccmzi-P6wsy4Va5AoBYwj6taQMu-idZUoZ-ceo27xTbgfWcNrcPR6OpDmDLeF-N3sXvB-GYdHh5a7E7EaaWSCP8UNWPWny3S_6AFmq0WA/s4032/PXL_20240315_064751804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZg9Yieth5938kiY1P3mp6MGFs9sqOJNX28BriNlKvDuyWf3a61G1P6uB5HpsFM1KOeuhXGq9RPUcMNBl7RAccmzi-P6wsy4Va5AoBYwj6taQMu-idZUoZ-ceo27xTbgfWcNrcPR6OpDmDLeF-N3sXvB-GYdHh5a7E7EaaWSCP8UNWPWny3S_6AFmq0WA/s320/PXL_20240315_064751804.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>When I asked him if he liked The Beatles, Sasai-san mentioned he prefers The Rolling Stones and Creedence Clearwater Revival. I share that opinion, so I asked Sasai-san if he knew the CCR song "The Midnight Special." I was surprised to hear that his band had actually performed it once. When I asked if there was a recording of it, he said it was just a live performance and not included on any album. Ah, well.</div><p>When I originally made plans with Sasai-san, I budgeted about two hours, though I was confident I wouldn't need that much time. To my surprise, we actually did! We hung out for the entire two hours. After Starbucks, we moved on to Hama-sushi, a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, where I ate a bowl of ramen.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxnO0y4QXdvRI6SYGJSVuOAGhEaymbaGCFIjX-Nx_XSO0WwkfefG98MRis48k9lFKTuhtQZurhXdk22fyEdZKEGsgp5kx5UsmzLS0m-3IcC-2cFbw9pv6OKTou7WKNUdwHBMn74vIWcKF3d7qdWW8Z0bSTAWmlrzoSzIRNcKZZkeu1ToMKbwT1r5U1XyU/s3264/PXL_20240315_064838984.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxnO0y4QXdvRI6SYGJSVuOAGhEaymbaGCFIjX-Nx_XSO0WwkfefG98MRis48k9lFKTuhtQZurhXdk22fyEdZKEGsgp5kx5UsmzLS0m-3IcC-2cFbw9pv6OKTou7WKNUdwHBMn74vIWcKF3d7qdWW8Z0bSTAWmlrzoSzIRNcKZZkeu1ToMKbwT1r5U1XyU/s320/PXL_20240315_064838984.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p>As we were leaving the sushi restaurant, Sasai-san listed many Southern California towns, even pointing out that former President Nixon used to live there. </p><div><p>After I got home, I found another message from Sasai-san, offering to get together much closer to me in the next couple of weeks. Of course, I'd love to do that! It was great to meet him, and I look forward to meeting him again very soon.</p></div></div><p></p>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-59466160844794808772024-03-14T07:28:00.000-07:002024-03-14T07:29:18.251-07:00See Godzilla Battle Kiryu in Shinjuku!<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCCtGGes_Ae23-rU_rS_Ssi9etaitvUDalrZ8cK9Mm7nXDeGYX45NAisKWDVgXX-ynWOEApXq1NCGlgd7u5exET86udcEViD-JsXsdLkAaPUwfsdqlurtyoD7LZNOrQalM4Impdezm2Kv2rM7j74srLTBT_9RFX7XZNlO76ddrW727-D3P_KzAWCEGzU/s4032/PXL_20240314_103748405.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCCtGGes_Ae23-rU_rS_Ssi9etaitvUDalrZ8cK9Mm7nXDeGYX45NAisKWDVgXX-ynWOEApXq1NCGlgd7u5exET86udcEViD-JsXsdLkAaPUwfsdqlurtyoD7LZNOrQalM4Impdezm2Kv2rM7j74srLTBT_9RFX7XZNlO76ddrW727-D3P_KzAWCEGzU/s320/PXL_20240314_103748405.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new Godzilla vs. Kiryu diorama at the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Until April 23, the 8th floor of the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku will be hosting a wonderful diorama featuring Godzilla's squaring off against Kiryu. It was quite a dynamic sight to behold, so let's let the photos do the rest of the talking. Enjoy!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpIGtd6j0P4VyEXna-TtAPqp5OSAS1Yk8BkKZVk69WIVnHSJZwzL7LoXOAWeEnXsKiu_C64hfb7RWDsoe2anFMRvfaAnbN-1kf9xNWyjO5WqU5Irv_u-rR2exXiI6Ykp689PLRd3I_SuVpHOrYMbZ2oGyielPdgR7fUX55hMs9kaK9DXe54nQpNisdAA/s4032/PXL_20240314_103756554.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpIGtd6j0P4VyEXna-TtAPqp5OSAS1Yk8BkKZVk69WIVnHSJZwzL7LoXOAWeEnXsKiu_C64hfb7RWDsoe2anFMRvfaAnbN-1kf9xNWyjO5WqU5Irv_u-rR2exXiI6Ykp689PLRd3I_SuVpHOrYMbZ2oGyielPdgR7fUX55hMs9kaK9DXe54nQpNisdAA/s320/PXL_20240314_103756554.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HnYlwjkRBb4jJuVlnx0YDqd733nGzv-1quvUzCKX1LcJq8TSQ2B-_Ga7V_8stDjfwtq0Eat14hg0e72rVZO2ElWzUFGUHsFb0PGQY3GFcWwOz3U_BtSCS2f_RNl2ZKeSKb-LKA3fLtJi_BtdMp3KxD03aevrDkNtkuz0RqIc-EfkR2o7fLx119YMxfk/s4032/PXL_20240314_103805391.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HnYlwjkRBb4jJuVlnx0YDqd733nGzv-1quvUzCKX1LcJq8TSQ2B-_Ga7V_8stDjfwtq0Eat14hg0e72rVZO2ElWzUFGUHsFb0PGQY3GFcWwOz3U_BtSCS2f_RNl2ZKeSKb-LKA3fLtJi_BtdMp3KxD03aevrDkNtkuz0RqIc-EfkR2o7fLx119YMxfk/s320/PXL_20240314_103805391.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGXC9cVTyqfS8HKTVSHZdESsX0mNXqPgoCFsog1067JAyZzlnsFQFyQFzuaZm4D5b0Ij4TWH3J3KGo1vN8bPVnH3ok4YaEFaGq8Hc6jrF_ogdeTOKggSDBVVh2nh1H79dE4PsRtrYtv_8L151ZdRt223pn82tk8nHZSmLZ1y19soiu1oBerEGPVG5uSz8/s4032/PXL_20240314_103818276.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGXC9cVTyqfS8HKTVSHZdESsX0mNXqPgoCFsog1067JAyZzlnsFQFyQFzuaZm4D5b0Ij4TWH3J3KGo1vN8bPVnH3ok4YaEFaGq8Hc6jrF_ogdeTOKggSDBVVh2nh1H79dE4PsRtrYtv_8L151ZdRt223pn82tk8nHZSmLZ1y19soiu1oBerEGPVG5uSz8/s320/PXL_20240314_103818276.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPUaDdBPoTxl9lpQI1Vpj8qVHvK5MK2AtcylSdQ3rXYhtCG6XwMLvq8Ko6S-ncJElG1en4EmDkw1B1tizFhtaBQ0jC35pmHNCV2Lqeoti_RkI0lAHMAIFWxNkoOn_XELlmS4et-M70CsJ-Lbl_skVrtEAGgWqlpi8MRS4AXJYyeEaIw_AhOgOZZxcRKI/s4032/PXL_20240314_103824801.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKLxQ-nAxWJzs5t64d0WXHaQSyGHTJFxpT8SS1nVBhXHoFXmIZoa_Y9WFvZ_65GMqGYFHSf73NzHDuupv38L6Klxea2E8vaDchOqRCGcx9yEjhroVpGPmK_o4rpyjTT0duACPPdehAiLAcdjn_RZEFRZVauF8a0mNNdosFE7fyqu-6lQVX_mmEC3tv61o/s320/PXL_20240314_103933589.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZuHZrd3ZtjGsnQkZcr1ZXHypFeZ1yWj1wzmxLhmWdrTzwSZbkCjfQIAAtOzOQfN8lw5zuYSCY9NpKUh0pW3JddFSfYwfhsxiLZh2VxNfACs-ss6ZOY-NDLCBJk92aT0bm_VM9VR5j1IJbnaJkoAUoDGJ38k_65hWswYtEGoEhlT1I7GrBVfW2E9TUFPA/s4032/PXL_20240314_103941144.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZuHZrd3ZtjGsnQkZcr1ZXHypFeZ1yWj1wzmxLhmWdrTzwSZbkCjfQIAAtOzOQfN8lw5zuYSCY9NpKUh0pW3JddFSfYwfhsxiLZh2VxNfACs-ss6ZOY-NDLCBJk92aT0bm_VM9VR5j1IJbnaJkoAUoDGJ38k_65hWswYtEGoEhlT1I7GrBVfW2E9TUFPA/s320/PXL_20240314_103941144.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-23959726974432145102024-03-14T07:17:00.000-07:002024-03-14T07:18:53.972-07:00WARDROBE! An Afternoon with a Veteran of Toho's Costume Department!<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQh6IJLvZ0vDzp0qhcv3t3MIlNnQYYKorVgxh_e_1Ew59O_oQY9tqJGNM7XAXhgPHnl9TKAuECiXOUvuZkLYnxYn91d0Ep_cl9AzhpAmhXI_L4EeSf0PMkp9vy0F1kDA8sx5zhgUWq5I49VtmjznsRMRfE4WQ9e1pGbRwa69Ss2oGxHqbtFEPwGy5lg4/s4032/PXL_20240314_080848253.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQh6IJLvZ0vDzp0qhcv3t3MIlNnQYYKorVgxh_e_1Ew59O_oQY9tqJGNM7XAXhgPHnl9TKAuECiXOUvuZkLYnxYn91d0Ep_cl9AzhpAmhXI_L4EeSf0PMkp9vy0F1kDA8sx5zhgUWq5I49VtmjznsRMRfE4WQ9e1pGbRwa69Ss2oGxHqbtFEPwGy5lg4/s320/PXL_20240314_080848253.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Makoto Ikeda. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Today (Thursday, March 14), I spent a wonderful afternoon in the home of Makoto Ikeda, a former member of Toho's costume department who worked on numerous classic films from the studio, including several tokusatsu productions from the era. It was a great opportunity to learn about his life and career.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibiscFLVporx0ln71JncpSNyJ5Kxzj-HwCqPHAInM0iTJmFyvg6Af3OQ6LYCDvkXANVK2ORoubXNEWSMWHZXkQfCfRklLc0X3Hn8uqkn9ngxf76F8TF4KhqOeLrnYrQv1HXlKNtIedFQNNJOoqaK9_O9wrPvZdvKKgAXUYcrUMN8fkNTcJgO5llt8V0aw/s4032/PXL_20240314_064809456.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibiscFLVporx0ln71JncpSNyJ5Kxzj-HwCqPHAInM0iTJmFyvg6Af3OQ6LYCDvkXANVK2ORoubXNEWSMWHZXkQfCfRklLc0X3Hn8uqkn9ngxf76F8TF4KhqOeLrnYrQv1HXlKNtIedFQNNJOoqaK9_O9wrPvZdvKKgAXUYcrUMN8fkNTcJgO5llt8V0aw/s320/PXL_20240314_064809456.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Makoto Ikeda. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Although it took just about two hours (!) of commuting to reach Ikeda-san's home from mine, I must say that the experience was well worth the effort. Ikeda-san was a generous host, and he graciously signed a few items after our talk. Little did I know that Ikeda-san had a special surprise in store.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2LIjzXpwAvcpDDdRiplSwTSnQfjF1irNh60N7Hl-lq-hUMVGqJLUbkXxeZcOybQ9ixrFUkXv131f83XEuMIVD2bXqgDhJa6KHe4L7iSDLR2FwqIsCpRRZlRsCmaleMktoV0iQw1sMa2tviIlY5q8GkfGao7beLH2gKWrbc2y-EL4OJIKVFsR70R5lWR4/s4032/PXL_20240314_081204844.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2LIjzXpwAvcpDDdRiplSwTSnQfjF1irNh60N7Hl-lq-hUMVGqJLUbkXxeZcOybQ9ixrFUkXv131f83XEuMIVD2bXqgDhJa6KHe4L7iSDLR2FwqIsCpRRZlRsCmaleMktoV0iQw1sMa2tviIlY5q8GkfGao7beLH2gKWrbc2y-EL4OJIKVFsR70R5lWR4/s320/PXL_20240314_081204844.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Makoto Ikeda with his painting of a volcanic eruption. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>That surprise was a painting that Ikeda-san himself painted, which he presented to me as a gift. I was more than a little surprised! Actually, I had the choice between the above painting and another one (which was a much more peaceful image of a tree), so I chose the one that was more tokusatsu-ish. The painting depicts the eruption of volcano.</p><p>Interestingly, the penciled-in dates on the back of the painting suggest that it was painted between October 10, 2013, and September 27, 2014. Of course, September 27, 2014, was the date of Mount Ontake's most recent eruption, which is also noted on the back. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8ilzpVGVtLNt5tvA1GwKLIPuaoUk-rP3SvzUltQRVwKx277sDUEN94IsPrMqvYIMjKWUBU0EbsWyoJ5yMe-gkBIA1qyB7V9FyjwAlx3TZfLcvPXF3xhyphenhyphenf7Ct5CK7uR6U-50D9pmSF9PAoi6P5OWr5kMc8bez9F62ztSt4K_IYqeziAg2btoBlfxU0ZQ/s4032/PXL_20240314_080907228.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8ilzpVGVtLNt5tvA1GwKLIPuaoUk-rP3SvzUltQRVwKx277sDUEN94IsPrMqvYIMjKWUBU0EbsWyoJ5yMe-gkBIA1qyB7V9FyjwAlx3TZfLcvPXF3xhyphenhyphenf7Ct5CK7uR6U-50D9pmSF9PAoi6P5OWr5kMc8bez9F62ztSt4K_IYqeziAg2btoBlfxU0ZQ/s320/PXL_20240314_080907228.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All in all, it was an incredible afternoon spent in the company with a truly unsung legend of Japanese cinema. There's no better way to learn about the history of Japanese cinema than in the homes of the people who made it!</div><p></p>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-46792124082764536022024-03-13T01:00:00.000-07:002024-03-14T07:31:49.083-07:00A GODZILLA SERIES STAR REHEARSES! Going Behind the Scenes with a Genre Legend!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcsn9z8Csbf1x6JgA6yK9fQd4TccIzICqJboBNZDxOAotRcVq3EbMvy-EorXSJ1IUPIpB5Fo-znrq7gRqcxggwrjCSDa4MkVnao9PJ70da1PuloZdx9nT4cj0Fx_PicYh2Ofxyu7vO3u6OsOwdX6wNnPQK5VHthOUztK7WfoHAP3WFQLQDJGBF7mJGSA/s4032/PXL_20240312_110903272.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcsn9z8Csbf1x6JgA6yK9fQd4TccIzICqJboBNZDxOAotRcVq3EbMvy-EorXSJ1IUPIpB5Fo-znrq7gRqcxggwrjCSDa4MkVnao9PJ70da1PuloZdx9nT4cj0Fx_PicYh2Ofxyu7vO3u6OsOwdX6wNnPQK5VHthOUztK7WfoHAP3WFQLQDJGBF7mJGSA/s320/PXL_20240312_110903272.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masaaki Daimon. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Yesterday (Tuesday, March 12), I was invited to visit actor Masaaki Daimon as he was rehearsing his upcoming stage play. Last year, I saw Daimon-san onstage at the same theater where this one will be performed, but I will unfortunately not be available to see any of the public performances due to my own scheduling issues. </div><div><p>It was quite fascinating to see this group of actors rehearse. The cast gathered in a building in Edogawa Ward that was designed for such activities, which includes an area for building sets and props. Pretty nifty!</p><p>For a while, I thought this was my first time to see a rehearsal of a stage play in Japan, but then I remembered hanging out with Akira Takarada in 2013 when he was rehearsing one. So it's been more than ten years.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPgA_-E6hFCpQ4cPTZwulr2ZJimfk2aNavLVArP6kCyFOz7YjI316swibZLiPtyCj-zQVAd4B5Pn0UR2RHIPPNj0WkW6udhLNukPf5zH7R-myCASs5y3yQocJpOc4ql2QJZ5zZb3oSpBKv1C8Xe6bgz0cIFuAJJQwMdmNrAkBh6BFtv1u5cy-59oj36s/s4032/PXL_20240312_112230694%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPgA_-E6hFCpQ4cPTZwulr2ZJimfk2aNavLVArP6kCyFOz7YjI316swibZLiPtyCj-zQVAd4B5Pn0UR2RHIPPNj0WkW6udhLNukPf5zH7R-myCASs5y3yQocJpOc4ql2QJZ5zZb3oSpBKv1C8Xe6bgz0cIFuAJJQwMdmNrAkBh6BFtv1u5cy-59oj36s/s320/PXL_20240312_112230694%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>When I arrived via taxi, Daimon-san's manager (Imai-san) met me outside and led me into the premises. Shortly after I sat down, Daimon-san approached me and shook my hand. Then, for about the next hour and a half, I watched the rehearsal.</div><div><p>The story is about two men (one of whom is played by Daimon-san) who inexplicably undergo a time slip back to their younger days in the early 1970s. In fact, actress-singer Ayumi Ishida gets name-checked in the script, which I found pretty amusing. </p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_Pj9tCDN-wrH3YO7AzYKa9xtuHUsT2aCwmorWcwDQ3sp1K-fQsnCSKntbL5yQME8YNdpWdvjKbAGzLWhmZWnLDhepluJlJ4CEPKQ6zpkkMlbHKt6967uvqlFBFRCdiDZ0m2aljGvWpYLkbJ8Wx-T_ac7HtdnmVfAX9KaNPkqNBMwLibsCAV9HUK9BLg/s4032/PXL_20240312_112243170.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_Pj9tCDN-wrH3YO7AzYKa9xtuHUsT2aCwmorWcwDQ3sp1K-fQsnCSKntbL5yQME8YNdpWdvjKbAGzLWhmZWnLDhepluJlJ4CEPKQ6zpkkMlbHKt6967uvqlFBFRCdiDZ0m2aljGvWpYLkbJ8Wx-T_ac7HtdnmVfAX9KaNPkqNBMwLibsCAV9HUK9BLg/s320/PXL_20240312_112243170.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The other cast members were quite friendly, too, including Mai-san, who came up to me, introduced herself, and proceeded to have a lengthy chat with me. In fact, she joined us later for dinner! Don't you just love it when you make new friends so easily?</div><div><p>After the rehearsal was finished, I was asked to stand up and introduce myself to the cast in Japanese, which I did. Then we all posed for a photo in which I'm seated next to Daimon-san, and Mai-san was directly behind me. I haven't gotten a copy of this photo yet, so I hope to receive it soon.</p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVPkc8-kcNM-uTQAiZUvt2gy5TLk12Ie4uuNSqOMGOxbg_Yr1Z8VAnsYHgAURKU9JhQuUOJUKL1hFsyAlxsbcVaQYw2qson6NwR0O6UR1E7UeGMacm6Yqe_aI2Egm3zX4CiLzIgAPp_jYUAzeXvD6XQ9MSTednMagul6tOTUBl6qHY5lOqhrwieWQ1XhM/s4496/DSC_0713.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4496" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVPkc8-kcNM-uTQAiZUvt2gy5TLk12Ie4uuNSqOMGOxbg_Yr1Z8VAnsYHgAURKU9JhQuUOJUKL1hFsyAlxsbcVaQYw2qson6NwR0O6UR1E7UeGMacm6Yqe_aI2Egm3zX4CiLzIgAPp_jYUAzeXvD6XQ9MSTednMagul6tOTUBl6qHY5lOqhrwieWQ1XhM/s320/DSC_0713.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masaaki Daimon. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>After that, the four of us (including Daimon-san, Imai-san, Mai-san, and yours truly) gathered in Imai-san's car as we went out for dinner. The night's fare was Japanese, which I found pretty tasty. Before we ate, Daimon-san asked the staff to take a photo of our group on his phone. As I've said countless times, it's always great when someone of Daimon-san's caliber wants to take a photo with <i>you</i>.</div><div><p>We must have spent a couple of hours there, but I lost count. It really was a fun evening, with Daimon-san sharing some stories about his career, as well as some of his upcoming goings-on. He also very generously signed a few autographs for me and went out of his way to make sure he spelled my name correctly in English on them.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJk6JkFAv8agLxu_O0HUBne3i613JmUwZRsTugK6Yz2Cg2TiyZUqtt7jGtk-HTAEXIJxESUuoJibNG_Q_k6-7XP02dTKP-X4G90I4rS2qZn3HVGn2UmnJEa6rePfL7dZplHzpCDO7jX1MbEeYQkLy8Z6sZ_srPgtLL0Zzz3Nf-yjAXYgoNL-1t1Hcybo/s4496/DSC_0712.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4496" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJk6JkFAv8agLxu_O0HUBne3i613JmUwZRsTugK6Yz2Cg2TiyZUqtt7jGtk-HTAEXIJxESUuoJibNG_Q_k6-7XP02dTKP-X4G90I4rS2qZn3HVGn2UmnJEa6rePfL7dZplHzpCDO7jX1MbEeYQkLy8Z6sZ_srPgtLL0Zzz3Nf-yjAXYgoNL-1t1Hcybo/s320/DSC_0712.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p>At the end of the evening, Imai-san paid for the dinner, which was enormously generous of him. We also posed for a few more photos before piling back into Imai-san's car. We drove out to an area around Shinjuku Station (very close to the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku, in fact), at which point Mai-san and I were dropped off. I shook hands with Daimon-san before parting ways. </p><p>What an incredible evening! After I got home, I exchanged some texts with Imai-san, who told me that Daimon-san expressed his wish that I could see one of the cast's public performances of the play. I wish I could, too, but you can't always get what you want, as Mick Jagger once told us. This evening, however, was certainly what I needed.</p><p>UPDATE (3/14): Though a bit tiny, here's the group shot I mentioned elsewhere in this blog post.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjf1PyiOU8hEJUyB5uv807efsNl8aVzOAT692O_xq_w6WNer-kn2RvC6JXYPd0mGH4we_86cbfH5wO36IiMpAV1dkGsaa0Xq0ZLqQ0DFtmL6HmEYGhf9VNzqeUgwclzptF4ZTTXr7SfKwe6PGpKRyVEiUHWJ58OvqyVoWki2Nho2-8QZkYQVbv6ov-rY/s800/499195805446439249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjf1PyiOU8hEJUyB5uv807efsNl8aVzOAT692O_xq_w6WNer-kn2RvC6JXYPd0mGH4we_86cbfH5wO36IiMpAV1dkGsaa0Xq0ZLqQ0DFtmL6HmEYGhf9VNzqeUgwclzptF4ZTTXr7SfKwe6PGpKRyVEiUHWJ58OvqyVoWki2Nho2-8QZkYQVbv6ov-rY/s320/499195805446439249.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-28049906342158055722024-03-10T07:02:00.000-07:002024-03-10T07:04:46.538-07:00Minya Saves the Day ... Again!<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhhT9z7jdMkxzg55QTCclu9Erm83kWx-4HBKVkem2PZMuFe529LaYxvdYSMcPSypH4FclB0DlDrhQ6pVlkaLITrz_aysUa2rNvp67ElwUepf75KoS12ECaIpYkI4r_jUbxrhCuK-hkIeDzzH7Fjj_ML7zO0VeVlKnlqXTXnw6Wp5qS5EBGbltMnxfLV_g/s4032/PXL_20240310_090828598.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhhT9z7jdMkxzg55QTCclu9Erm83kWx-4HBKVkem2PZMuFe529LaYxvdYSMcPSypH4FclB0DlDrhQ6pVlkaLITrz_aysUa2rNvp67ElwUepf75KoS12ECaIpYkI4r_jUbxrhCuK-hkIeDzzH7Fjj_ML7zO0VeVlKnlqXTXnw6Wp5qS5EBGbltMnxfLV_g/s320/PXL_20240310_090828598.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atomu Mizuishi (left) and Naoko Kamio. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Tonight (Sunday, March 10), I attended an event with two headlining guests -- actor Atomu Mizuishi and suit actress Naoko Kamio. Of the two, I was much more interested in Kamio-san, as she played Rodan and Minya in <i>Godzilla: Final Wars</i> (2004). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">While I'm not familiar with him, Mizuishi-san played Kiramai Blue on <i>Mashin Sentai Kiramager</i> (2020-21), among other tokusatsu projects. I was surprised to find the audience packed with younger females who were completely enamored of him. I certainly wasn't expecting to find that when I entered the venue, but there you go!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It was a lot of fun meeting Minya in the flesh. When I asked her to reenact her Minya pose from <i>Final Wars</i>, she happily agreed to do. The other attendees were much more familiar with her career in Super Sentai and peppered her with many questions about it. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Below are the other photos I took tonight. Enjoy!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP6CBfK1Oi8fFf5QPdtgOqqVeJM37YAYfMpXGzL38BJRVfoH0YSh4QFJkqRKg6vS_nWa9yeRbpTTn5OLtAR3ZJ8Hdxc4w4zlxoVRl14GrvOBjhIXVHRqdGjoxg6G8NSY0iKHKYUdu6oDOEj9tJO79bh7jfSPtvf8tueR0vdYnMoULt49i-dMfoQt6qqdk/s4032/PXL_20240310_090944376.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP6CBfK1Oi8fFf5QPdtgOqqVeJM37YAYfMpXGzL38BJRVfoH0YSh4QFJkqRKg6vS_nWa9yeRbpTTn5OLtAR3ZJ8Hdxc4w4zlxoVRl14GrvOBjhIXVHRqdGjoxg6G8NSY0iKHKYUdu6oDOEj9tJO79bh7jfSPtvf8tueR0vdYnMoULt49i-dMfoQt6qqdk/s320/PXL_20240310_090944376.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3z8q1u9VMLY9FjuJ-T7awFD3iCKM-aza3vOf5R5ottQn2GxvRN5WAY7I-_QJE6uOd8U72ChQ6WsL0rsDWlurDm6NQ186BmiPMnbm3rzs9LATsSp27xtM1d99xOV11GCj6Lc7pgjk91IO0UNV2jYUkqo36DQm4lIbsz5EE7Qd4Z1XoyUef1XYXviScvQ/s4032/PXL_20240310_091030094.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3z8q1u9VMLY9FjuJ-T7awFD3iCKM-aza3vOf5R5ottQn2GxvRN5WAY7I-_QJE6uOd8U72ChQ6WsL0rsDWlurDm6NQ186BmiPMnbm3rzs9LATsSp27xtM1d99xOV11GCj6Lc7pgjk91IO0UNV2jYUkqo36DQm4lIbsz5EE7Qd4Z1XoyUef1XYXviScvQ/s320/PXL_20240310_091030094.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPupjrkA9akXkqmgZavkYgcJY5X4_OegqE1PmuOvb2VDOvE6PEIfiO-r-xmi-YoQSv5cQEVKIjXFv-IvCPLv_5eYT89tzX-c4SiqOT7u2KqCwhUrXFZ68YNZ6c2F2hLRRThPDQCEU94nzxt1RWmWLs6_YtMOCbY9rJYs_UAtyYk-oh1SXur79LpBjbMO0/s4032/PXL_20240310_091039543.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPupjrkA9akXkqmgZavkYgcJY5X4_OegqE1PmuOvb2VDOvE6PEIfiO-r-xmi-YoQSv5cQEVKIjXFv-IvCPLv_5eYT89tzX-c4SiqOT7u2KqCwhUrXFZ68YNZ6c2F2hLRRThPDQCEU94nzxt1RWmWLs6_YtMOCbY9rJYs_UAtyYk-oh1SXur79LpBjbMO0/s320/PXL_20240310_091039543.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVBADh810yNzmRoFUaXKx0_ZvfWWC-81KffLAHg-PfgA1G1Jd_3LZLviMvK3e6DzZoxHf2Zu7hi3TgWO2-jK1YkQnHUUKpiyLp0sBQyd7gfpFuSb9nLzYCpQaG7WZLl9r2jb0iehBw8uGqvlbjscdbsRXAtYvMxqaYQpZVMeokHbXu_2lxCbARknoWXs/s4032/PXL_20240310_091845813.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVBADh810yNzmRoFUaXKx0_ZvfWWC-81KffLAHg-PfgA1G1Jd_3LZLviMvK3e6DzZoxHf2Zu7hi3TgWO2-jK1YkQnHUUKpiyLp0sBQyd7gfpFuSb9nLzYCpQaG7WZLl9r2jb0iehBw8uGqvlbjscdbsRXAtYvMxqaYQpZVMeokHbXu_2lxCbARknoWXs/s320/PXL_20240310_091845813.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZ8uXNNRDpn8GIAbImCTpuY_FMgE7oo4okqrgP3E15Ep800TZuMo-cV1jly0_Vj0gZ8aYDV1ERmyVtc-hje4yF2pYytPHUysKFC1DVj7rKLn1zJIzvoEJ3f6DN0oi7cOZJm6i59n1e8DQKhD9mfmXKkjG7W9d8OIFqrwaaWvCkphRjajXgIcr9M9iV9Y/s4032/PXL_20240310_091853207.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZ8uXNNRDpn8GIAbImCTpuY_FMgE7oo4okqrgP3E15Ep800TZuMo-cV1jly0_Vj0gZ8aYDV1ERmyVtc-hje4yF2pYytPHUysKFC1DVj7rKLn1zJIzvoEJ3f6DN0oi7cOZJm6i59n1e8DQKhD9mfmXKkjG7W9d8OIFqrwaaWvCkphRjajXgIcr9M9iV9Y/s320/PXL_20240310_091853207.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFDq064_kaR6mbZRk3cbeZrL0_Uq80SY8jI2qJ-plInJQmyWfNm0vV-Tvv5m9VAPus8TNsIa1sIyxwO6-3OyoAmJNOh0tEET_wnvEiTkyHXQtfkui3OvaDGhjniI2pMxmB1FIgOFsDxUxyjli_w4nLe_T_S9CNCggtoBWqRNqP3-O4ScERMxu4UvWMGs/s4032/PXL_20240310_091921938.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFDq064_kaR6mbZRk3cbeZrL0_Uq80SY8jI2qJ-plInJQmyWfNm0vV-Tvv5m9VAPus8TNsIa1sIyxwO6-3OyoAmJNOh0tEET_wnvEiTkyHXQtfkui3OvaDGhjniI2pMxmB1FIgOFsDxUxyjli_w4nLe_T_S9CNCggtoBWqRNqP3-O4ScERMxu4UvWMGs/s320/PXL_20240310_091921938.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MORnwZ4Lv67f0M8dBGNSAlRcMfd5HhM21765WGJeJyl0zVPulJJQbZQw47JGqDywigWaGXlTEJ0PlgFi8WvgJOK6u7FO92N7dMRW-tq7HzuqDJM-XlI_ATmcUknUVFIjFFX17Mz0M1NHcQ0tVZNc9iRK7aFFR0t9cUEumdXsybIZqFNteZAZEBeQ7AU/s4032/PXL_20240310_091932095.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MORnwZ4Lv67f0M8dBGNSAlRcMfd5HhM21765WGJeJyl0zVPulJJQbZQw47JGqDywigWaGXlTEJ0PlgFi8WvgJOK6u7FO92N7dMRW-tq7HzuqDJM-XlI_ATmcUknUVFIjFFX17Mz0M1NHcQ0tVZNc9iRK7aFFR0t9cUEumdXsybIZqFNteZAZEBeQ7AU/s320/PXL_20240310_091932095.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6eb6zZoBLj0Vmi7fb6m2WxJ5iLYxhVyUq5Jub6Tb1oOmT-XZhRystDFv3nQSgZddh8SjEK-V-Ydlt2shqsYQjq8EibRma9P0y929x46_SJJ67B0CXpGYouN3iCvcWdXXmQCrjsFRyzg1inm7vyEYt0ZjrJTTdfkxf3Azy75JrtVJtBc9c-uD9sVtd6s/s4032/PXL_20240310_105134944.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6eb6zZoBLj0Vmi7fb6m2WxJ5iLYxhVyUq5Jub6Tb1oOmT-XZhRystDFv3nQSgZddh8SjEK-V-Ydlt2shqsYQjq8EibRma9P0y929x46_SJJ67B0CXpGYouN3iCvcWdXXmQCrjsFRyzg1inm7vyEYt0ZjrJTTdfkxf3Azy75JrtVJtBc9c-uD9sVtd6s/s320/PXL_20240310_105134944.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasbiDJe9Pmf8PqpcU3heX0yiyaiMLT1EJH9kxmBB1FMqf0eoxIbLGjR0L2FO1VSgQUw81-oN495AX4uWNBcGCXoKwpHphy7sjTJte1bwMZF4ULaV2XYn5b5q2YZ609ShSzuE0flaqi7CL_2kDQFLO1-3Ivk66NL8kgvoq_isBS710mrKZGyFVTi_NV6A/s4032/PXL_20240310_105118513.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasbiDJe9Pmf8PqpcU3heX0yiyaiMLT1EJH9kxmBB1FMqf0eoxIbLGjR0L2FO1VSgQUw81-oN495AX4uWNBcGCXoKwpHphy7sjTJte1bwMZF4ULaV2XYn5b5q2YZ609ShSzuE0flaqi7CL_2kDQFLO1-3Ivk66NL8kgvoq_isBS710mrKZGyFVTi_NV6A/s320/PXL_20240310_105118513.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-66845902507522973172024-03-10T06:22:00.000-07:002024-03-10T06:22:40.243-07:00ULTRAMAN UNMASKED! Spending a Memorable Evening with the Superhero from M78!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZW-pTJDBGEnXblqEjtqYSpeIVa5lQv2Ea4ciKLCm3wAfQoHUhxERn3iTDLfSVBBlS10x2ejnep4yfIqEsAM_-kfBbC6FJY7p-nzEsYqAkX-By83jh9gVvMxNF4FYQaysVRL3rcOkZqvqb8WTlFKweLEUYxb_RUNJVOsCNk7s-Omqj-LHsm4qFvrFlOz8/s4032/PXL_20240309_074358888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZW-pTJDBGEnXblqEjtqYSpeIVa5lQv2Ea4ciKLCm3wAfQoHUhxERn3iTDLfSVBBlS10x2ejnep4yfIqEsAM_-kfBbC6FJY7p-nzEsYqAkX-By83jh9gVvMxNF4FYQaysVRL3rcOkZqvqb8WTlFKweLEUYxb_RUNJVOsCNk7s-Omqj-LHsm4qFvrFlOz8/s320/PXL_20240309_074358888.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bin Furuya. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>On Saturday, March 9, I attended another special event headlined by the original Ultraman suit actor Bin Furuya. Furuya-san got his start as a Toho New Face in 1960 alongside future <i>Ultraman</i> (1966-67) cast member Masanari Nihei. </div><div><p>By the time I arrived, the first half of the event was already winding down. I brought a few items for Furuya-san to sign (two vintage <i>Ultraman</i> cards along with a vintage <i>Ghidrah the Three-Headed Monster</i> one), and luckily there was still time to get them signed. Afterward, we posed for pictures with Furuya-san.</p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGJ8dbLjGA-1cY4kNaEFvJmBudjYLHDhiHsSMoJDdTfMDBAl9hXlMTJ-wVq_hJDcM3nKAtopO8Ol2zRLHk4hBZMnkQtkWiuEhvTAujIT-Zdqo1hRJdwTS8h7Cq-GdnWYtzAKhSYLnUZbyweCy7HJ7WxMH8v9BtRkY1ylIYcw45UHfcygAYRyjZWJ6vRc/s4032/PXL_20240309_074407487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGJ8dbLjGA-1cY4kNaEFvJmBudjYLHDhiHsSMoJDdTfMDBAl9hXlMTJ-wVq_hJDcM3nKAtopO8Ol2zRLHk4hBZMnkQtkWiuEhvTAujIT-Zdqo1hRJdwTS8h7Cq-GdnWYtzAKhSYLnUZbyweCy7HJ7WxMH8v9BtRkY1ylIYcw45UHfcygAYRyjZWJ6vRc/s320/PXL_20240309_074407487.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bin Furuya. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>When that portion of the event wrapped, Furuya-san asked me to join him onstage (to the extent you could call the platform he was standing on a stage, I suppose) and asked me to say a few words to the gathered audience in Japanese, which I did my best to do. He then said a few words of his own, which, as you'd expect, were very heartfelt and generous.</div><div><p>After that, we moved on to the dinner event. Furuya-san sat down next to me early on and asked me about where I'd be living in California.</p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6F5SKaVRnZDcXiSDXKikFRUhCsdMrgr9nAkLU-47__u4-C9xiMsEXzJtVx7tYxjx_GZDIuPC9fa4p7xPLY74tvjOLn_aqLkkHkZbU6LwIUyq9Y3X0XJlyg1Mcc8lL-yYigew_jW8MYOS78fiszHJRJMUghK1CPW1wUQ4DQ90LSFfclXxXXhu7MJAfKzs/s4032/PXL_20240309_074415445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6F5SKaVRnZDcXiSDXKikFRUhCsdMrgr9nAkLU-47__u4-C9xiMsEXzJtVx7tYxjx_GZDIuPC9fa4p7xPLY74tvjOLn_aqLkkHkZbU6LwIUyq9Y3X0XJlyg1Mcc8lL-yYigew_jW8MYOS78fiszHJRJMUghK1CPW1wUQ4DQ90LSFfclXxXXhu7MJAfKzs/s320/PXL_20240309_074415445.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bin Furuya. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>We used the little dishes holding various food items to represent various cities, and I essentially made a map of California (and even Arizona and Nevada), using the dishes to mark the location of the cities, such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, Las Vegas, etc. I pointed out how far it would take to drive from my home to these particular places, which was something Furuya-san was particularly curious about.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5cqt3bO3jDwzBOfvLMA9YADa8wWcDFQaW0-p_Ks45x7JQpR4f2AY8Gmx30IEr2QGv3Xbg_TwWHTPKiFvjeMllGshjs4u7NeNm_pG4qx524u33APY8ckMH9PlzBC0DRB8V3NGbWf3oBijO-upaMthl1Cp8sodl94JOjAARuwRAbtkvGtxVNXc_EfYPaY/s4032/PXL_20240309_074026593.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5cqt3bO3jDwzBOfvLMA9YADa8wWcDFQaW0-p_Ks45x7JQpR4f2AY8Gmx30IEr2QGv3Xbg_TwWHTPKiFvjeMllGshjs4u7NeNm_pG4qx524u33APY8ckMH9PlzBC0DRB8V3NGbWf3oBijO-upaMthl1Cp8sodl94JOjAARuwRAbtkvGtxVNXc_EfYPaY/s320/PXL_20240309_074026593.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>One of the dishes contained radish, and, when my tablemate encouraged me to eat it, I said, "<i>Daikon haiyu</i>," which means "radish actor" in Japanese. A "radish actor" in Japan means a rather stiff performer, which got a laugh out of Furuya-san. (I certainly wasn't talking about him!)</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijAS4SIUv9e8LwQ_Pp-zCjsU1BegdLH29CFP9TUpfN3lbNELb4qWm5CF9BVLzs311JPfb55KIUswq_ePUvt69nKcJCOKETaJWEyYqVgPiACEKI7U7e1y8_IqQF0lSSXFoENSNjZfejB5sevKV7mFzYFeVQ2MKTlxV9yEcYKpcwKO8bc_3u0ZoHCCEsfpE/s2048/428704186_7301087276637670_7525076347612798904_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijAS4SIUv9e8LwQ_Pp-zCjsU1BegdLH29CFP9TUpfN3lbNELb4qWm5CF9BVLzs311JPfb55KIUswq_ePUvt69nKcJCOKETaJWEyYqVgPiACEKI7U7e1y8_IqQF0lSSXFoENSNjZfejB5sevKV7mFzYFeVQ2MKTlxV9yEcYKpcwKO8bc_3u0ZoHCCEsfpE/s320/428704186_7301087276637670_7525076347612798904_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Given that this was an event with Furuya-san, the topic of James Dean eventually came up. Furuya-san mentioned the film <i>East of Eden</i> (1955) in Japanese, so I mentioned how to pronounce Eden in English, which (naturally) is a bit different from the Japanese way. Furuya-san seemed interested to learn the English pronunciation and repeated it a few times during the evening.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hdaCqHid26kO94Bq0GG4YWBdKHjUvfqDzOpW7GsbCmg6HLAmWVmoW8FgWrFPHWkds94uNLLi2HJ96_67_FEO8h_FGgi280k6haHu6sZyOBCO42BpAt4psGtHJnTr9bb8U_y66UrVx357Vo0frJwUqrIlLD9VbKIOvVuWk9N37c9xDMbDx1EskGDiVzQ/s4032/PXL_20240309_090545637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hdaCqHid26kO94Bq0GG4YWBdKHjUvfqDzOpW7GsbCmg6HLAmWVmoW8FgWrFPHWkds94uNLLi2HJ96_67_FEO8h_FGgi280k6haHu6sZyOBCO42BpAt4psGtHJnTr9bb8U_y66UrVx357Vo0frJwUqrIlLD9VbKIOvVuWk9N37c9xDMbDx1EskGDiVzQ/s320/PXL_20240309_090545637.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>While we were sitting next to each other, Furuya-san took out his phone and asked the person sitting across from us to take our photo. I've said it countless times before, but it's always a blast when one of the guests at events like this wants to get a photo with <i>you</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0AOa6RuNFp2uu11NibveIIyz7VIz04YMM10u4WiEQOzLyuppOadivhO6KXXS6SUOzB0JmO12fZgxu6DgyQYw2xFkJFIIWXnPbABldQ4mt-ViRjzNvzW-SjlgO0DMGiw7gMC4ePqrQcj5c7Mv_2djpQVBPmDaO4MZGsuBTFbzg7VRkFofo_XX8OkP40u8/s4032/PXL_20240309_090550090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0AOa6RuNFp2uu11NibveIIyz7VIz04YMM10u4WiEQOzLyuppOadivhO6KXXS6SUOzB0JmO12fZgxu6DgyQYw2xFkJFIIWXnPbABldQ4mt-ViRjzNvzW-SjlgO0DMGiw7gMC4ePqrQcj5c7Mv_2djpQVBPmDaO4MZGsuBTFbzg7VRkFofo_XX8OkP40u8/s320/PXL_20240309_090550090.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>During the evening, Furuya-san mentioned the sheer number of actors I've met throughout the years and how many autographs I've gotten. He seemed quite impressed, especially with some of the rarer folks who don't usually do events. Well, it's a lot of fun!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5h5yAgK1GfSq051uV27Tf7oIoLd-Rxu9VZcI75nufFFDoe6GLL_Oo-TE3VFPJGJbbAoNGe8TJRk8hA6qUm18pNhA5aytlE9gkBx_qhRhqD7RWwXi4ijAbyBdiCzeYOrJLhBq4q8jNdrt5wvRIG-J9fW58CAXWDVKXodFYDyA9r2ajadEZ7EOuiNcgD6A/s2000/429600446_3836985086583716_6914413239697231499_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5h5yAgK1GfSq051uV27Tf7oIoLd-Rxu9VZcI75nufFFDoe6GLL_Oo-TE3VFPJGJbbAoNGe8TJRk8hA6qUm18pNhA5aytlE9gkBx_qhRhqD7RWwXi4ijAbyBdiCzeYOrJLhBq4q8jNdrt5wvRIG-J9fW58CAXWDVKXodFYDyA9r2ajadEZ7EOuiNcgD6A/s320/429600446_3836985086583716_6914413239697231499_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We also spent a little bit of time talking about Furuya-san's days as a New Face at Toho and some of his early roles at the studio. Of course, he doesn't remember much about some of his more obscure appearances, like <i>Gorath</i> (1962), very well. Then again, he was essentially an extra during that time, so what would there be to say after all these years?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDw2osoNRT5q6kC0dTKIRUD_S9Kc2mzhgw_vL8urL8RBM_4E3oAVntWPvLigKa_r_ufxlvgYMrtTi6JlhigK7WfmoMtjYvkZYbbluxetHBXJir6p2Cpsen5Pz-578oEOON1LCO37am4exCWp9MYQMKnNtx4_kJ923bRegFsFqfw9nEhP5TsdZkxUAN0Y/s4096/429818967_1088228395661593_8840053284103825658_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDw2osoNRT5q6kC0dTKIRUD_S9Kc2mzhgw_vL8urL8RBM_4E3oAVntWPvLigKa_r_ufxlvgYMrtTi6JlhigK7WfmoMtjYvkZYbbluxetHBXJir6p2Cpsen5Pz-578oEOON1LCO37am4exCWp9MYQMKnNtx4_kJ923bRegFsFqfw9nEhP5TsdZkxUAN0Y/s320/429818967_1088228395661593_8840053284103825658_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>We also reminisced about the time Furuya-san visited Gifu Prefecture in 2013. Someone at the table asked me if that was the first time I met Furuya-san, but it certainly wasn't. By that time, I'd traveled halfway across the world with him!</p><p>At the end of the evening, Furuya-san asked me to stand up and again addressed the audience with me next to him (though, technically speaking, I was positioned in front of him this time). Suffice it to say, it was a great evening with a great gentleman, whom I hope to visit again very soon.</p>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-79797377648423894832024-03-06T05:21:00.000-08:002024-03-06T05:21:38.975-08:00A Special Lunch with a Special Japanese Actress!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVAZtlpHrgsTxcbxW1pLtjtGM-y1WREsPD0ZwDowoZdaIcHkGcqLrIVpOaGHNM54IpWNbzOjvBuVoP_iIoznaSwtIBD_YkFw7_9sbViI6ThW0_WuA88wcZ1CdAyY_5GZlKvuoyqySBJpv5GUvXAbG_UElN00dZJPGgVh1KMYzc5EbyYWK8clM2zutvlQ/s4032/PXL_20240306_054008690.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVAZtlpHrgsTxcbxW1pLtjtGM-y1WREsPD0ZwDowoZdaIcHkGcqLrIVpOaGHNM54IpWNbzOjvBuVoP_iIoznaSwtIBD_YkFw7_9sbViI6ThW0_WuA88wcZ1CdAyY_5GZlKvuoyqySBJpv5GUvXAbG_UElN00dZJPGgVh1KMYzc5EbyYWK8clM2zutvlQ/s320/PXL_20240306_054008690.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hidemi Aoki. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Today (Wednesday, March 6), I enjoyed a wonderful afternoon in the company of actress Hidemi Aoki, a couple of her friends, and two of her fans. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p>For those of you not in the know, Hidemi Aoki plays Sumi in <i>Seven Nights in Japan</i> (1976), co-starring Michael York and Charles Gray (directed by Lewis Gilbert of <i>You Only Live Twice</i> fame). She also portrays Kyoko Osawayama in episodes 2-7, 9, 11-13 of Toho's <i>Diamond Eye</i> (1973-74) TV series. </p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiaTmKKVkI3qnOU6_zg_wdl9byotBoLIUcY5D7nEMYLP5w0pAPVkEjFaBDxnDamDtv5V8XRATDUASHq8fSRpaS_KNQ-3KzxOMs3zQBzcNsMsIoheE47N4WLTzhqB4Q-bVpX8OqGP3CzDt1y1I83F8FiZlLtPo7zXwZyZVzH6cv-tHi_v6aHkH4meVHm0w/s4032/PXL_20240306_053852650.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiaTmKKVkI3qnOU6_zg_wdl9byotBoLIUcY5D7nEMYLP5w0pAPVkEjFaBDxnDamDtv5V8XRATDUASHq8fSRpaS_KNQ-3KzxOMs3zQBzcNsMsIoheE47N4WLTzhqB4Q-bVpX8OqGP3CzDt1y1I83F8FiZlLtPo7zXwZyZVzH6cv-tHi_v6aHkH4meVHm0w/s320/PXL_20240306_053852650.MP.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I contacted Aoki-san a few weeks ago regarding my plans for later this month. Shortly thereafter, she wrote me back, suggesting we meet up on this day. I readily accepted but didn't have much of an idea of what would go on.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MZhhy0VUIN4QHH_JMscGQM2X9WmMCfuR0m-tz6YsnJDvVUfFFpyducVmcX-4cbRt1VDKNTu94iqC5uFLlIMW4hxSDp4OCAFmT46L2uvwCDAylnwclymmedMr2MlduEt8qg74OrkGaTB9RxTzjwL4uHE8c6p52gRPjftaVgNXet4VFGENU3tDAIjqmVY/s1620/431451090_935853521597305_8488754879306272971_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1620" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MZhhy0VUIN4QHH_JMscGQM2X9WmMCfuR0m-tz6YsnJDvVUfFFpyducVmcX-4cbRt1VDKNTu94iqC5uFLlIMW4hxSDp4OCAFmT46L2uvwCDAylnwclymmedMr2MlduEt8qg74OrkGaTB9RxTzjwL4uHE8c6p52gRPjftaVgNXet4VFGENU3tDAIjqmVY/s320/431451090_935853521597305_8488754879306272971_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Yoshii-san.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, I found out today. One of her fans met me at Senzoku-ike Station, and we made our way over to Aoi Coffee, which (as the name would suggest) is a coffee shop. Aoki-san had texted me prior to the event that a light lunch would be provided, but what was available was anything but light!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHn5Qm2gw_4HwpzhSVYgTKwZQRv1GO6lKKvO63gJPM5xChM6a_79E-xDVSvANv65DTqlBOUyD_KcOkJjExfLB9mt6dx_iRYQq_Ik0M5U-LmDgiZtytr6BJlgYogdnk8oXDUOWqOHk1CFT92ovU6s9cZwIUNeFfwC1a0EcU2fvM4Cx8HJezbA47L4sS76U/s1620/431551520_1916106085474104_3923917480600694149_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1620" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHn5Qm2gw_4HwpzhSVYgTKwZQRv1GO6lKKvO63gJPM5xChM6a_79E-xDVSvANv65DTqlBOUyD_KcOkJjExfLB9mt6dx_iRYQq_Ik0M5U-LmDgiZtytr6BJlgYogdnk8oXDUOWqOHk1CFT92ovU6s9cZwIUNeFfwC1a0EcU2fvM4Cx8HJezbA47L4sS76U/s320/431551520_1916106085474104_3923917480600694149_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hidemi Aoki shows me something on her smartphone. Photo by Yoshii-san.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was amazed at the variety of food on offer. Not only was there pizza, but a variety of sandwiches, <i>onigiri</i>, and other comestibles that I'm sure I'm forgetting. I also had green tea to drink, which was a bit of a switch for me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJk2C6f-dm7Lzp6OMZcgb-S8cFQlkLRatRUXcxO3MmbeaCEIykmMjrwpcHiLCs5jqBWbhiqWUHo4ynr3zn1dXPNzLBj_uHe6OqA9sM35TFLtQ7L2kJwyEP8rdGGxOHD6vh1B8DTYvLiZNy2GvwIkPOTEX32QTH4nFZSQc8qVRlyGZLk-UV4zXU2_smCdo/s2048/426811580_1757653354732723_6714027347928946727_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJk2C6f-dm7Lzp6OMZcgb-S8cFQlkLRatRUXcxO3MmbeaCEIykmMjrwpcHiLCs5jqBWbhiqWUHo4ynr3zn1dXPNzLBj_uHe6OqA9sM35TFLtQ7L2kJwyEP8rdGGxOHD6vh1B8DTYvLiZNy2GvwIkPOTEX32QTH4nFZSQc8qVRlyGZLk-UV4zXU2_smCdo/s320/426811580_1757653354732723_6714027347928946727_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left to right: Noriko, yours truly, Hidemi Aoki, and Mami. Photo courtesy of Mami-san.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><p>Some of the attendees were curious as to how I knew about Aoki-san and why I was interested in her. Naturally, I mentioned her role on <i>Diamond Eye</i>, which is related to my broader interest in tokusatsu. This led me to do something I'd never actually done before -- ask Aoki-san about her memories of shooting this Toho tokusatsu TV series. She then admitted that she remembered nothing about making it! Oh, well -- would have been nice to hear a story or two.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYymQa0FkWkS5BcoT6bRM87zECuDmOD5xSECNzbpgu5tMXO78F4_mLvOeCPjxxKeNLXZEBKUxXt86qc5X-KuaiU56LF6rGYdtgyoW9iwYyfLgu7vwFZQ1B9PHxcCUdJv7kg1LtOpTYr9Yg5QcYRgHkLmj7OnB53SqbqWfcBzNhhsV2iyUpDILwH9EYed4/s929/capture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="832" data-original-width="929" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYymQa0FkWkS5BcoT6bRM87zECuDmOD5xSECNzbpgu5tMXO78F4_mLvOeCPjxxKeNLXZEBKUxXt86qc5X-KuaiU56LF6rGYdtgyoW9iwYyfLgu7vwFZQ1B9PHxcCUdJv7kg1LtOpTYr9Yg5QcYRgHkLmj7OnB53SqbqWfcBzNhhsV2iyUpDILwH9EYed4/s320/capture.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hidemi Aoki (Miss Japan) is second from the right in this photo, which she showed me on her smartphone.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>But she did show me several photos from her smartphone, including one taken during the first Miss Young International beauty pageant in which she represented Japan in March 1970. (She came in second behind Miss Iceland.)</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKmiFWrd7S36HHyreYPrrkmZxIHng2KhjVwewgYJZn8ack-7fUiEXJs1HnN5DdqAdjny4q1BQMHTnifFj77ppZGYFlMzKyhpunfaZm8_YalbdsbRV7cFDbvej5xpKiHF5hlFpCg4bqsIwzIbe_LgL3Q50qzmwFyYvCJQWur9nWmlzokp9RDHYINgXL1yE/s4032/PXL_20240306_054205674.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKmiFWrd7S36HHyreYPrrkmZxIHng2KhjVwewgYJZn8ack-7fUiEXJs1HnN5DdqAdjny4q1BQMHTnifFj77ppZGYFlMzKyhpunfaZm8_YalbdsbRV7cFDbvej5xpKiHF5hlFpCg4bqsIwzIbe_LgL3Q50qzmwFyYvCJQWur9nWmlzokp9RDHYINgXL1yE/s320/PXL_20240306_054205674.MP.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>As I mentioned a bit earlier, we were joined by two of Aoki-san's friends, who had previous experience as actresses and performers. One of her friends, Mami, appeared in a very small role in the TV show <i>Ninja Hattori-kun</i> (1966-68). It wasn't a speaking part, and she was likely an extra, but it's interesting to note. Actually, Mami was a member of Toei Children's Theater Training Institute's 7th class. (This organization has since become Toei Academy.) Later on, she lived in Los Angeles for about 20 years, and it was great talking with her about a variety of topics.</div><div><p>Noriko, another friend of Aoki-san's, asked me what other tokusatsu series I enjoyed. After I rattled off a few of the Ultra-series, she asked me if I had seen <i>Ultra Q</i> (1966), which naturally I had. I also mentioned <i>Zone Fighter</i> (1973) and remarked that it was made around the same time at Toho as <i>Diamond Eye</i>. This prompted Aoki-san to look up the series on her smartphone, but, when she saw the cast list, she wasn't familiar with any of the actors. </p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSals1uMll3oBQAJxT7-5mjRILwDsHDYuczEYsZ7766iVlBCQdWQBCXZmgqdvfLVH5INVhyphenhyphenMFs-avIpxblKAWlS_fB2UtpjGJAjA5HXJcYsmuBV_vZxa9YSYj63e8tKeZ3F1jcXlo41O6iJuSHH_IalSUfcBOOOigr7fcaRbLU1tA7-R4mW9CyqwkVz78/s1620/431496138_290054457434158_339564036364428700_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1620" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSals1uMll3oBQAJxT7-5mjRILwDsHDYuczEYsZ7766iVlBCQdWQBCXZmgqdvfLVH5INVhyphenhyphenMFs-avIpxblKAWlS_fB2UtpjGJAjA5HXJcYsmuBV_vZxa9YSYj63e8tKeZ3F1jcXlo41O6iJuSHH_IalSUfcBOOOigr7fcaRbLU1tA7-R4mW9CyqwkVz78/s320/431496138_290054457434158_339564036364428700_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Mami-san. Photo by Yoshii-san.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I should mention that the seats in this cafe were more like stools, but their design made them a bit wobbly and unstable. So, if you suddenly shifted your weight, you could topple over before you even realized it. This nearly happened to me shortly after I sat down. It also nearly happened to Aoki-san, too. While she was chatting, she somewhat lost her balance, but thankfully Mami-san and I grabbed her in the nick of time. </p><p>The lunch, which I expected to last not much more than an hour, ultimately lasted about four hours. Our group went to the station together, and, when it was time to leave, she high-fived me. What a nice touch! Then she stayed at the ticket gate and waved until I was ought of sight. </p><p>This afternoon easily surpassed my expectations! I must thank Aoki-san for her unparalleled hospitality. It was another one for the history books!</p>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-49128718540206568372024-02-28T06:18:00.000-08:002024-02-28T06:18:45.319-08:00A Toho Legend Celebrates His 85th Birthday!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6yCBgc_DuwAcyVFSOggl4cuPqIE-an1oaR1MHZ-UAtEvVqkyTx8iKNBqEg_D2OlzFISr61yTpbv3_9V8auMjv5z4r8tBk_zMlo01zzOKLVQ0_r1d5HlHAfM_bnQu02LukvACdnsYs0RoCv3fuAeNQi8fWRVE-FDhMTFmh10WRvvteSCHgpawoOb4a3o/s4032/PXL_20240228_080907254.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6yCBgc_DuwAcyVFSOggl4cuPqIE-an1oaR1MHZ-UAtEvVqkyTx8iKNBqEg_D2OlzFISr61yTpbv3_9V8auMjv5z4r8tBk_zMlo01zzOKLVQ0_r1d5HlHAfM_bnQu02LukvACdnsYs0RoCv3fuAeNQi8fWRVE-FDhMTFmh10WRvvteSCHgpawoOb4a3o/s320/PXL_20240228_080907254.MP.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yasuhiko Saijo. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Today (Wednesday, February 28), I was privileged to spend a couple of hours in the company of former Toho actor Yasuhiko Saijo. Saijo-san is best known for his co-starring role in the Tsuburaya Productions series <i>Ultra Q</i> (1966) as Ippei Togawa, though he also plays Suzuki in <i>Son of Godzilla</i> (1967) and a Moonlight SY-3 crew member in <i>Destroy All Monsters</i> (1968). (Japanese sources seem to disagree about his character name in <i>DAM</i>, with some books naming his character Fujita while others dub him Tani.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Saijo-san celebrated his 85th birthday on February 20, so he and his wife took a two-day trip to Hakone. In fact, he would be just returning from the trip when meeting up with me, which ended up leading to a bit of a delay.</div><div><br /></div><div>It turns out that the train Saijo-san was using encountered an accident along the way, which caused him to arrive quite late. Thankfully, he asked a friend of his to meet me at Bishamonten Zenkoku-ji Temple, our usual meeting spot. We then went to the cafe together where Saijo-san would eventually join us.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq34MIgaL0ccPxsl_-d3sp9K4Rc2ZxdSQgYNzWVgrVoOMqT79umzTMrSec9XQRsxsXL5vNTkSdxhkhmQk77WE1BeVIQ7BhCK1stU623Mk4qwvXisXsPggwztefSvDFVt8OPb-z6J01_XnSqee4fN5aU5d8rAwUTqT0kIbWVTNALi4YkaMyqE9fSIJDeMk/s4032/PXL_20240228_080822258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq34MIgaL0ccPxsl_-d3sp9K4Rc2ZxdSQgYNzWVgrVoOMqT79umzTMrSec9XQRsxsXL5vNTkSdxhkhmQk77WE1BeVIQ7BhCK1stU623Mk4qwvXisXsPggwztefSvDFVt8OPb-z6J01_XnSqee4fN5aU5d8rAwUTqT0kIbWVTNALi4YkaMyqE9fSIJDeMk/s320/PXL_20240228_080822258.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>A bit more than an hour later, Saijo-san and his wife entered the cafe. I was worried that, after such a lengthy return trip, he would be completely worn out. Thankfully, though, that would prove not to be the case at all, and he was still full of energy. All those unforeseen delays did nothing to hamper the enjoyment of the afternoon.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>One interesting tidbit was, despite the cold and extremely windy weather Tokyo had experienced in the last couple of days, Saijo-san said Hakone's weather was just fine, which is the opposite of what you might expect, given its climate. I told him he was lucky because the weather in the city was just awful!</div><div><br /></div><div>Saijo-san's wife was surprised to see how young I was. (Well, looks can be deceiving there.) I wish she would have stayed longer, but she left a bit early, which is understandable since she was literally just returning home from a trip.</div></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5v7DBWomsCfsJvuWZR84ttWMUIKkHjr9kOZVeeDwTSFlfa4OfMwuTKZ6WmP6CX_s_i5SInfjcC1xgRQmsgUrwt1mck2bTc3i3If2WOS5rzsWXQTbUW8zRLLreLtOQnym4q_mDL5KgITBubi2UqrLL3sbxa9JwCZdUwJcny8H6VeE5wGFoxIERLjiPu4A/s4032/PXL_20240228_080841679.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5v7DBWomsCfsJvuWZR84ttWMUIKkHjr9kOZVeeDwTSFlfa4OfMwuTKZ6WmP6CX_s_i5SInfjcC1xgRQmsgUrwt1mck2bTc3i3If2WOS5rzsWXQTbUW8zRLLreLtOQnym4q_mDL5KgITBubi2UqrLL3sbxa9JwCZdUwJcny8H6VeE5wGFoxIERLjiPu4A/s320/PXL_20240228_080841679.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>After that, Saijo-san discussed his acting career for more than an hour. As usual, it was fascinating stuff. He was also kind enough to sign a few things for my collection, including a DVD sleeve of <i>Gorath</i> (1962), which looks especially good with his signature on it.</div><div><br /></div><div>I brought Saijo-san two <i>omiyage</i> boxes as birthday presents, but I also insisted on paying for our drinks at the cafe. Saijo-san protested and even seemed a little upset that he wouldn't pay, but I felt it was the least I could do -- not only because of his recent birthday but because he went above and beyond for me today. It was my privilege.</div><div><br /></div><div>Saijo-san is sort of like the boss of the neighborhood. It's amazing how many locals know who he is. I called him <i>shacho</i>, which seemed to amuse him.</div><div><br /></div><div>Saijo-san and I walked together for a bit as I was headed toward the station, and he was heading home. Before we parted ways, he said, "Come back to me," in English, which I certainly hope to do in the future. Many thanks to Saijo-san for all his kindness today!</div>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-86485144133580354812024-02-28T04:59:00.000-08:002024-02-28T05:01:19.914-08:00Vantage Point Interviews: Big in Finland?<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNwtFWZMK8ppVa0no_oF2dl74IZMktIf6lYmqdNkJEKxETNSCfKHnXK0k08wTQcwHvKrqVZp9PkDES6-bKJZDSQMEhNBuKwWZL3Gk8DrrhZ3Lw8SGlHvqV0P3j0cFVd6VIeUxJLjPHUCGK7uBiqYppKJIf0mLHIRv5wzNA54UbpwmmgLOScdyixOJxpOo/s1691/Screenshot_20240228-134303~2.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1691" data-original-width="864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNwtFWZMK8ppVa0no_oF2dl74IZMktIf6lYmqdNkJEKxETNSCfKHnXK0k08wTQcwHvKrqVZp9PkDES6-bKJZDSQMEhNBuKwWZL3Gk8DrrhZ3Lw8SGlHvqV0P3j0cFVd6VIeUxJLjPHUCGK7uBiqYppKJIf0mLHIRv5wzNA54UbpwmmgLOScdyixOJxpOo/s320/Screenshot_20240228-134303~2.png" width="164" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A screen capture of the <span style="text-align: left;"><i>Ilta-Sanomat</i> article that cites Vantage Point Interviews</span><i style="text-align: left;">.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">While perusing the Internet last night, I made a rather intriguing discovery. My interview with <i>Shogun</i> (1980) director <a href="https://vantagepointinterviews.com/2023/10/02/the-shogun-of-shogun-director-jerry-london-looks-back-on-making-the-classic-japanese-miniseries/">Jerry London</a> was cited on a Finnish website called <i><a href="https://www.is.fi/tv-ja-elokuvat/art-2000010221670.html">Ilta-Sanomat</a></i> in an article that covers the original TV miniseries, as well as the 2024 remake starring Hiroyuki Sanada.</div><div><br /></div>What kind of publication is <i>Ilta-Sanomat</i>? According to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilta-Sanomat">Wikipedia</a>:<p></p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><i>Ilta-Sanomat</i> (Finnish for 'the evening news') is one of Finland's two prominent tabloid size evening newspapers and the second largest paper in the country.</blockquote><p>As I've been saying since 1994, "<i>Suomi yksi</i>!" </p><p></p>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-30091980768787426172024-02-24T06:14:00.000-08:002024-02-24T06:14:38.734-08:00Hibiya Meets Godzilla, Take Three!<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgov3ItuYrCAkeN46-YUzr6U4KtB39R4NKFIYdZ-gqc4GmWwcQgx5Fz_pgW6YNywT2yelD89rcZ362CiqYyoFX0l3TwmDfhDzO01CNIxZqqREk9k9msGzU4QhyphenhyphenL0Izx8uulrwHVdmRoDKmLVLtZRx10KgSEialbDj1PGok5IzABMTVP2WAkttvAHbnlQvo/s4032/PXL_20240224_092821605.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgov3ItuYrCAkeN46-YUzr6U4KtB39R4NKFIYdZ-gqc4GmWwcQgx5Fz_pgW6YNywT2yelD89rcZ362CiqYyoFX0l3TwmDfhDzO01CNIxZqqREk9k9msGzU4QhyphenhyphenL0Izx8uulrwHVdmRoDKmLVLtZRx10KgSEialbDj1PGok5IzABMTVP2WAkttvAHbnlQvo/s320/PXL_20240224_092821605.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hibiya Meets Godzilla. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While stopping by Toho Cinemas Hibiya after work today, I decided to check out the Hibiya Meets Godzilla display one more time, especially to see how it would look at night. It certainly didn't disappoint -- it was quite impressive! Here's what I saw.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknXq5n54DaodPPetLyh8Rpm3AGJT14JKIrmXhZK1iXMOxKdaG8ccgE_rVNO5rsq6q_QtXLgDFvR0AyvEI3q3gZXsKQR-mUcQP7ZtOGLo460ArcMm8YWzS8hQlqGnOGEU5hzCLy31-Wfjwurxtxb_JILWxjNypir8uYRfnnxpIkb4iMQDUT_vWn1JtX9s/s4032/PXL_20240224_092831578.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknXq5n54DaodPPetLyh8Rpm3AGJT14JKIrmXhZK1iXMOxKdaG8ccgE_rVNO5rsq6q_QtXLgDFvR0AyvEI3q3gZXsKQR-mUcQP7ZtOGLo460ArcMm8YWzS8hQlqGnOGEU5hzCLy31-Wfjwurxtxb_JILWxjNypir8uYRfnnxpIkb4iMQDUT_vWn1JtX9s/s320/PXL_20240224_092831578.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_oCcjfKjWXuOu9AM6wbQX22aCly3elxez8n05KBmwAssIRgOOCM3oMfY9b54vAEbpNkzt2LwX6N7L4ZOubbMvxsMNOMW2BUKhCCVgfzpdRUjH3y2ZsPhcL-RlUDH_zkeBHjGuvtqSHJzxvJ_Bhf_Bnqnh3Jn-nDnxHRpwYW2F8Co37Xbree62lihsdE/s4032/PXL_20240224_092845373.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_oCcjfKjWXuOu9AM6wbQX22aCly3elxez8n05KBmwAssIRgOOCM3oMfY9b54vAEbpNkzt2LwX6N7L4ZOubbMvxsMNOMW2BUKhCCVgfzpdRUjH3y2ZsPhcL-RlUDH_zkeBHjGuvtqSHJzxvJ_Bhf_Bnqnh3Jn-nDnxHRpwYW2F8Co37Xbree62lihsdE/s320/PXL_20240224_092845373.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWdwHr_70B3GWDundlOJN0Gwo8sN1peX7cX9ZGzk3YFGTVI2s2cIU5k-lqHdsyGgK2W2Fszvxk28Ke94wIJTQpDz-69GF8SP_96Tib9jIShiqcxI-roXHiP23_jfKVpLJlk5YWVrTwnDNzP6p_6IGCSW-rXvh_wUa4D4JeGR5ijeow5GVtVC8KvOu3kM/s4032/PXL_20240224_092859754.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWdwHr_70B3GWDundlOJN0Gwo8sN1peX7cX9ZGzk3YFGTVI2s2cIU5k-lqHdsyGgK2W2Fszvxk28Ke94wIJTQpDz-69GF8SP_96Tib9jIShiqcxI-roXHiP23_jfKVpLJlk5YWVrTwnDNzP6p_6IGCSW-rXvh_wUa4D4JeGR5ijeow5GVtVC8KvOu3kM/s320/PXL_20240224_092859754.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5mBgj6o0U5QlCC0hUrzybX_RxAyUiJd8wdwPQpKT9FhOxX-qXDMjF5_yV2wabVyAaKp1xcciBaZzxDGDmU51vzzneLKIjJXg3EoyR4Pa-VoZegY-1Cxw1gvcd4l3PW8ez2JaPhvEmVe6ipzpWpRfHCM2qUd0bV23dpiJkempTNtu81QLOYCfrK5xlcc/s4032/PXL_20240224_092911975.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5mBgj6o0U5QlCC0hUrzybX_RxAyUiJd8wdwPQpKT9FhOxX-qXDMjF5_yV2wabVyAaKp1xcciBaZzxDGDmU51vzzneLKIjJXg3EoyR4Pa-VoZegY-1Cxw1gvcd4l3PW8ez2JaPhvEmVe6ipzpWpRfHCM2qUd0bV23dpiJkempTNtu81QLOYCfrK5xlcc/s320/PXL_20240224_092911975.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_tJWLrXbA7XjT1IgyMovPy_XLhKDN3m-clEdZRfdvW6FsoKBYg7W52H2VvRQCY_Lc3tUn-OnKlKsBQ555eWda8_0edSnTK6kJ7wK-6b46z4RhHbQXkrjt4Rd5eIzBHxZvR7LnQuWxAeVFk4YKuuHK9nKunEntbje-RUwiA3g8m5o8B6o2V6wtvSWMeM/s4032/PXL_20240224_092951297.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_tJWLrXbA7XjT1IgyMovPy_XLhKDN3m-clEdZRfdvW6FsoKBYg7W52H2VvRQCY_Lc3tUn-OnKlKsBQ555eWda8_0edSnTK6kJ7wK-6b46z4RhHbQXkrjt4Rd5eIzBHxZvR7LnQuWxAeVFk4YKuuHK9nKunEntbje-RUwiA3g8m5o8B6o2V6wtvSWMeM/s320/PXL_20240224_092951297.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6MtK0NhspJxX6OehZkTUTup6B3wv9_aPiHlEPEiCxSl5ZZ-JetwDAgISIpTzDNdnuvTnY8TVpRrKWJ_6dTf_FrxlvY-eFNBhlG7oyYmaKYxm05raig1syn0Np6AiJWNm5-lqm9IsuhNwRnVH30EjPpDyg7TrGvctF6wpUoO3ApzRHRSKWLX4nM-mTQ4/s4032/PXL_20240224_092922064.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6MtK0NhspJxX6OehZkTUTup6B3wv9_aPiHlEPEiCxSl5ZZ-JetwDAgISIpTzDNdnuvTnY8TVpRrKWJ_6dTf_FrxlvY-eFNBhlG7oyYmaKYxm05raig1syn0Np6AiJWNm5-lqm9IsuhNwRnVH30EjPpDyg7TrGvctF6wpUoO3ApzRHRSKWLX4nM-mTQ4/s320/PXL_20240224_092922064.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8vpIog2sPUCqVnEwZmKc94iYDNGL4bvHZN4fgTUZYFmPqnx9QCb64dl9jY-xNLBHOtOS21hGozZJDk3yazGvLWqe4RjMJohbAbEWBCkglB-7CkmUQgz0ywgELl5xSIgvG-f-oIEkPz5hef1eRTtDLXrIiDtgSuvj6BaYn8HMHLQ0-MPPy1HVeL1VbHds/s4032/PXL_20240224_092926873.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8vpIog2sPUCqVnEwZmKc94iYDNGL4bvHZN4fgTUZYFmPqnx9QCb64dl9jY-xNLBHOtOS21hGozZJDk3yazGvLWqe4RjMJohbAbEWBCkglB-7CkmUQgz0ywgELl5xSIgvG-f-oIEkPz5hef1eRTtDLXrIiDtgSuvj6BaYn8HMHLQ0-MPPy1HVeL1VbHds/s320/PXL_20240224_092926873.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSmYh3r-xbs_kP2s1gdctiPChSz2Rz2MVcTlovTweS9mSnRYLd-ssPwbQMBzXE821i4WyBlXhPdiVe7JjfhFgpoxjOCTta0VcWgHsN15wNNF14oicPDnzo-ZlZqvUp1krv49mjVcK5ND9U51_87sUVN-Gs3zSR6FH80UEUbBwiMaP_lTn5CZ3CgKw8Vk/s4032/PXL_20240224_092931349.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSmYh3r-xbs_kP2s1gdctiPChSz2Rz2MVcTlovTweS9mSnRYLd-ssPwbQMBzXE821i4WyBlXhPdiVe7JjfhFgpoxjOCTta0VcWgHsN15wNNF14oicPDnzo-ZlZqvUp1krv49mjVcK5ND9U51_87sUVN-Gs3zSR6FH80UEUbBwiMaP_lTn5CZ3CgKw8Vk/s320/PXL_20240224_092931349.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-6230813671236210862024-02-24T06:08:00.000-08:002024-02-24T06:08:45.613-08:00'Argylle' Comes to Toho Cinemas!<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhet5ZU9CTA2qVoUGLoWTqtV4iiXDxZY_nbRkhvrsSOxXFCG8i0nXqJj5_H8dCVoVZcoQhxlqDfB3YA6vpYgUpqmbYw8MLH0nSusVhqVs2fxnYbGNfKdk7RQe4Ws_1w4yqdbNzt-blQnI3KBDyiSB_fmBoPyWYf3NFBwSZ3nGDqwzyWKBUiti-L0Wur4/s4032/PXL_20240224_073126749.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhet5ZU9CTA2qVoUGLoWTqtV4iiXDxZY_nbRkhvrsSOxXFCG8i0nXqJj5_H8dCVoVZcoQhxlqDfB3YA6vpYgUpqmbYw8MLH0nSusVhqVs2fxnYbGNfKdk7RQe4Ws_1w4yqdbNzt-blQnI3KBDyiSB_fmBoPyWYf3NFBwSZ3nGDqwzyWKBUiti-L0Wur4/s320/PXL_20240224_073126749.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Argylle</i> (2024) is coming to Japan. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">While at Toho Cinemas Hibiya earlier today, I spotted this display for the upcoming (in Japan) release of the action-packed flop <i>Argylle</i> (2024). Notably, it's been placed in the exact same spot where the <i>Godzilla Minus One</i> (2023) statue held court in the theater for so long, so whether it's an upgrade or not remains to be seen.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I can't say I'm all that enthused about <i>Argylle</i> (despite a rave review from a U.S.-based <i>Shin Godzilla</i> alum who swears up and down that it's true cinema or whatever), but I thought it was an interesting set-up, so here you are.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Um, this thing can't be any worse than <i>Kingsman</i> (2014), can it?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4sidpF5BVBkOlxErd1QKBHnMVe4WjbO9Z1RQ7Dqo9G_HXDLDH5d4cn7Z9YIXMVTzeBj_agwuf388olXV6yIfNLXCQFc_cWKIpzVUSN4RRRe5N32MhF512-rHCqfz_sIII1ilYHDAhtBrL2eVwOKcfc-lv3a4cTzbSTa8ifG1pac8JdSumULcQO7A7ok/s4032/PXL_20240224_073146071.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4sidpF5BVBkOlxErd1QKBHnMVe4WjbO9Z1RQ7Dqo9G_HXDLDH5d4cn7Z9YIXMVTzeBj_agwuf388olXV6yIfNLXCQFc_cWKIpzVUSN4RRRe5N32MhF512-rHCqfz_sIII1ilYHDAhtBrL2eVwOKcfc-lv3a4cTzbSTa8ifG1pac8JdSumULcQO7A7ok/s320/PXL_20240224_073146071.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxmkbSPnrGxC9j9XTSIlytyQx3zQVM-qRvNT2Vo1DC6F6VAyTKRsw_tSwHruOMl-oUB1Vgs1uFTTVG4cdDxxwA6TeLyEv8tpAHXW1zG9iOf21wqi71rmke2ItwThc9lz3Iek0LlOv3nnjVoaa19ytLtLpmYRAU8Ec3OJ08aLUAWd1ARYl5nwjIcYNPFK0/s4032/PXL_20240224_073134224.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxmkbSPnrGxC9j9XTSIlytyQx3zQVM-qRvNT2Vo1DC6F6VAyTKRsw_tSwHruOMl-oUB1Vgs1uFTTVG4cdDxxwA6TeLyEv8tpAHXW1zG9iOf21wqi71rmke2ItwThc9lz3Iek0LlOv3nnjVoaa19ytLtLpmYRAU8Ec3OJ08aLUAWd1ARYl5nwjIcYNPFK0/s320/PXL_20240224_073134224.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-7376594728424677332024-02-23T05:49:00.000-08:002024-02-23T05:54:38.376-08:00Attending an Event with a Legendary Nikkastu Actress!<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEVO6-sPMzU32cC-dX9hHIpzm9dzCi8ZyLPTmNmvNaBnj3TZz4RukcTDfJ-VxV4BT_ogRv7Dm5Sc_Q6pIAAeon8WN85FA7xNASEuKRoKaBZy_2CIUGVwWP68QGCRUd9SXc8U33zLUah_wxLvgEcCnx2i5LAFuQgr9OJTPUMh5n6VKPAHXjMIFX_NAQnTQ/s4032/PXL_20240223_102230154.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEVO6-sPMzU32cC-dX9hHIpzm9dzCi8ZyLPTmNmvNaBnj3TZz4RukcTDfJ-VxV4BT_ogRv7Dm5Sc_Q6pIAAeon8WN85FA7xNASEuKRoKaBZy_2CIUGVwWP68QGCRUd9SXc8U33zLUah_wxLvgEcCnx2i5LAFuQgr9OJTPUMh5n6VKPAHXjMIFX_NAQnTQ/s320/PXL_20240223_102230154.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Makiko Aoi. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Tonight (Friday, February 23), I braved freezing-cold temperatures to attend an event with former Nikkatsu actress Makiko Aoi. I'd previously met Aoi-san only once before, and -- believe it or not -- it was almost exactly five years ago in February 2019. Time sure does fly, doesn't it?</p><p>Even though today was a national holiday in Japan, I still had to work, so I arrived much later than everyone else. But I still got to spend nearly two hours at the venue, which was more than sufficient. Actually, things went much better than I could have expected! </p><p>The event was organized by fans of the late Nikkatsu actor Keiichiro Akagi, who is often called the James Dean of Japan. Akagi was at the height of his popularity when he died in a car accident at the age of 21 in 1961, and he still has a dedicated fan following in Japan to this day.</p><p>But what about the evening's guest of honor? Born on May 26, 1940, Aoi-san started her acting career in the late 1950s. She soon joined Nikkatsu Studios, and her acting credits include Seijun Suzuki's <i>The Boy Who Came Back</i> (1958), the genre-ish <i>The Woman from the Sea</i> (1959), and <i>I Hate But Love</i> (1962) with Japanese superstar Yujiro Ishihara.</p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeK0jzAzlDCqWDK1__X-QGxvP-x33jYm_mMx679YlE49wemAEffegwiDHpyd4CnUK4DqlvGOD82K1hqmjWtNNgFiLy45CSSc-E0yjlp_rCjt-iCZyOwxxlTcBETdgYw5ZwjALoXCdY4YwzTyxl96Wy8ZZrlWdgmwyio_Pm7JnhW7_13pd11vkWBXKPGI/s4032/PXL_20240223_101112582.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeK0jzAzlDCqWDK1__X-QGxvP-x33jYm_mMx679YlE49wemAEffegwiDHpyd4CnUK4DqlvGOD82K1hqmjWtNNgFiLy45CSSc-E0yjlp_rCjt-iCZyOwxxlTcBETdgYw5ZwjALoXCdY4YwzTyxl96Wy8ZZrlWdgmwyio_Pm7JnhW7_13pd11vkWBXKPGI/s320/PXL_20240223_101112582.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Even though it's not something I usually do at such events, I presented Aoi-san with a box of chocolates shortly after I arrived. She was quite surprised and told me she happens to love chocolate, so I guess it was a smart move on my part after all! Aoi-san wasn't sure whether she should accept it, though, as it was from a famous brand, but I assured her it was my privilege to give it to her, so she ultimately put it in her backpack. </p><p></p><p>During the evening, I asked Aoi-san if she had any memories of director Suzuki to share, but she told me she didn't remember working with him. Of course, actors and actresses were extremely busy in those days, and oftentimes movie productions would blend together.</p><p></p><p>When the topic of tokusatsu came up (as it usually does when I'm in the conversation), I was surprised to see that Aoi-san knew the Mothra song as sung by The Peanuts, even singing a couple of lyrics of it. But she wasn't familiar with the movie itself, which, again, is understandable.</p><p>A small photo album was passed around during the evening, which featured many photos from Aoi-san's life and career. Some were production stills from her Nikkatsu heyday; others were personal photos taken during the 1980s and '90s, featuring the likes of fellow Nikkatsu performers Akira Kobayashi and Tamio Kawachi. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO3oChAmsGTXd__dk-clpQ61s8h1LcHZRiBLNvMGQLEFi7PdNPmzuQ9Pva-h_CKS6AJRX_PmW_2n3D5rDoFwE89lQZfLkz90_mvReiNGazH_rwn9tTRCOpNG7u9A08yKUJd6WRyRpBiRDubpyK71hkkc5Gy6ndFpjjCISrdCHXJ4oyqe-YB5L2phWSsRA/s3264/PXL_20240223_104308575.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO3oChAmsGTXd__dk-clpQ61s8h1LcHZRiBLNvMGQLEFi7PdNPmzuQ9Pva-h_CKS6AJRX_PmW_2n3D5rDoFwE89lQZfLkz90_mvReiNGazH_rwn9tTRCOpNG7u9A08yKUJd6WRyRpBiRDubpyK71hkkc5Gy6ndFpjjCISrdCHXJ4oyqe-YB5L2phWSsRA/s320/PXL_20240223_104308575.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />At one point, when Aoi-san was about ready to eat her dinner, she accidentally dropped her chopsticks on the ground. So I immediately got up and brought her a new pair. Hey, it was the least I could do for her!<p></p><p>As if all that weren't enough, I was invited to ride in the taxi with Aoi-san, her assistant, and another attendee to the station after the event. Suffice it to say, it was an offer I couldn't refuse. Afterward, I tried to contribute my share of the taxi fare but was declined. What kindness!</p><p>It also so happened that we would all get on the same train, though we would eventually change at different stations. But, as we were waiting to get on the train, Aoi-san's assistant said the other attendee and I were their bodyguards. Now there's a job I'd certainly take!</p><p>All in all, the evening far exceeded my expectations, and I'm glad that an unexpected schedule change allowed me to attend. It was certainly one for the history books!</p>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-89807145400291550142024-02-22T02:49:00.000-08:002024-02-22T02:49:24.262-08:00Yoko Yamamoto, Star of Nikkatsu's Kaiju Feature 'Gappa,' Passes Away at Age 81<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUCLEdkDVkvRXUeR1BBMeXhu9t6sTx84uwIqcMrlppkH_meI650HumVVJR8YF9soITTuaTJCjjTj-yniUp007W7VM53pm9tcIpQ7CYr3qjDPv64xyogYYjhFW0BVTMrNZWfiMrBs34TiweH04-fE5735HqBh_EdBkG_ZOa17cs4xtFM92lPnZCScwktM/s2560/P3067195.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUCLEdkDVkvRXUeR1BBMeXhu9t6sTx84uwIqcMrlppkH_meI650HumVVJR8YF9soITTuaTJCjjTj-yniUp007W7VM53pm9tcIpQ7CYr3qjDPv64xyogYYjhFW0BVTMrNZWfiMrBs34TiweH04-fE5735HqBh_EdBkG_ZOa17cs4xtFM92lPnZCScwktM/s320/P3067195.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A 1977 portrait of actress Yoko Yamamoto on display at the Yamamoto Noriten shop in Nihombashi, Tokyo. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Actress <a href="https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/f450796bc0b6776726b1cf8be631052d9acf4706">Yoko Yamamoto</a> passed away on February 20 at a hospital in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture (where she had been living since turning 70), at the age of 81. The exact cause of her passing has not been disclosed, with most sources simply reporting that it was due to an illness. Notably, she appeared on the television talk show <i>Tetsuko's Room</i> on February 2, and, according to media reports, her passing was sudden and unexpected by those who knew her. The same articles indicate that a funeral has not yet been held.</div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPbD4CzNjhrJdGFa463fYFHkaHsYomzu-JaGlnm3azloThSlE06e1yO25axbUbFyKohtQdrFi2OHBLlYkMIWe9oMoXytnQSvnlZI2szAFwgaJ5xDHSS0wsKzN6_B-h2ppymqvLNIkCvppJq6XvZXxB5NQ-QSplrLUH3rORUjZqZig2HjSCFCj2td7i10/s2560/P3067191.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2560" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPbD4CzNjhrJdGFa463fYFHkaHsYomzu-JaGlnm3azloThSlE06e1yO25axbUbFyKohtQdrFi2OHBLlYkMIWe9oMoXytnQSvnlZI2szAFwgaJ5xDHSS0wsKzN6_B-h2ppymqvLNIkCvppJq6XvZXxB5NQ-QSplrLUH3rORUjZqZig2HjSCFCj2td7i10/s320/P3067191.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yoko Yamamoto welcomes you to the Yamamoto Noriten shop in Nihombashi. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Yoko Yamamoto was born on March 17, 1942, and joined Nikkatsu Studios in 1963 (debuting in 1964) as part of the studio's 7th New Face class. While never quite reaching the levels of stardom attained by some of her contemporaries like Sayuri Yoshinaga, she went on to star in Nikkatsu's sole kaiju outing, 1967's <i>Gappa the Triphibian Monster</i> (a.k.a. <i>Monster from a Prehistoric Planet</i>). Also in 1967, Yamamoto signed a contract with Yamamoto Noriten, a company that specializes in seaweed products.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghINGUjya4L-79gaoEsc8yelbO5zwqRA8omXMYOcA-t6a7QaRVrweVu8bOmgVul0dFP-dPBfuVekpVwpY4nuqIRuQ7_heoHBisge9G-CsoJF2SLfy_EebE20WANbZ0_a_Q0J4RunAFdOLLPKtDHDg6NS_ndkng7FPZwRwlzW_DtmxkczkWT5NirXDIV3U/s2560/P3067194.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghINGUjya4L-79gaoEsc8yelbO5zwqRA8omXMYOcA-t6a7QaRVrweVu8bOmgVul0dFP-dPBfuVekpVwpY4nuqIRuQ7_heoHBisge9G-CsoJF2SLfy_EebE20WANbZ0_a_Q0J4RunAFdOLLPKtDHDg6NS_ndkng7FPZwRwlzW_DtmxkczkWT5NirXDIV3U/s320/P3067194.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Guinness World Records certificate om display at the Yamamoto Noriten shop in Nihombashi, Tokyo. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Almost 60 years later, Yamamoto remained the face of the company. In November 2009, she was officially recognized by <a href="https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/longest-modelling-contract/">Guinness World Records</a> as being the longest-serving house model for the same company. In 2023, she celebrated her 60th anniversary in the entertainment business.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJE8vA1sHAZxw45mE2phtZbEZPBpIz0xYSfSE8uyPyd_jEp_qAhXeZGEDBbubyr6AMCkOgRXuogLKD-Tvnh22rmuKcH_LLziJDgq4l2TXtIrJZ3viDxIGyvuHDCOr5Z4eBRars5eK7TOLqTdzmqkbaMCaH73aTnmvqZ7pTRb443DPkcj_MtgsFYd3nXGU/s2560/P3067200.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJE8vA1sHAZxw45mE2phtZbEZPBpIz0xYSfSE8uyPyd_jEp_qAhXeZGEDBbubyr6AMCkOgRXuogLKD-Tvnh22rmuKcH_LLziJDgq4l2TXtIrJZ3viDxIGyvuHDCOr5Z4eBRars5eK7TOLqTdzmqkbaMCaH73aTnmvqZ7pTRb443DPkcj_MtgsFYd3nXGU/s320/P3067200.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A 1975 portrait of actress Yoko Yamamoto on display at the Yamamoto Noriten shop in Nihombashi, Tokyo. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In March 2018, I visited the Yamamoto Noriten shop in Nihombashi and took some photos relevant to Ms. Yamamoto's career, which you can see in this blog post. While I never had the privilege of meeting Ms. Yamamoto in the flesh, I've always enjoyed her performance in <i>Gappa</i>, which is a perennial favorite of mine.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2X6h6wWVXqiYdYvMGwd1pMvUuOVeWWSOVxAxKFjGpMdUfuHreJwOv8mJXom-u2SituMfrSyy2ZpLBnw7QXYNMhvzAjefJkXiDBK2bpfuJg5hrHZuTfDl6MEfwe_OyPqwNUr1A2tILGrQEYVW3hwi2LteMTOU9oUvihTXhWQmWKIMN1mVYTvkegu7NODE/s2560/P3067199.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2X6h6wWVXqiYdYvMGwd1pMvUuOVeWWSOVxAxKFjGpMdUfuHreJwOv8mJXom-u2SituMfrSyy2ZpLBnw7QXYNMhvzAjefJkXiDBK2bpfuJg5hrHZuTfDl6MEfwe_OyPqwNUr1A2tILGrQEYVW3hwi2LteMTOU9oUvihTXhWQmWKIMN1mVYTvkegu7NODE/s320/P3067199.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A 1975 portrait of actress Yoko Yamamoto on display at the Yamamoto Noriten shop in Nihombashi, Tokyo. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>RIP, Yoko Yamamoto.</p>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-68608836752461970362024-02-20T18:43:00.000-08:002024-02-20T18:43:21.081-08:00New Content on Vantage Point Interviews!<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRPKRxy-q-aPIWRsIfshTLNL1cdUYDN42Psb1J-lj2UO9AkptZpZXCdBKPXB3Y8fvypLN9XbmWY3Jlc5HLkf7an3LyezHlrhvwP7qD7fHkY9LX0phq-FJ0X0tF3Pd7fiB4o2vgH0TTfn3A99-tNTS-SWqBOjfEjouQZ0az1po4ZqbBtnBsaEMFYiHuyU/s500/yongary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="354" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRPKRxy-q-aPIWRsIfshTLNL1cdUYDN42Psb1J-lj2UO9AkptZpZXCdBKPXB3Y8fvypLN9XbmWY3Jlc5HLkf7an3LyezHlrhvwP7qD7fHkY9LX0phq-FJ0X0tF3Pd7fiB4o2vgH0TTfn3A99-tNTS-SWqBOjfEjouQZ0az1po4ZqbBtnBsaEMFYiHuyU/s320/yongary.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><p>If you like the South Korean monster mash <i>Yongary Monster from the Deep</i> (1967), you'll want to check out my mini interview with one of its English-language voice actors, <a href="https://vantagepointinterviews.com/2024/02/20/dancing-with-yongary-a-mini-interview-with-rome-based-voice-actor-dan-keller/">Dan Keller</a>. Keller played the young boy Icho, who befriends the towering beast in the film. It's a breezy read, so you have no excuse not to give it a look!</p><p></p>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-53812145231493656262024-02-20T18:38:00.000-08:002024-02-20T18:38:05.192-08:00Enjoying Chanson on a Warm February Evening!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi45uECtDRo-U1pLcoap65Ki5_1jcExCn_htwIfWpk-4XDmzslfXLExKb5J8Q3J3cRGJMAoQYJCal5-2iyiZYM9FM9rKEsK4IYdKrZBG_fkwDOyS2rsDMCLM4Xd1SeznSq-1wvuCxTicaSTaF5Yw2LGLs1XLh3mX6_1AXFLUhp1jRmVtQggh08uzX-0W3w/s4032/PXL_20240220_114000678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi45uECtDRo-U1pLcoap65Ki5_1jcExCn_htwIfWpk-4XDmzslfXLExKb5J8Q3J3cRGJMAoQYJCal5-2iyiZYM9FM9rKEsK4IYdKrZBG_fkwDOyS2rsDMCLM4Xd1SeznSq-1wvuCxTicaSTaF5Yw2LGLs1XLh3mX6_1AXFLUhp1jRmVtQggh08uzX-0W3w/s320/PXL_20240220_114000678.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yoshiro Uchida. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Last night (Tuesday, February 20), I attended another chanson performance by Yoshiro Uchida. Due to a quirk in my work schedule, I was able to arrive at the venue just before the show was about to start, as opposed to arriving after it had already commenced. In fact, Uchida-san himself was surprised to see me to arrive so early.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWCJ4DRh3FZXSUX4ycpqau6rFyvIRlf9A1vRb0KkgD-M4cFG9C9TZBfVhwinZ4c87jya0YJZm-GxCVTOSAsei1b4aEsNAClkB07nU-a0i24TN4XgWctRvHlUpHBANOrOibae4Nar6fhQP_Mxw6dMEd2xSCXoMwqNtmyHgMTqWb_8SMFXBgLQu82wmK0g/s4032/PXL_20240220_102342734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWCJ4DRh3FZXSUX4ycpqau6rFyvIRlf9A1vRb0KkgD-M4cFG9C9TZBfVhwinZ4c87jya0YJZm-GxCVTOSAsei1b4aEsNAClkB07nU-a0i24TN4XgWctRvHlUpHBANOrOibae4Nar6fhQP_Mxw6dMEd2xSCXoMwqNtmyHgMTqWb_8SMFXBgLQu82wmK0g/s320/PXL_20240220_102342734.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uchida-san's kind gift to me. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Speaking of surprises, Uchida-san gave me a box of Godiva chocolates, which you can see in the photo above. Naturally, I wasn't expecting to receive any kind of gift, but it was a wonderful gesture on the part of Uchida-san.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigokkSnz-hCyOtiucQuNl8hI0Uszt9fPJku1qAy4sGb9CESjQugK80eQEl6a3fFENRsKUMF21VWwWL2nzQOWFjsmBl80zOy-5Y1XrVBvfebqok0cAtkp3WFAEQReHmMxU89yJd5vhZgyGEVBxdwk3PnpomQruw_A7qgRBhzAbfoKAxmv9dLJxG4selx1w/s3264/PXL_20240220_114252514.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigokkSnz-hCyOtiucQuNl8hI0Uszt9fPJku1qAy4sGb9CESjQugK80eQEl6a3fFENRsKUMF21VWwWL2nzQOWFjsmBl80zOy-5Y1XrVBvfebqok0cAtkp3WFAEQReHmMxU89yJd5vhZgyGEVBxdwk3PnpomQruw_A7qgRBhzAbfoKAxmv9dLJxG4selx1w/s320/PXL_20240220_114252514.MP.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>After the first set was finished, Uchida-san saw that I had finished my drink and offered to get me another one. When he confirmed with me that I was drinking ginger ale, he brought me back another one. What a cool guy!</div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg610uQ6l47sEmHIcb50e4blhXCttLhPmc27AqNzrVjLwCdG80t4cUsNdtrXpzu8c9Shrh8XWb26Aib-60WudFoIPdahyMQfzVgBe8Hedpn6nEbH8BTxp-D59mytq-gCUtOCHe8_S1bPHs2uYREEcXEvTzKUhOwDI4ZSo_jaFAXTkv84mForKxQIMJY7i8/s3264/PXL_20240220_114256474.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg610uQ6l47sEmHIcb50e4blhXCttLhPmc27AqNzrVjLwCdG80t4cUsNdtrXpzu8c9Shrh8XWb26Aib-60WudFoIPdahyMQfzVgBe8Hedpn6nEbH8BTxp-D59mytq-gCUtOCHe8_S1bPHs2uYREEcXEvTzKUhOwDI4ZSo_jaFAXTkv84mForKxQIMJY7i8/s320/PXL_20240220_114256474.MP.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>After the show, I had a brief chat with Uchida-san. When I first arrived, he was talking to another patron about wanting to learn English in his younger days. So I asked him about that, to which he replied that he was interested in singing songs by Andy Williams and the Carpenters at that time, but it was too difficult to do. It's really a shame, as I'd love to hear Uchida-san sing some of those songs.</div><div><br /></div><div>And that's a wrap! </div>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-40458727799897745402024-02-18T04:36:00.000-08:002024-02-18T04:36:30.095-08:00Out and About in Roppongi Hills!<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBaSNaR78qNaipDtJseQTjquyBVldP8A3Q-g5mr27pPjfjpFv_0O5j9u7MTx4WQAq85OBrvN_S1nHSmQE7UXWAt9ocitp2Lj01iODfAlyFbZRvRPEnQHeuSO1gcxrPTcphHAFavyNlZPW3US3QgsVQ5CEPBJvsgKqw_6bG_RkHTv-ShxKQs9zaDCFnC6o/s4032/PXL_20240218_055420475.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBaSNaR78qNaipDtJseQTjquyBVldP8A3Q-g5mr27pPjfjpFv_0O5j9u7MTx4WQAq85OBrvN_S1nHSmQE7UXWAt9ocitp2Lj01iODfAlyFbZRvRPEnQHeuSO1gcxrPTcphHAFavyNlZPW3US3QgsVQ5CEPBJvsgKqw_6bG_RkHTv-ShxKQs9zaDCFnC6o/s320/PXL_20240218_055420475.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mori Tower. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Earlier today, I went to Roppongi Hills, and I decided to snap a few photos of the familiar sights there, including Tokyo Tower and Mori Tower. Enjoy!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje-4yUi7LtXGBgav26gi7nK7afCRRT1I0TNWSrnfnU9-UPgSTtrY8IAALNKDdWIk6Exjbam5S_y1nvBTAnscsLsUOu-bZgneIEhSeCy4oKRA9RVJrqrlgf06U72EPCTEoA815dm5_lc3Qlyjp04Y4MFt4vjrAzx_YOEIObLZN-rHt_2vNGjTnNzs6JHag/s4032/PXL_20240218_055427859.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje-4yUi7LtXGBgav26gi7nK7afCRRT1I0TNWSrnfnU9-UPgSTtrY8IAALNKDdWIk6Exjbam5S_y1nvBTAnscsLsUOu-bZgneIEhSeCy4oKRA9RVJrqrlgf06U72EPCTEoA815dm5_lc3Qlyjp04Y4MFt4vjrAzx_YOEIObLZN-rHt_2vNGjTnNzs6JHag/s320/PXL_20240218_055427859.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Could this be Biollante? Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitzUUr22igKgnSjn4r0z9mrZNOFs2YDhEZZXxhEFKRe_RIVRbc-sYSgX7dgyhWXaxAt9FgHYr-aS2wyYKBcy4-ROR_F6pXtKCvBtuhJatlS7JGHQNzW71RVwTQT1XQ9vBMkIg767jf8rUe8CX0wJ1zSDKi8QPPfgWHFAwnH7rBwze9ezmoNvvjoDG3sSc/s4032/PXL_20240218_055440775.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitzUUr22igKgnSjn4r0z9mrZNOFs2YDhEZZXxhEFKRe_RIVRbc-sYSgX7dgyhWXaxAt9FgHYr-aS2wyYKBcy4-ROR_F6pXtKCvBtuhJatlS7JGHQNzW71RVwTQT1XQ9vBMkIg767jf8rUe8CX0wJ1zSDKi8QPPfgWHFAwnH7rBwze9ezmoNvvjoDG3sSc/s320/PXL_20240218_055440775.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipS_GMriuB_bNccelAfCrGKdlpIYq1W2CDYs7Z_jva2f7UFWd4tdw-1Jt3uGP3kE3Nf0GL-WmTFXffyxVdSHGz7fZXsCFS1NvI4PZZzLpILjorkYdbZ2TrVVbOU_HnYU2PVHbghIFUTrcgWaApfE633anyQmBkmJCmoHhAkCRZhnioACy6PkyVvNozCtQ/s4032/PXL_20240218_055449900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipS_GMriuB_bNccelAfCrGKdlpIYq1W2CDYs7Z_jva2f7UFWd4tdw-1Jt3uGP3kE3Nf0GL-WmTFXffyxVdSHGz7fZXsCFS1NvI4PZZzLpILjorkYdbZ2TrVVbOU_HnYU2PVHbghIFUTrcgWaApfE633anyQmBkmJCmoHhAkCRZhnioACy6PkyVvNozCtQ/s320/PXL_20240218_055449900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI66qPBpHCcqgB4nK6VMns90hZ_FgSDPCpigV2mflNyW_Qp1PhceGx-3y2iWdWSdMuycccX_PGuovJjioAO4NFH5JFVPkVW_hBIxvicNZUebLjjZxYES2yj8nO0o4yOXaj7J4HOqZ6l1g0kj-UJv0WR_8Cz_iRx3JsvZ3hcncHhgIjDMFMAOLB1tyseXU/s4032/PXL_20240218_055504601.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI66qPBpHCcqgB4nK6VMns90hZ_FgSDPCpigV2mflNyW_Qp1PhceGx-3y2iWdWSdMuycccX_PGuovJjioAO4NFH5JFVPkVW_hBIxvicNZUebLjjZxYES2yj8nO0o4yOXaj7J4HOqZ6l1g0kj-UJv0WR_8Cz_iRx3JsvZ3hcncHhgIjDMFMAOLB1tyseXU/s320/PXL_20240218_055504601.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VPdcKz8whiGmZQPB7DVEEqd7Hac6BVJeO4a_FSvo19WJf1MeQnkTw4wb7s2VE51Un0iLNUpn-0qmO_7989d1RYh4NR1Eje_8UhpD-IIUoJryon8Q9FR4ODkPxjr9gCLKCPosAhmVYsUxMO1fkLD_52o7tyUWShSQZ3_4jvW1tZg0Klc1TdL4obwQO4Q/s4032/PXL_20240218_055508516.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VPdcKz8whiGmZQPB7DVEEqd7Hac6BVJeO4a_FSvo19WJf1MeQnkTw4wb7s2VE51Un0iLNUpn-0qmO_7989d1RYh4NR1Eje_8UhpD-IIUoJryon8Q9FR4ODkPxjr9gCLKCPosAhmVYsUxMO1fkLD_52o7tyUWShSQZ3_4jvW1tZg0Klc1TdL4obwQO4Q/s320/PXL_20240218_055508516.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMwEbJA1-OuF31bi7qXBnPGinHy4EltEVh1EFPo9gaU8tZ_vZamF4BoQ0_8BYY0OAbtUq_c79euHwZKmqGyG_S3f-g1m-Fwf1gnWtO8pczwWVW2TMTHIGiH4sEQ96IyEMeLsFz1Srj54VOQZXnXwHhL5FyjHNg7BDTRzyQ5OoJAoDJM_dI6sFQokgVXk/s4032/PXL_20240218_055732628.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMwEbJA1-OuF31bi7qXBnPGinHy4EltEVh1EFPo9gaU8tZ_vZamF4BoQ0_8BYY0OAbtUq_c79euHwZKmqGyG_S3f-g1m-Fwf1gnWtO8pczwWVW2TMTHIGiH4sEQ96IyEMeLsFz1Srj54VOQZXnXwHhL5FyjHNg7BDTRzyQ5OoJAoDJM_dI6sFQokgVXk/s320/PXL_20240218_055732628.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tokyo Tower. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZTZ2GsGSIGFTiBSFrlVxdeTLvmzb2tO-oWxu68WACoYpV8HIZ5kf02KxOrH3V6ghn3PLrwL0-8YEpEdo90opK6EyDG6249PQtQYq4ikAeMSrUZClho9pYQoqTCd_PZErv3c4yA5lOqUsJz_giPaCr8xIIWoPNMOZ16rjy-bOwikAoDe_DxhbLFvwtsdE/s4032/PXL_20240218_055728028.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZTZ2GsGSIGFTiBSFrlVxdeTLvmzb2tO-oWxu68WACoYpV8HIZ5kf02KxOrH3V6ghn3PLrwL0-8YEpEdo90opK6EyDG6249PQtQYq4ikAeMSrUZClho9pYQoqTCd_PZErv3c4yA5lOqUsJz_giPaCr8xIIWoPNMOZ16rjy-bOwikAoDe_DxhbLFvwtsdE/s320/PXL_20240218_055728028.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXqY7mf3heAvJrv5Wczx-EtHc62aqiu7h71Rc5XgLdIokcrKJr5OkjxH7y29DqGjumO1nJZmaZirJI50fJnJOaOMGyG-LSHV30vhu4iFQgGCSOIgkWYBpsE-Qvj5nnDCexgHne1pSnyBYX2F9NqgJyA-U_0QKDqXyzu_8byY5XzXMz2o1bro6lbRtMj4/s4032/PXL_20240218_055724969.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXqY7mf3heAvJrv5Wczx-EtHc62aqiu7h71Rc5XgLdIokcrKJr5OkjxH7y29DqGjumO1nJZmaZirJI50fJnJOaOMGyG-LSHV30vhu4iFQgGCSOIgkWYBpsE-Qvj5nnDCexgHne1pSnyBYX2F9NqgJyA-U_0QKDqXyzu_8byY5XzXMz2o1bro6lbRtMj4/s320/PXL_20240218_055724969.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCs-pNrezbBNbNHpS8WNW5TykJV6rrdljmBgBnHPq82u6kOX-cYZEJc2nFXx2OtYD1RizcAh-6prt4GeGm22GNcSTxjhcgPFSGrSLtPfm67DCaPtGffrGv1ZB971FNV1NmY-NyXGvC_fFxgCH2f0kAgcLJExFAlMlrbld8N-VpmNWQ3l1j9kUt2TNa4x4/s4032/PXL_20240218_055611076.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCs-pNrezbBNbNHpS8WNW5TykJV6rrdljmBgBnHPq82u6kOX-cYZEJc2nFXx2OtYD1RizcAh-6prt4GeGm22GNcSTxjhcgPFSGrSLtPfm67DCaPtGffrGv1ZB971FNV1NmY-NyXGvC_fFxgCH2f0kAgcLJExFAlMlrbld8N-VpmNWQ3l1j9kUt2TNa4x4/s320/PXL_20240218_055611076.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSjhvQekBOuMJboQf7a7TM8vy2u0ky2EV2U83wp6c2BN3xyWXHyty51UPneTT3-FjW1ac_4elLcsZB2zDSy9BgimKkQ6xYH6-pCGuo1fa7yJv4oAP_K-W749ovL-hQ-xiK8JiIVznOMPT3eTworEi44x8_GCvyLc9bBlBqEl5_buxWcZZ_Cr7SFNvodaU/s4032/PXL_20240218_055607038.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSjhvQekBOuMJboQf7a7TM8vy2u0ky2EV2U83wp6c2BN3xyWXHyty51UPneTT3-FjW1ac_4elLcsZB2zDSy9BgimKkQ6xYH6-pCGuo1fa7yJv4oAP_K-W749ovL-hQ-xiK8JiIVznOMPT3eTworEi44x8_GCvyLc9bBlBqEl5_buxWcZZ_Cr7SFNvodaU/s320/PXL_20240218_055607038.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtij_p4IuRo-dyip9cHK8PQlikomJUZc1Inwb_wsVp03vovSO7qawuGh7ux4Hd-wlVLxJUehIliPmszoh9Dfo5zaPIfraHxQa36R_2-UKIWsJZPpQePGCtCtb_L13LGp_2EN-U_ZacgC8wgbLI7FhLjBEN1Kpk7NfCio_leTdoj4S6ZTnSqFRNuMpb3xk/s4032/PXL_20240218_055603055.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtij_p4IuRo-dyip9cHK8PQlikomJUZc1Inwb_wsVp03vovSO7qawuGh7ux4Hd-wlVLxJUehIliPmszoh9Dfo5zaPIfraHxQa36R_2-UKIWsJZPpQePGCtCtb_L13LGp_2EN-U_ZacgC8wgbLI7FhLjBEN1Kpk7NfCio_leTdoj4S6ZTnSqFRNuMpb3xk/s320/PXL_20240218_055603055.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrky2UO_LPE9k7K5rOuak4q6ZMsB1Hqxn0v071rDUSeowhrNCTVayjURA10LaYZmhDjRcbDzxQDaJuNGZZBHCdKLz5csCvaLqsX0eDnOqjIOw02tSehyphenhyphenz_A4hnNEVzOx2-P-uLzL7Kzk9EcVp2rRknahRl65xFqIbJ4ByzpuxeBl48wQw8NdKC4aEKOM/s4032/PXL_20240218_055526526.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrky2UO_LPE9k7K5rOuak4q6ZMsB1Hqxn0v071rDUSeowhrNCTVayjURA10LaYZmhDjRcbDzxQDaJuNGZZBHCdKLz5csCvaLqsX0eDnOqjIOw02tSehyphenhyphenz_A4hnNEVzOx2-P-uLzL7Kzk9EcVp2rRknahRl65xFqIbJ4ByzpuxeBl48wQw8NdKC4aEKOM/s320/PXL_20240218_055526526.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-26337508589110456602024-02-18T04:28:00.000-08:002024-02-18T04:28:13.807-08:00Hibiya Meets Godzilla ... Again!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBwNOC7lb5mCzrlwXglmelnQ9y3CV-vihIy8vKoZTgqFzS1nn3APIVgh5OgNmg-t-m2c_g8B4k1gh8ibkIcXIYs9-HYvskDEyBbEfcM6Pmis0F3L8Is1geudNQPE_bWumhr81RxJj26k5agrMMwol9hV68fZR8j2jAQWFIt2pITL34iFppaRlAzDwjqM/s4032/PXL_20240218_051150406.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBwNOC7lb5mCzrlwXglmelnQ9y3CV-vihIy8vKoZTgqFzS1nn3APIVgh5OgNmg-t-m2c_g8B4k1gh8ibkIcXIYs9-HYvskDEyBbEfcM6Pmis0F3L8Is1geudNQPE_bWumhr81RxJj26k5agrMMwol9hV68fZR8j2jAQWFIt2pITL34iFppaRlAzDwjqM/s320/PXL_20240218_051150406.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hibiya Meets Godzilla. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div> </div><div>Today, I returned to Tokyo Midtown Hibiya to take another look at the Hibiya Meets Godzilla exhibit just outside the venue. When I was entering the building via the subway, I happened upon the above posters promoting the event -- didn't notice them last time! With all that said, let's check out the highlights. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGdZmP_07uue_WsOyVeyrjzk6yD9oMOodRRpeFZWG7fGL_JxHaWD8_F-b8oHHgpFqpGerTggBf65Dtq0K6zfX0rc1Q-chem-ZVLgjlBpj2Cym3nvgKKIOK6B-pmFC8HpiCbA0C7uMP2C7CGN2Z3Amtbid4LbNDbFt_kUKJ9eRv2pQKODsq6v_hw-sMkNw/s4032/PXL_20240218_051526525.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGdZmP_07uue_WsOyVeyrjzk6yD9oMOodRRpeFZWG7fGL_JxHaWD8_F-b8oHHgpFqpGerTggBf65Dtq0K6zfX0rc1Q-chem-ZVLgjlBpj2Cym3nvgKKIOK6B-pmFC8HpiCbA0C7uMP2C7CGN2Z3Amtbid4LbNDbFt_kUKJ9eRv2pQKODsq6v_hw-sMkNw/s320/PXL_20240218_051526525.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWQE6NEYK9SNU3XBqrD9Xj7jxI3KpC05_tkt1Tc5YpDeiKte5G1D5BPFejs8b_V-c0HhkQT1omoKjyYPvpHZwkT76ICk7HV_g_Ph5hkMg5kjxhQ_RAosQK6ccBdmjFHdVtvdE_zkTyKiwv7lakdqQjXogPSYSlDuYAKSU3pik0fHtf9cWeF-eK2cMZWI/s4032/PXL_20240218_051534018.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWQE6NEYK9SNU3XBqrD9Xj7jxI3KpC05_tkt1Tc5YpDeiKte5G1D5BPFejs8b_V-c0HhkQT1omoKjyYPvpHZwkT76ICk7HV_g_Ph5hkMg5kjxhQ_RAosQK6ccBdmjFHdVtvdE_zkTyKiwv7lakdqQjXogPSYSlDuYAKSU3pik0fHtf9cWeF-eK2cMZWI/s320/PXL_20240218_051534018.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeoxSbPzKSMkgtZqlbYAeEHK54W-cxce0-dX5sLGno4hjuHyQJQaqRPG_ENcf51scTzHLYcRcZ-4uBP1DEoRVrBfer9kUQP6vWeX3EFSJRahzf3V248KHXo62DuF_pU9j_KVpTnt5en4Vs0ysu6Wuc4oGeEBPLchFWfSRwFdCjv-CeuCLQXQ4-OGxLaVI/s4032/PXL_20240218_051541727.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeoxSbPzKSMkgtZqlbYAeEHK54W-cxce0-dX5sLGno4hjuHyQJQaqRPG_ENcf51scTzHLYcRcZ-4uBP1DEoRVrBfer9kUQP6vWeX3EFSJRahzf3V248KHXo62DuF_pU9j_KVpTnt5en4Vs0ysu6Wuc4oGeEBPLchFWfSRwFdCjv-CeuCLQXQ4-OGxLaVI/s320/PXL_20240218_051541727.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9Pibq77qZzDo1R1lKBqn8b3MF4aLk2KUEx7D5PQvxPqKXzswC4PlyUPLeFlZGx_rsUUxIPqDJLOJTGUxH-_u-1YIuu7fS41l7VKDVfl6pHeEvRBcfuIX-s23G6-n_edgSMBmoPwuu6IxksAoACWFMeDZWVH5oE5QyE00jBv9U6-ZsPmidHGOhFFiOLQ/s4032/PXL_20240218_051555075.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9Pibq77qZzDo1R1lKBqn8b3MF4aLk2KUEx7D5PQvxPqKXzswC4PlyUPLeFlZGx_rsUUxIPqDJLOJTGUxH-_u-1YIuu7fS41l7VKDVfl6pHeEvRBcfuIX-s23G6-n_edgSMBmoPwuu6IxksAoACWFMeDZWVH5oE5QyE00jBv9U6-ZsPmidHGOhFFiOLQ/s320/PXL_20240218_051555075.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lrWFG78G6X4vTz3aTwWMlz04MkkOls1u-7SOvnaD-7rDoCoy-WfHGTeJ2zsXjsiy1GHjQimOIXQpCoO_ACx8JRaRkrwh5mfaRwdK-AFgLxbF9kQdrzAvr5ZJdI-Vac9v1F6H5G6fueABIIy9C6BRMJiHH048f1R-QwhR3HL4tOf1MjewqspIGa_pOZ8/s4032/PXL_20240218_051738382.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lrWFG78G6X4vTz3aTwWMlz04MkkOls1u-7SOvnaD-7rDoCoy-WfHGTeJ2zsXjsiy1GHjQimOIXQpCoO_ACx8JRaRkrwh5mfaRwdK-AFgLxbF9kQdrzAvr5ZJdI-Vac9v1F6H5G6fueABIIy9C6BRMJiHH048f1R-QwhR3HL4tOf1MjewqspIGa_pOZ8/s320/PXL_20240218_051738382.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8UYztBoYzwKKX8wG3E22rIuqIygL7QIv5h7hVK4TFrebAdP1CRZeIPzIr4mKyeG2vW-YjHsAP0pTZsEDZNrBhbG5DVUvqIa2zg-sqOqVe8YaTu-MxczDNQrC7LaapzdTgsTsFbFSMduznOKwj3tZ7tuFexZyPEwHrJjGVKsBJG27Lj-Q-0b5gZEWeaf0/s4032/PXL_20240218_051855762.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8UYztBoYzwKKX8wG3E22rIuqIygL7QIv5h7hVK4TFrebAdP1CRZeIPzIr4mKyeG2vW-YjHsAP0pTZsEDZNrBhbG5DVUvqIa2zg-sqOqVe8YaTu-MxczDNQrC7LaapzdTgsTsFbFSMduznOKwj3tZ7tuFexZyPEwHrJjGVKsBJG27Lj-Q-0b5gZEWeaf0/s320/PXL_20240218_051855762.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLm8bVur1qul7Pp5kGIoAir6KgEwvlGs14fLSyGdc6jhUdG6w8ERUpYHVnOziQZL1iJ1uxveR_2mYbrmKiqvJGC1JUxSHsZfLUf-xFHbrCZnrz4YdI1vHHV40aA8mc_iuvu6bdDGE1z5NhxVymCjiNeyalqMG2xmKGTti1SKTFSQHJMTMYKyO8U2Sbw8c/s4032/PXL_20240218_052041396.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLm8bVur1qul7Pp5kGIoAir6KgEwvlGs14fLSyGdc6jhUdG6w8ERUpYHVnOziQZL1iJ1uxveR_2mYbrmKiqvJGC1JUxSHsZfLUf-xFHbrCZnrz4YdI1vHHV40aA8mc_iuvu6bdDGE1z5NhxVymCjiNeyalqMG2xmKGTti1SKTFSQHJMTMYKyO8U2Sbw8c/s320/PXL_20240218_052041396.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAyF-LvwI89JJ0Oeyj-q240CC2dZ-Se7QzLb68QaTff7hANcBRB2Cl0O8ZKNNRRlq_CUgtOGzNSD7e1aFBKcgElW8tc-661aOJhtxhqfMEuggsHUzLf9esSEqLlb5kTTJY4ENVei8Ew9rseeo-b620J12TB5jrPbeIZjk5D2DkcrRGGYUH0uK3Ac9Y4GA/s4032/PXL_20240218_052052007.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAyF-LvwI89JJ0Oeyj-q240CC2dZ-Se7QzLb68QaTff7hANcBRB2Cl0O8ZKNNRRlq_CUgtOGzNSD7e1aFBKcgElW8tc-661aOJhtxhqfMEuggsHUzLf9esSEqLlb5kTTJY4ENVei8Ew9rseeo-b620J12TB5jrPbeIZjk5D2DkcrRGGYUH0uK3Ac9Y4GA/s320/PXL_20240218_052052007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qcvtkxJ9H_6uPQnB1yiYvaraFSfG_BBFkFvkpGFrLL-XpZHlkU_LkOOyPKIhGXLIQIr4186zkUSu7h9CK2C_9-LrfZjQA8HJMpfc54CeyxKF8gNU2zzDCebvZch7j3hfECb0sOEV5XZxUUZrqrWXfzg-_5zHeviocLBGakcnXmmvJQXobYw3Xx4SxNU/s4032/PXL_20240218_052246879.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qcvtkxJ9H_6uPQnB1yiYvaraFSfG_BBFkFvkpGFrLL-XpZHlkU_LkOOyPKIhGXLIQIr4186zkUSu7h9CK2C_9-LrfZjQA8HJMpfc54CeyxKF8gNU2zzDCebvZch7j3hfECb0sOEV5XZxUUZrqrWXfzg-_5zHeviocLBGakcnXmmvJQXobYw3Xx4SxNU/s320/PXL_20240218_052246879.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVs8ax0ciJCTOMHogQRZyJFt-d7ZagwqawLt1egXTqdX_rWpN82LMLjneqNGL6X_kyKIp08sRTwGyDRGe0HSlHoUlKy9DkFlQvjfYzLjuDhDkiy4S5zUQfliJwEmNlYrS50pQGkB3T-FhJpAzhu3s4x-hFJfh8TkDZeJ0xrf5i9jKdFL6-niZvjokIGE/s4032/PXL_20240218_052835009.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVs8ax0ciJCTOMHogQRZyJFt-d7ZagwqawLt1egXTqdX_rWpN82LMLjneqNGL6X_kyKIp08sRTwGyDRGe0HSlHoUlKy9DkFlQvjfYzLjuDhDkiy4S5zUQfliJwEmNlYrS50pQGkB3T-FhJpAzhu3s4x-hFJfh8TkDZeJ0xrf5i9jKdFL6-niZvjokIGE/s320/PXL_20240218_052835009.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlfreWLTNWo2rt4u8PFOyGRw8HNiJEG8xqRJV8IaG8dBgF5x7NxfyCxD7xJC_TPm_kIe8pvW5uSQCucO7DqKfQqqQAEgt5Z3fLF9akZISPHHyE8cmL0uDk8-f0H4zL7Hsp6K0QgUbptI5nyWFmgfPM6NHUPEaJJciw9vmV6fyQ41lb1ojCMXhUkVl63jw/s3264/PXL_20240218_052506140.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlfreWLTNWo2rt4u8PFOyGRw8HNiJEG8xqRJV8IaG8dBgF5x7NxfyCxD7xJC_TPm_kIe8pvW5uSQCucO7DqKfQqqQAEgt5Z3fLF9akZISPHHyE8cmL0uDk8-f0H4zL7Hsp6K0QgUbptI5nyWFmgfPM6NHUPEaJJciw9vmV6fyQ41lb1ojCMXhUkVl63jw/s320/PXL_20240218_052506140.MP.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR96yKyVE6zSGMVV4ZkRM4g8HJosYnjORcqzJvkJG8d5mQ1l0qSCqyWAdrf9UOCOiSkvJ8nAVjlaDqnl9ekbI4WhhaEBc7l-ifRJrYSLAd58sSgi0jBk97ybIASb7sNBVVyWpQyntijPTKxCn0yOBG0U8KhyphenhyphenKthP9ctgW8Vxb_1YatYmiQsMCK46_-ykY/s3264/PXL_20240218_052342447.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR96yKyVE6zSGMVV4ZkRM4g8HJosYnjORcqzJvkJG8d5mQ1l0qSCqyWAdrf9UOCOiSkvJ8nAVjlaDqnl9ekbI4WhhaEBc7l-ifRJrYSLAd58sSgi0jBk97ybIASb7sNBVVyWpQyntijPTKxCn0yOBG0U8KhyphenhyphenKthP9ctgW8Vxb_1YatYmiQsMCK46_-ykY/s320/PXL_20240218_052342447.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3RTbgZlyql_zHoz4VZNuIZ2GTDMElbfm0gHnZaTnz-d36g5zfpkzZSbVYF-b5y-lS-4XK9pPG4zLmqme_UoI56BbUcqrtXu4GSPxDHOOGbjzlWZl3xlW-dyrV5hgPabx9FZOgJ_fFsfvERYYCU5MDz5KcYzpdRwz_YYKpycNZBP7xk4KL7z1q_DShRo/s3264/PXL_20240218_052121488.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3RTbgZlyql_zHoz4VZNuIZ2GTDMElbfm0gHnZaTnz-d36g5zfpkzZSbVYF-b5y-lS-4XK9pPG4zLmqme_UoI56BbUcqrtXu4GSPxDHOOGbjzlWZl3xlW-dyrV5hgPabx9FZOgJ_fFsfvERYYCU5MDz5KcYzpdRwz_YYKpycNZBP7xk4KL7z1q_DShRo/s320/PXL_20240218_052121488.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpaQdDR_FX7n_KbW8oKlBmS985fb4B6-IJ9nBaGUEqCH0CXsPbl84N5ljdJCm7Vc5v4gWxwmcgmfjn4eIgqaVTJRd9y7_xYhZw9eFbu7gSSNNdoxVehWcLD926rUF42rHDaha6ZqfNK93RI0uFoM-MITkuIYZBCADf7m9Skfeq2ysjyzUHSIMRS1FgRqU/s3264/PXL_20240218_051611981.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpaQdDR_FX7n_KbW8oKlBmS985fb4B6-IJ9nBaGUEqCH0CXsPbl84N5ljdJCm7Vc5v4gWxwmcgmfjn4eIgqaVTJRd9y7_xYhZw9eFbu7gSSNNdoxVehWcLD926rUF42rHDaha6ZqfNK93RI0uFoM-MITkuIYZBCADf7m9Skfeq2ysjyzUHSIMRS1FgRqU/s320/PXL_20240218_051611981.MP.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik8YcD2YqY3TnP-HmZ67Y6qU7fyiRtVjdLymgT8Y_xHEnnvcqlfTOpGjMdy5F6rCuTsNKJVmsXtQmvb5lLOBShzwDR0d7kQuKRGXdCG6S5_Ciy6DUqT_2eItJgB5JSSTnWHxICcBrTn7K2t3qUHzhyphenhyphenmQbCKTVdcF1UcLYczzl5QqjEedjPG5qJVpf6EWA/s4032/PXL_20240218_052618222.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik8YcD2YqY3TnP-HmZ67Y6qU7fyiRtVjdLymgT8Y_xHEnnvcqlfTOpGjMdy5F6rCuTsNKJVmsXtQmvb5lLOBShzwDR0d7kQuKRGXdCG6S5_Ciy6DUqT_2eItJgB5JSSTnWHxICcBrTn7K2t3qUHzhyphenhyphenmQbCKTVdcF1UcLYczzl5QqjEedjPG5qJVpf6EWA/s320/PXL_20240218_052618222.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-23527650172998875042024-02-18T04:10:00.000-08:002024-02-18T04:12:03.156-08:00Seeing 'Terror of Mechagodzilla' in 35mm!<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zNnPJujb030BYIVq0h0pgBG_u-iKMsRbT17QqOsypqVGpWBH3Layhr-w0wZtCcjFMlGVB6cfViGBdtqv_-GmkGhXE5RGh3UirDamXvOf4rR0qPzCmBf3u5q9z5n7fElDX4vJyVPa9agna8fiY1muYXCEc1EfiS1LGuUnQzBKUR1P95KHQyb1Ass2ZPg/s4032/PXL_20240218_030420534.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zNnPJujb030BYIVq0h0pgBG_u-iKMsRbT17QqOsypqVGpWBH3Layhr-w0wZtCcjFMlGVB6cfViGBdtqv_-GmkGhXE5RGh3UirDamXvOf4rR0qPzCmBf3u5q9z5n7fElDX4vJyVPa9agna8fiY1muYXCEc1EfiS1LGuUnQzBKUR1P95KHQyb1Ass2ZPg/s320/PXL_20240218_030420534.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The National Film Archive of Japan. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Today (Sunday, February 18), I took a trip to the National Film Archive of Japan to catch a screening of the kaiju classic <i>Terror of Mechagodzilla</i> (1975) in 35mm. The movie was shown as part of its program called <a href="https://www.nfaj.go.jp/exhibition/women202312/">Women Who Made Japanese Cinema [Part 2]: From the 1970s to the 1980s</a>. In particular, this screening honored screenwriter Yukiko Takayama's contributions to Japanese cinema.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4AB7P51aum0wtF8iCmTrwcRdW7x7dlfptU822VnbE6QgyMRYfRXBxm8LLIB6OndM2JioGHom3xG8ARjknOcXMbVyxW0L2H5GMIQuzW76b58WK2urlD14EQjmL0Wyqt_Ii8pCA4PdJotxzl63dm6-4dWqdku-Q9nH2IsesrdfcW0TsOhkBOnI32wDSN0/s4032/PXL_20240218_031600906.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4AB7P51aum0wtF8iCmTrwcRdW7x7dlfptU822VnbE6QgyMRYfRXBxm8LLIB6OndM2JioGHom3xG8ARjknOcXMbVyxW0L2H5GMIQuzW76b58WK2urlD14EQjmL0Wyqt_Ii8pCA4PdJotxzl63dm6-4dWqdku-Q9nH2IsesrdfcW0TsOhkBOnI32wDSN0/s320/PXL_20240218_031600906.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>The print itself was in excellent shape, with very few noticeable blemishes. The movie's subject matter is quite dark, and director Ishiro Honda does a great job of highlighting the consequences of the monster attacks on everyday people. The movie has always been one of my favorites.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7zSiFAJQ68miq5jBb3y6oT0Oj9PKAWiXnbmttvO_07CHuVrr1Ev0mZ7MKYkIAmE6ThtyIJb0S9CClAxnoQXpKvZ78qp6HkcFLvEJMuVfx3pAqWAXwLKi884yUJnkE-cg6OW7LChpTM2uoT55Rr3pSulairgCpVPBdBFBxHyGssZ93GsJcxBakr2CgyQ/s4032/PXL_20240218_045541315.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7zSiFAJQ68miq5jBb3y6oT0Oj9PKAWiXnbmttvO_07CHuVrr1Ev0mZ7MKYkIAmE6ThtyIJb0S9CClAxnoQXpKvZ78qp6HkcFLvEJMuVfx3pAqWAXwLKi884yUJnkE-cg6OW7LChpTM2uoT55Rr3pSulairgCpVPBdBFBxHyGssZ93GsJcxBakr2CgyQ/s320/PXL_20240218_045541315.MP.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The poster for T<i>error of Mechagodzilla</i> outside the theater. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />There was an impressive turnout for the film, despite the fact that it had already been screened twice before in the last couple of weeks. Not much else to say. Even though the screening started a bit earlier than I would have preferred (12:30), I'm very glad I went. A great way to kick off a fairly warm (by February standards) Sunday! <p></p>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-85940301747369682632024-02-18T03:42:00.000-08:002024-02-18T03:42:56.967-08:00ULTRAMAN FLIES AGAIN! Another Fun Evening with the Superhero from M78!<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPceqHG1aEnJRJRpP41-fMDLAd1eSpcg-mRyO0HLKSQwiXtWbSt3KPD41z2hw5spiLLq7mvmJOU5UYoCGc_wrS8W5nlxneQeh6WLRIPIlmnJ6ATY_ik6qewy40d-Bo9N1S5BtCFQrKyRvaCp8jCSJxo4_V3wz9n9QdHYe61-MaBn97-NpcnblhkkK7ryU/s4032/PXL_20240217_074755969.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPceqHG1aEnJRJRpP41-fMDLAd1eSpcg-mRyO0HLKSQwiXtWbSt3KPD41z2hw5spiLLq7mvmJOU5UYoCGc_wrS8W5nlxneQeh6WLRIPIlmnJ6ATY_ik6qewy40d-Bo9N1S5BtCFQrKyRvaCp8jCSJxo4_V3wz9n9QdHYe61-MaBn97-NpcnblhkkK7ryU/s320/PXL_20240217_074755969.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bin Furuya. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Last night (Saturday, February 17), I attended another event with Ultraman suit actor Bin Furuya. I arrived late due to my work schedule, and by the time I arrived the festivities were already winding down. Luckily, I was able to attend the after-party that started immediately thereafter. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCoJVJAglEsxDq0JJPkbysIdK5XaX-5kkimGAOmwxxv_D5Kg-7LziJETYzTWhKmuQDRBQh1nui65ev-5JXOEJgKLJu-zb7FvyWP65e7NOmgUMJDbZoPZaUCYFnK_SrhaLqty-246B5KpzPYQVQXmGxx42feq2aPh8F4TtnbyQfrMe5JBJXAxdlW56DBw/s4032/PXL_20240217_074759832.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCoJVJAglEsxDq0JJPkbysIdK5XaX-5kkimGAOmwxxv_D5Kg-7LziJETYzTWhKmuQDRBQh1nui65ev-5JXOEJgKLJu-zb7FvyWP65e7NOmgUMJDbZoPZaUCYFnK_SrhaLqty-246B5KpzPYQVQXmGxx42feq2aPh8F4TtnbyQfrMe5JBJXAxdlW56DBw/s320/PXL_20240217_074759832.MP.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>When Furuya-san arrived at the <i>izakaya</i> for the after-party, he asked me to stand up and proceeded to tell the folks in attendance about my March plans. He also shared a story about going to a restaurant in Chicago with Akira Takarada and me, recalling how much I ate and drank there. Well, it was a fun memory for me, too!</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3nixEuFkFR9nWGBcTyWmw3oXfUwF1KtWH8yXyANvmGnZvgjdarn61sg7TH7hi9fVmMKX9UI_-mRhN82ET55jnKJ-ZlGSMuy1cdLw4daKakBerPyBJtgKyuJZa6oYB-dvjq9ygatalmdiSbtU_Y4xXBL_oZPy1GNiMeMeBzdBkzCavuuIo-TDdsYzHFE/s4032/PXL_20240217_074549220.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3nixEuFkFR9nWGBcTyWmw3oXfUwF1KtWH8yXyANvmGnZvgjdarn61sg7TH7hi9fVmMKX9UI_-mRhN82ET55jnKJ-ZlGSMuy1cdLw4daKakBerPyBJtgKyuJZa6oYB-dvjq9ygatalmdiSbtU_Y4xXBL_oZPy1GNiMeMeBzdBkzCavuuIo-TDdsYzHFE/s320/PXL_20240217_074549220.MP.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>Furuya-san sat with my table two separate times during the evening, during which he was seated directly next to me. We talked about his interest in James Dean, the movie <i>Shane</i> (1953), and Japanese pro wrestler Rikidozan. There was also a fascinating talk about some of his recent signing events. </div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu70V01LwIKrAgMncZwDFpc0rhHZyGxG785XLlFTBQkBRPPq-ooxzDIFKhkw2hPqt9dMjuwJ0TfyEEH7IJQH7Jn9eO16UVboKvjjYzs95JHHjy9TDWf7Mbpo5jLdgguykwcN3ccJQnbskZoiZIN1tm8AX4hRs_RMB_o1Rc_YzeXMKFJNwP74kep-251Jw/s4032/PXL_20240217_101005517.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu70V01LwIKrAgMncZwDFpc0rhHZyGxG785XLlFTBQkBRPPq-ooxzDIFKhkw2hPqt9dMjuwJ0TfyEEH7IJQH7Jn9eO16UVboKvjjYzs95JHHjy9TDWf7Mbpo5jLdgguykwcN3ccJQnbskZoiZIN1tm8AX4hRs_RMB_o1Rc_YzeXMKFJNwP74kep-251Jw/s320/PXL_20240217_101005517.MP.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>Funnily enough, Furuya-san recalled the time he called me on my cell phone when I happened to be on a date with a girl in December 2021. I guess he thought things were a lot more serious between her and me than they actually were! (But, hey, who could blame him?)</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPCHCjrZh5x0D8Pj9hkhVeMWR8KgMu621MNPc7SeD8qWjSfvyvvR4BktPwrKMQyBXAbHU33uimsDMkuWKjymmChXgZWFoXI9cjZRKCsMy3MX_92iaJcmaV-fJDYBQ2VoYgl5uYySvdZlpg_cn_nSfley9PiyYxWCfYryDdBLKTk1WTtJ_-zq_mxIakzE/s4032/received_355021017429770.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPCHCjrZh5x0D8Pj9hkhVeMWR8KgMu621MNPc7SeD8qWjSfvyvvR4BktPwrKMQyBXAbHU33uimsDMkuWKjymmChXgZWFoXI9cjZRKCsMy3MX_92iaJcmaV-fJDYBQ2VoYgl5uYySvdZlpg_cn_nSfley9PiyYxWCfYryDdBLKTk1WTtJ_-zq_mxIakzE/s320/received_355021017429770.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div>It was also pretty fun to hear Furuya-san use more English words. I'd actually never heard him use so many before. It was quite fascinating to hear due to the fact that it's rather rare in my experience.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaluQCbXTwA1Qcu8ah-oD6S-e9dkrI7oUrXE0Ont-z8Yky5opCbnsRaBHi2TT31-GeaD8oROoSb-40uDf7gywUgfg9Rx7qfwB9IBZJY5jCNXXYtTh4mLTKG4GYpCE9hBydrbnQs5I1AJo3LIXaFcZTpcV0eT7f13osjShe0J9jrP4VQ5_JUZIkW9dKrvk/s4032/received_862257482321848.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaluQCbXTwA1Qcu8ah-oD6S-e9dkrI7oUrXE0Ont-z8Yky5opCbnsRaBHi2TT31-GeaD8oROoSb-40uDf7gywUgfg9Rx7qfwB9IBZJY5jCNXXYtTh4mLTKG4GYpCE9hBydrbnQs5I1AJo3LIXaFcZTpcV0eT7f13osjShe0J9jrP4VQ5_JUZIkW9dKrvk/s320/received_862257482321848.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div>Furuya-san was also great about putting his arm around your shoulder or making physical contact in some other way. After all, who wouldn't want to get that kind of affirmation from Ultraman himself?</div><div><br /></div><div>Suffice it to say, it was another fun evening with the man from M78. Of course, my interest in Furuya-san is as much rooted in his early Toho roles as it is with his more impressive turns at Tsuburaya Productions, but I'll happily take both. Many thanks to Furuya-san for another great evening!</div></div><p></p>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5518173526743927131.post-58343855729872671782024-02-15T06:05:00.000-08:002024-02-15T06:08:56.233-08:00A Visit with the Actor Behind 'Megalon's' Hiroshi Jinkawa!<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgBwFQ1jz8cLftGXglzG-hP8ul2BlN5_XMhO_A5FI3J-svhKKw7N3p_lWIcdNhCpJyZXp-j2lTFiaPWSXHCwOEKeyxLgCIjnL4rlJxE-JWhTyv6gz3xb-ULb5pzEEPy9HVyZqv0_h7JHN-P3yjWCDcvE-asmVEkDGZp9MrhFn04bKRKS7aQn3Zn8jUPFo/s4032/PXL_20240214_110718432.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgBwFQ1jz8cLftGXglzG-hP8ul2BlN5_XMhO_A5FI3J-svhKKw7N3p_lWIcdNhCpJyZXp-j2lTFiaPWSXHCwOEKeyxLgCIjnL4rlJxE-JWhTyv6gz3xb-ULb5pzEEPy9HVyZqv0_h7JHN-P3yjWCDcvE-asmVEkDGZp9MrhFn04bKRKS7aQn3Zn8jUPFo/s320/PXL_20240214_110718432.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yutaka Hayashi. Photo by Brett Homenick.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Wednesday, February 14, proved to be a Valentine's Day for the history books. I was privileged to spend an evening in the company of former actor Yutaka Hayashi, best known as one of the stars of <i>Godzilla vs. Megalon</i> (1973). I last got to visit Hayashi-san in 2019 when he performed in a concert, so, to say the very least, this visit was long overdue.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjt2sBLqtoRDwnT0EUkI6VcLZgU660P4uzzDYIljUkOphQIves_9xqQonV1Z87TokPvtIC7noO0-GWO1cffXNvRMPLQ0FZpcTBhhCNFwZHR8GV3a7KhZy8ZSe0tm1tT9O0p2YbktqJCef2YSdF496DuboNhtQIz11AnX9Z7ShgRXbIswfJUdAay8ApSM/s4032/PXL_20240214_110730303.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjt2sBLqtoRDwnT0EUkI6VcLZgU660P4uzzDYIljUkOphQIves_9xqQonV1Z87TokPvtIC7noO0-GWO1cffXNvRMPLQ0FZpcTBhhCNFwZHR8GV3a7KhZy8ZSe0tm1tT9O0p2YbktqJCef2YSdF496DuboNhtQIz11AnX9Z7ShgRXbIswfJUdAay8ApSM/s320/PXL_20240214_110730303.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>When I arrived at the venue, I spoke with Hayashi-san's friend and business colleague Akio-san before I saw Hayashi-san. Sometime after Akio-san stepped away, I noticed that someone entered the area directly behind my seat and was speaking to others. I had a feeling about who that person might be, and, when I turned around, I was greeted by Hayashi-san, who immediately extended his hand to me.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgHCuht1Fm0mTgjMrwmOHt8JqUmYOWChL2LawGjb0pBnXkusPNq3Dc33vKVrCXwyMDfJwVh2uoj_Setjxvqs7xN-JTyHZPW8j2euiP9m7m_h7YjYiSr1uX4exqc714Z2oCunBHaZKWdKg82BUs1Y84KSBCKwZ5nP0DLwGdGIK19dNbDGvXwcO5uKOaqE/s4032/PXL_20240214_110737728~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgHCuht1Fm0mTgjMrwmOHt8JqUmYOWChL2LawGjb0pBnXkusPNq3Dc33vKVrCXwyMDfJwVh2uoj_Setjxvqs7xN-JTyHZPW8j2euiP9m7m_h7YjYiSr1uX4exqc714Z2oCunBHaZKWdKg82BUs1Y84KSBCKwZ5nP0DLwGdGIK19dNbDGvXwcO5uKOaqE/s320/PXL_20240214_110737728~2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />Hayashi-san showed me several photos of his younger days on his smartphone, most of which were from his acting and music careers. He was also curious to know about the origin of my interest in his acting work, so I told him that <i>Megalon</i> was my first Godzilla movie that I saw when I was around five years old. He also talked about his golfing in Palm Springs before, which was quite a surprise to hear about! When he had to go, Hayashi-san extended his hand again before we parted ways.<p></p><p>Sitting next to one of the stars of the first movie I ever really liked in my life will never not be exciting for me. I have to thank Hayashi-san for taking time out of his busy schedule to see me. It was certainly a memorable evening!</p>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091212360788214719noreply@blogger.com0