Checking out Ikebukuro's Ultraman Store!

Ultraman Store! Photo by Brett Homenick.

While visiting Ikebukuro on November 1, I stumbled upon the Ultraman Store Tokyo, a new M78-themed shop that opened October 9. Located in the basement of Ikebukuro Parco, it has just about everything you'd expect from such a retailer. I mean, it's more or less the Tsuburaya Productions version of the Godzilla Store. Anyway, let's take a brief look!

SHIN GODZILLA SAYS HIS PRAYERS! An Afternoon at Tamagawa Sengen Shrine!

Shin Godzilla ema. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Sunday, November 1, I visited Tamagawa Sengen Shrine, an area with a close association with Shin Godzilla (2016). The shrine and surrounding area were featured in the film, and you can buy Godzilla-related souvenirs, such as the Shin Godzilla-themed ema (wooden plaques) seen in the photos in this blog post. There's also a couple of Shin Godzilla-style vending machines on the premises.

If you want to become president of the United States in your 40s, this is certainly the place to go to pray for that to happen.

The Maruko Bridge, which is almost literally a stone's throw from the shrine, can also be seen in Shin Godzilla. It's worth checking out if you're a fan of the movie or if you're generally interested in ephemera from the Godzillaverse. 

Now I'll let the photos do the talking. Enjoy!

A Shin Godzilla-themed vending machine. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The Maruko Bridge and Tama River. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Revisiting Some Lovely Places!

 

On Sunday, November 1, I spent a cool autumn afternoon going to some great locations I've visited several times in the past. I've already gone into detail about these places elsewhere on this blog, so I'd refer you to those posts for more info. I'm going to let the photos speak for themselves here, and they paint a much better picture than I possibly could, anyway.

Halloween in Shibuya!

Be a good Monster Kid and don't drink, unlike Frankenstein. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Halloween in Shibuya has come and gone, and, having missed the last two years, I was interested in seeing how it had changed (if at all). I'd heard about how it'd apparently been "canceled," but I wasn't quite sure how you could stop people from walking around public sidewalks in costumes.

Goodbye, Bad Halloween, it's been nice. Hope you find your paradise. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Well, I guess I was really onto something because, indeed, it looked just about the same as I last saw it. It may not have been quite as crowded or rowdy, but the differences were rather minor.

The cast of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) always get in people's way. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I didn't wear a costume this year, but I wanted an excuse to wear my Nightmare Theatre sweatshirt while out on the town, and this was the perfect occasion. I'm sure the Tokyoites and international tourists enjoyed seeing El Sapo on my chest.

Sign? What sign? Photo by Brett Homenick.

Along most of the main areas were cops screaming into bullhorns (an apt device for them, given what they were spewing) and blowing whistles, ensuring that no dangerous congregating in front of closed shops by randos in Pokemon costumes would occur. Gotta hand it to the local fuzz for being totally on the ball there.

Any guesses as to which finger I'm holding up?

I think Halloween in Shibuya was at its peak in the early years, before it became too congested and some kind of worldwide cosplaying event for influencers. But fun can still be had. I guess it didn't help that I arrived right after work (and thus was dog-tired), but that's how it goes.

"What do you mean the Baron Mondo Von Doren won't take my collect call?"

Not much else to add, so, from here on out, I'll let the photos (and their captions) do the talking. Enjoy!

He had tons of stories about working with John Landis. Photo by Jacob Dow.

"Merry Christmas!" Photo by Jacob Dow.

Hanging out with the pride of Kentucky and Matthew Lillard's best friend. Photo by Jacob Dow.

Vantage Point Interviews Goes Hollywood!

Photo courtesy of Tom DeSimone.

Well, sort of. I noticed that my website Vantage Point Interviews was getting some traffic from The Hollywood Reporter, and it didn't take long for me to figure out that their obituary for the late Tom DeSimone links to and quotes from my interview with him. 

I believe it's the first time The Hollywood Reporter has quoted my work, and it's always rewarding seeing my work turn up in mainstream publications. It's just too bad it had to be for an obituary for a person I interviewed.

Celebrating Halloween in Tokyo with Mothra's Moll!

With Megumi Kobayashi.

Today, Sunday, October 25, I attended a special Halloween-themed event hosted by actress-singer Megumi Kobayashi. If you're familiar with Kobayashi-san, it's almost certainly from her starring role as Moll in all three of the Rebirth of Mothra movies from the late 1990s. She also appears as Miyuki Aizawa in Gamera the Brave (2006). 

As it was a Halloween party, Kobayashi-san appeared in an orange wig and wielded a magic wand during the afternoon's festivities. She was a very charismatic and engaging host, talking to everyone who attended and asking questions about each attendee. She asked me about my background and remembered the details well enough that, when another person arrived late and began asking me questions, Kobayashi-san took the initiative by answering his questions about me herself! At least now I know the person I want to write my biography.

I asked Kobayashi-san talked about working with directors Okihiro Yoneda and Kunio Miyoshi, to which she described how kind and supportive they both were. Despite how SFX-heavy many of her scenes were, I was surprised to hear that she had very little interaction with Koichi Kawakita and Kenji Suzuki during the making of the films. 

She also talked about visiting the U.S., in particular Hawaii and New York. She visited New York about 30 years ago as part of her work on a TV program, going many places there and trying out the food. (Man, sign me up for that kind of work!) She was very impressed with the culture of NYC.

When the time came to sign autographs, she asked how to spell my name, and, when she wrote it out on paper, she commented on how cool it was. Hey, she said it, not me, and I'll take her word for it! 

In total, I was there for four hours, and I had a really good time. Kobayashi-san was a great host, and she more than made it worthwhile for me. I hope to see her again very soon! 

Meeting a Daiei New Face!

Taeko Yoshino. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight (Sunday, October 25), I attended another dramatic reading featuring the great Masanori Machida. I expected a pretty typical evening, but I was in for a surprise.

On hand was actress Taeko Yoshino, a Daiei New Face who made her debut for the studio in 1960. Yoshino-san appears in Ah Special Attack Corps (1960) as Yoshie (Lieutenant Hayashi's wife), Mudcat of Ginza (1960) as Masayo, Under the Tokyo Sky (1960) as Hiroko Mishima, Beware of This Young Man (1961) as Toshiko, The Five-Man Assault Team (1961) as Mitsuko Hashimoto, A Man Who Grows Stronger (1961) as Takaoka the factory worker, and A Certain Relationship (1962) as Natsuko.

With Taeko Yoshino.

In addition, she can be seen in Shigeo Tanaka's Moon of the Scorching Sands (a.k.a. Princess and I, 1962) as a maid, The Friendship Dance: It's the Best in Japan (1962) as a cafe girl, A World of Men and Women (1962) as Yoko Tanida, Three Minutes of Shiatsu for Love (screenplay by Niisan Takahashi, 1968) as Model A, and Delinquent Boss: A Game of Chance (1970) as Yukie. She often appeared in films starring Kojiro Hongo and Eiji Funakoshi. After her film career wrapped up, she could be seen in various TV shows, daytime soap operas, and commercials (including for Panasonic).

It's extremely rare to meet Showa-era actors and actresses these days, especially ones I haven't met already, so I was quite thrilled to have the opportunity. I spoke with her for a few minutes after the show and got her autograph on a couple of items.

For the longest time, I actually had a DVD of Ah Special Attack Corps that I bought years (and years ago) but never got around to watching it. It's probably in storage somewhere in the U.S., but I certainly do wish I had it now! I hope to meet Yoshino-san again the future.

Masanori Machida. Photo by Brett Homenick.

At Super Festival, I purchased some Gappa-related bromide cards for Machida-san to sign. This, of course, was my opportunity to get them signed. I thought that's all that would happen at this event, but man was I wrong about that! What a cool evening of unexpected surprises!

And that's all she wrote!