More Photos from Kurihama Flower Park and the Godzilla Slide!

Kurihama Flower Park. Photo by Brett Homenick.

In addition to the photos in my previous blog post, here are some additional photos featuring Kurihama Flower Park itself, Godzilla-related signage and merchandise, as well as photos of yours truly. Enjoy!

REVISITING KURIHAMA FLOWER PARK! The Godzilla Slide Still Rules Yokosuka!

The Godzilla slide at Kurihama Flower Park. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Monday, August 10, I made my way to Kurihama Flower Park for the first time since late 2019. It's hard to believe it had been that long, but the passage of time usually goes like that. It was only the fourth time I've ever visited the park so far, and we'll see how many more times I stop by.

What's fascinating to me is that I remember the park was called Kurihama Flower World, but all the literature online these days lists it with Park in the name. In one of my previous blog posts, I link to a site where "world" is part of the URL, so I know I haven't gone crazy. 

Of course, the reason I traveled all the way to Yokosuka, Kanagawa, to visit the park was to see the nine-meter-tall Godzilla slide. I still haven't actually used the slide -- I mean, it's for little kids -- but it's fun to photograph. 

And photograph it I did! In fact, I'm putting the rest of my pictures in a separate blog post, so be sure to check that one out, too. All in all, it was worth the hike!

Seems Like Old Times!

Masanori Machida poses with an American DVD that features one of his most famous movies (I promise!). Photo by Brett Homenick.

 

On Sunday, July 26, I attended an event with Masanori Machida, a former child actor who appears in a couple of my favorite movies. It's hard to believe that it'd been well over two years since I last saw him, but it was well worth the wait.

Machida-san and other actors performed dramatic readings (or monologues) that were Obon-themed, so they usually centered around ghosts or other such supernatural entities. Machida-san's monologue was a bit comedic and surprisingly short, but naturally his was the best.

A brought an old DVD that featured Monster from a Prehistoric Planet (1967) on the same disc as Gamera vs. Gaos (1967), which is a reminder of how good the year 1967 was for tokusatsu. Machida-san was a little confused when he saw Gamera on the cover, but, when I explained that Gappa was also included, it all made sense. 

Visiting Machida-san again was wonderful, and I guess sometimes you can go home again if you're lucky enough.

Chanson on a Humid Tokyo Evening!

Yoshiro Uchida. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight, Tuesday, July 21, was another musical night of chanson with Yoshiro Uchida. I'm sure I say it a lot, but these performances are always a blast to attend.

Uchida-san sang two of his staple songs, "Ame" and "Ikiru," which I told him were beautifully performed. He thanked me for my praise, and we took the above photo. Not much else to say, other than these nights on the town are always something to look forward to.

Toku in the House!

Eiichi Asada. Photo by Brett Homenick.

 

On Saturday, July 18, I attended an event with former Toho SFX director Eiichi Asada, whom I hadn't seen in more than two years. It was a fun reunion, and I updated Asada-san on my comings and goings during that time.

There wasn't much toku talk this time, but I did learn that Asada-san is a fan of actress Jean Simmons from Spartacus (1960). Now that's a name you don't hear thrown around a lot these days, unless you're talking about the guy from KISS with the similar name.

It's always fun to learn about the Western films that Toho tokusatsu legends admire. For example, I never would have even heard of the family drama Our Very Own (1950), featuring a very young Natalie Wood, had Teruyoshi Nakano not named it as one of his favorite films.  

Overall, it was great to see Asada-san again. It truly had been too long.

An Evening of Song and Dance in Tokyo!

Yumi Yoshiyuki. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Wednesday night, July 15, I attended a singing performance by director-actress Yumi Yoshiyuki, with whose work I am not too familiar, but I certainly hope to change that very soon. But who is Yumi Yoshiyuki, you might be asking yourself?

Yoshiyuki-san has directed numerous pink eiga since the 1990s but has also appeared onscreen herself in countless roles, including director Akio Jissoji's adaptation of an Edogawa Rampo story, Murder on D Street (1998), for which she won the Best Supporting Actress Award from the Yokohama Film Festival for her portrayal of Tokiko Sunaga, as well as playing Noriko Murakami in Takashi Shimizu's V-cinema horror classic Ju-On: The Curse (2000). She can also be seen in episode 40 of Ultraman Tiga (1996-97) and episode 37 of Ultraman Dyna (1997-98).

Yoshiyuki-san didn't know me from Adam when I arrived, but she invited me to sit next to her, which I did for the next two hours. I got to know her during the evening, and we had a fun chat after the show. I most definitely look forward to seeing her again!

Talking Movies and Japan in a Room with a View!

The view from the sixth floor of the Palace Hotel Tokyo. Photo by Brett Homenick.

In the evening on Tuesday, July 7, I had the distinct privilege of spending some time in the company of actor Mike Starr, who recently visited Japan with his family. I met Mr. Starr at the Palace Hotel Tokyo, which I'd never visited before. After meeting in the lobby (where he gave me a big hug!), we made our way to a bar on the sixth floor and shared some non-alcoholic drinks.

I gave Mr. Starr a DVD copy of Gloria (1999), a Sidney Lumet movie in which he appears. I found it in a Book Off a few weeks ago. It was one of the CD-size releases from back in the day, and not only is Mike Starr credited on the back, but his photo also appears there. I thought it would make the perfect gift, so I picked it up for him.

I really enjoyed hearing about how much he was enjoying his trip to Japan, as well his stories from the old days. In particular, I loved hearing about the direction Tom Kotani gave his actors on the set of The Bushido Blade (1981) -- "Don't smile." I wish that had been included on our interview!

With Mike Starr.

While we were sitting and chatting, I was fascinated by the realization that my approaching his autograph table at the Hollywood Show in January 2025 eventually led to our hanging out at a fancy hotel bar in Tokyo a year and a half later. Suffice it to say, that's something I never would have predicted.

One thing I also lamented about my previous stay in Tokyo was that relatively very few friends came over from the U.S. and hung out. I've only been back a couple of months, and I've already hung out with two who came from the U.S. So far, so good!

You'd never guess it by the characters he played in many of his films, but Mike Starr is one of the nicest gentlemen you'll ever meet. He introduced me to just about everyone we encountered as his friend who lives out this way. All I can say is, I'm grateful.