THREE GODZILLAS?! WHAT DOES IT MEAN? It Means Super Festival 60 Is in Ruins!

Toys, toys, and more toys! Super Festival offers kaiju toy collectors an array of figures to choose from.

On October 7, 2012, Super Festival 60 was held in Tokyo's Science Museum, a stone's throw from the Imperial Palace. Much was packed into the day's events, including the appearance of the three most prominent Godzilla suit actors.

It's Ultraman Zero to the rescue at Super Festival!

Aside from whatever toy sales might have been going on (which, quite frankly, don't interest me), the first event of the day was Hiroshi Fujioka's talk show. Mr. Fujioka was not only the first Kamen Rider, but he went on to star in such Toho SFX films as Submersion of Japan (1973), Espy (1974), Conflagration (1975), and Zero Fighter (1976). The audience for Fujioka-san's talk show sprawled out the door, as the legendary actor talked about his Kamen Rider days. He ended by performing his iconic "henshin" pose, which drew cheers from the enthralled audience.

The three Godzillas in a more thoughtful state: Tsutomu Kitagawa, Kenpachiro Satsuma, and Haruo Nakajima describe the differences between their approaches to Godzilla.

Immediately after Hiroshi Fujioka's interview, The Men Who Played Godzilla took the stage to recall their days of city-stomping. Each actor described his style of suit-acting, as members of the audience eagerly snapped photos of the meeting of the monsters. I should note that the audience for this session was about half the size of Hiroshi Fujioka's. Kamen Rider may be obscure in America, but it's one of the most popular franchises in Japan. Godzilla seems to have met his match.

Destroy all monsters! The Men Who Played Godzilla pose for the paparazzi. 

Following the Godzilla talk show, it was autograph time. Attendees could purchase a shikishi board that all three Godzilla suit actors would sign, which is what I did. I also purchased an extra autograph from Nakajima-san for my DeAgostini Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster DVD, whose signature joins those of Akira Takarada, Kumi Mizuno, and Teruyoshi Nakano.

Nakajima-san was first. Of course, Mr. Nakajima is getting on in years, so he didn't recognize me until I sat down next to him. When he saw me, well, the above photo speaks for itself! (Yes, this pose was his idea!)

Kenpachiro Satsuma was next. It was actually my first time meeting him. I found him to be personable and gregarious. Wish I could have spent more time in his company, but that will have to wait for next time!

Who says Japanese fans are all shy and reserved? I think the above photo explodes that myth!

The Millennium series suit actor Tsutomu Kitagawa was last, but like Messrs. Satsuma and Nakajima, he proved to be a friendly and classy gentleman.

I also met Koichi Kawakita again and purchased a couple of items from his table. Even on a budget, I was able to purchase a few mementos!

And there's my shikishi board with the signatures of the Godzilla series' three main principal suit actors. Too cool for words, so the picture will have to do.

Below is some video I shot of the suit actors' talk show. Enjoy!