Before I begin, I should point out (as the title suggests) that Tokyo was hit by its worst snowstorm in about 16 years just before I made my way to the city. (I was there between February 9 and 11.) Despite that, most of my plans went on without a hitch, and I had a successful stay.
As pictured above, my friend Yasushi and I ate lunch with designer Akihiko Iguchi at an Indian restaurant.
Even though we first communicated circa 2006, I didn't meet Daniel Kahl until February 10. Although he is a well known TV personality in Japan, we Godzilla fans know him as the one and only Major Spielberg from Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)!
Now here was a major highlight. I got to spend a couple of hours chatting with Toho supporting actor Toru Ibuki on February 9 as well. Ibuki-san played the long-lost brother, Yata, in Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (1966) and the bearded alien, Tsuda, in Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975), among various other roles during the 1960s and '70s. Ibuki-san was incredibly warm and polite, as so many of the actors I've met have been.
Eating dinner with producer-writer-director Yoshimitsu Banno is almost a required event for me these days, but it's always enjoyable. Banno-san started at Toho during 1955, so the information at his fingertips is nothing short of amazing!