Entering the Time Slip!

From left to right: Jun Eto, Kyohei Nakaoka, yours truly, and Toshiyuki Nagashima.

This evening, I attended a fun dinner event with a big surprise. I knew that actor Jun Eto and screenwriter Kyohei Nakaoka would be on hand for the festivities, but what I didn't know until I showed up was that there'd be an additional guest -- and a big one, at that.

Jun Eto, Kyohei Nakaoka, and Toshiyuki Nagashima. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The surprise guest was actor Toshiyuki Nagashima, who has more than his share of genre and tokusatsu credits under his belt.

His film appearances include: Virus (1980) as Akimasa Matsuo, Deathquake (1980) as reporter Masayuki Hashizume, The Imperial Navy (1981) as Eiichi Hongo, Station (1981) as Michio, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985) as Isao Iinuma, Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) as Seiichi Yamamoto, Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996) as Yusuke Watarase, Cross Fire (2000) as Yoshihiro Hasegawa, Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000) as Takuya Miyagawa, and Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002) as Lieutenant Miyagawa. Whew!

Had I known he would be there, I would have come prepared. Oh, well. Let's hope for a next time!

Actor Jun Eto. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On the other hand, I was prepared for Jun Eto. Eto-san appeared in G.I. Samurai (a.k.a. Time Slip, 1979) as Nobuhiko Ken and Godzilla against Mechagodzilla as a special executive. He also appeared in episode 23 of Ultraman Cosmos (2001-02).

Aside from his genre credits, Eto-san starred in Preparation for the Festival (1975) and co-starred in Tora-san's Tropical Fever (1980).

Screenwriter Kyohei Nakaoka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Last (but not least) was screenwriter Kyohei Nakaoka. Nakaoka-san co-wrote the screenplays for Eizo Sugawa's River of Fireflies (1987) and the Shintaro Katsu-directed feature Zatoichi (1989).

Overall, it was a great evening with three luminaries from the world of Japanese cinema. Not bad for just one night!