A Late Start on Kicking Off the New Year!

Katsumi Yanagijima. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Things have been quiet in Japan recently, due in large part to a certain pandemic that's still raging. However, things are slowly but surely starting to come back. For instance, I attended my first event in a couple of months last night, February 27. The guest of honor was cinematographer Katsumi Yanagijima.

His name might not immediately ring any bells, but his credits as cinematographer certainly do: Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale (2000), Takeshi Kitano's The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003), The Grudge 2 (2006), and Robo-G (2012). Like many guests at such events, he was very approachable, and I just had to tell him how much I admired Battle Royale.

Hironobu Hagimae. Photo by Brett Homenick.

As a surprise bonus, Hironobu Hagimae was also on hand. Hagimae-san was the motorcycle stuntman for the original Kamen Rider (1971-73) and continued in that capacity throughout the '70s.

I've met him several times in the past few years, and it's always a blast to see him. He's a super-friendly guy!

I look forward to things returning to normal, but we still have a long way to go. Last night's event was a good start. Let's hope it continues.