Bin Furuya's 2021 Christmas Show!

Bin Furuya addresses the audience. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Saturday, December 11, I attended a Christmas show hosted by Bin Furuya, the original Ultraman suit actor. It was essentially a variety show, which featured an onstage Q&A session with the guests, singing from various performers, and even the reading of a Christmas story.

The show was organized and arranged by Furuya-san's company, so you could imagine that numerous Tsuburaya Productions alumni would be in attendance -- and you'd be right! The two official guests were Hiroko Sakurai and Sandayu Dokumamushi, veterans of the original Ultraman (1966-67), but even more luminaries attended the show in audience.

Bin Furuya, Sandayu Dokumamushi, and Hiroko Sakurai reminisce about their Ultraman days. Photo by Brett Homenick.

In the audience, I spied former Ultraman script supervisor Atsuko Tanaka, former Shintoho actress Kyoko Yashiro (the widow of Ultra-series director Toshihiro Iijima), Tsuburaya Productions cameraman Masao Nakabori, as well as director Minoru Kawasaki.

Sandayu Dokumamushi reads a Christmas story. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The venue itself was a basement nightclub, so it was quite cramped. This made things a bit difficult to maneuver around. The guests were also much less accessible than at other events, but you could still approach the cool ones who didn't mind mixing with attendees.

With Minoru Kawasaki.

I had a nice chat with director Minoru Kawasaki, who was holding court with his entourage. He gave me a flyer for his recent Prince of Space remake (Planet Prince 2021) and briefly talked about it with me.

Masao Nakabori. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Cinematographer Masao Nakabori was another luminary I was able to spend some time with. I interviewed him a couple of years ago, and his career is impressive. Be sure to read all about it here.

We stepped outside for the chat, as the scene indoors was too crowded to talk comfortably. A little fresh air can do a lot of good!

Furuya-san clearly enjoyed himself, as he wore many hats throughout the show. Not only did he host the festivities, and discuss his history as Ultraman, but he performed as a singer and dancer, too! It was all a lot of fun to see. And that's a wrap!