A Legendary Shochiku Actress in Concert!

Yoko Takahashi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Actress Yoko Takahashi held a fun event earlier tonight (Wednesday, March 22) in Daikanyama. It was something of a mini variety show, as she not only sang and played the guitar but also acted in a comedy skit and talked about her acting career.

Yoko Takahashi sings and plays the guitar. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The bulk of the event, of course, featured Takahashi-san singing and playing the guitar. I wasn't all that familiar with the songs she sang, but she did perform one by Kyu Sakamoto, and at least I know he is!

Yoko Takahashi as a cat! Photo by Brett Homenick.

The highlight for me was the skit that took place just after the intermission. Takahashi-san played a cat that communicates with a space alien using telepathy! It was just as silly as it sounds. The alien sure seemed surprised to hear about milk!

For those of you not aware, Takahashi-san starred in the Shochiku classic Journey into Solitude (1972), which was followed by turns in the Oscar-nominated film Sandakan 8 (1974), as well as Kon Ichikawa's The Devil's Ballad (1977).

After the performance, Takahashi-san signed autographs and posed for pictures with the audience. I was lucky enough to get a couple of photographs, as well as exchange a few words with her. I should mention that she came out to greet members of the audience before the show started, and she hung out with my friend (who's also a tokusatsu fan) and me for a few minutes. So I came away from the event more than satisfied.

Many thanks to Takahashi-san for such a wonderful evening!