YANAGI PARK! Rediscovering a 'Godzilla vs. Megalon' Filming Location!

Signage at Yanagi Park. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Friday, March 10, I returned to Suzukakedai Station in Machida, Tokyo, for the first time in almost exactly eight years. The reason was simple: I wanted to revisit a Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) filming location. The location in question is Yanagi Park (Willow Park in English), which is about a five-minute walk from the station.

More signage for Yanagi Park. Photo by Brett Homenick.

It was where the scene in which Rokuro (Hiroyuki Kawase) is kidnapped by the Seatopian agents while riding his Baby Rider. The location can also be seen when Hiroshi Jinkawa (Yutaka Hayashi) tries to catch up with the kidnapped brothers Goro Ibuki (Katsuhiko Sasaki) and Rokuro in his car, just before getting chased by other Seatopian agents. 

Even more signage for Yanagi Park. Photo by Brett Homenick.

When I first visited the location in March 2015, I didn't have much to go on, other than I knew that a sign for Yanagi Park could be seen in the movie. But the area had changed so much in the previous decades that it was just about impossible for me to look for actual shooting spots. As a result, I didn't think much about Yanagi Park for years after that and simply moved on to other things.

The Spirit of Willow monument in Yanagi Park. Photo by Brett Homenick.

After revisiting Tsukushino Park Road last week (which, by the way, is just one station down from Suzukakedai Station), however, I decided to research Yanagi Park again to see if I might be able to uncover any new details. As luck would have it, I was able to find a couple of comparisons of shots from the film and the present-day park made by Japanese fans interested in Showa-era shooting locations that basically solved the puzzle for me.  

The sidewalk on which Rokuro (Hiroyuki Kawase) rides his Baby Rider. Photo by Brett Homenick.

When I got to the park, it was easy for me to find the shooting spots. Obviously, a lot has changed in the last 50 years, but you can still sort of see the resemblance, at least in terms of the general slope of the road next to the park on which the Seatopian agents drive their car in the film. However, the real key to unlocking the mystery was the placement of the Spirit of Willow (Yanagi no Sei) monument. This monument can be seen very briefly when Rokuro is kidnapped, but it is much clearer when Hiroshi Jinkawa is driving past it after escaping his Seatopian captor. 

Yanagi Park's low-lying plaza. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The presence of the monument in the scenes removed any doubt in my mind about the authenticity of the spot as a shooting location for Godzilla vs. Megalon. It really sealed the deal for me. So it put to rest a years-long mystery, and it gave me a fun afternoon during which I was able to walk where Rokuro, Jinkawa, and various Seatopians once drove their respective vehicles.

Another shot of the sidewalk used in Megalon. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Yanagi Park opened on November 11, 1971, which would have made it about a year old at the time Megalon was filmed there. The area in general was just starting to be developed at the time, and it is almost completely unrecognizable now.

The intersection at which the Seatopian agents hastily turned after kidnapping Rokuro. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Another bit of trivia is that the plaza you can partially see in one of the photos above (which is lower than the surrounding area) is also used as a regulating pond in order to help prevent the area from flooding during torrential downpours. So the park is not just used to preserve Godzilla history.

I probably don't need to tell you how cool it was to see these shooting spots at long last. I remember being a bit disappointed during my first visit here because I simply couldn't recognize anything from the movie. But this trip more than makes up for whatever disappointment I may have felt back then.

I look forward to paying another visit here in the future. It is certainly well worth checking out again, and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Godzilla vs. Megalon!