What Happened When a Kamen Rider and a Toho SFX Director Crossed Paths!

Masato Uchiyama. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight (Saturday, April 29), I attended a special event -- one that boasted a familiar guest as well as a brand-new one for me. The new guest was Masato Uchiyama. Uchiyama-san's credits include playing Ren Senju on Ultraman Nexus (2004-05), Katsuhiro Kumagai on episode 11 of Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy (2004), and Yoshio Kobayashi (Rabbit Orphnoch) on Kamen Rider 555 (2003-04). His best-known role, however, would have to be that of Shun Kageyama (Kamen Rider PunchHopper) in Kamen Rider Kabuto (2006-07), Kamen Rider Decade (2009), and Kamen Rider Zi-O (2018-19). 

Masato Uchiyama strikes a pose with Eiichi Asada. Photo by Brett Homenick.

It's not often that I meet guests who are actually younger than I am, but that's the case with Uchiyama-san. He was quite friendly, but, due to my lack of familiarity with his work, it was a bit difficult to come up with things to say. Thankfully, a group of about four young women (who looked like they came straight from Harajuku) were on hand, attracted by the opportunity to meet Uchiyama-san, and did the talking for me. One young lady even brought out a few Kamen Rider toys for the occasion. It was a rare sight at a tokusatsu event, but I guess Uchiyama-san has that kind of fanbase. 

Masato Uchiyama and Eiichi Asada. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I did talk quite a bit with Uchiyama-san's colleague (and assistant) who was there at the event with him. She told me she isn't an actress or even Uchiyama-san's manager; she just works at the same company as Uchiyama-san and was there to assist him. She also told me a bit about of her own background, as well as Uchiyama-san's current projects. 

With Masato Uchiyama.

The most fun at the event, however, was definitely Eiichi Asada. I showed up to the event quite late, and, when I arrived, Asada-san was standing outside by himself on a smoke break. We engaged in a bit of small talk, and Asada-san was a bit concerned that I might be a bit cold because I wasn't wearing a coat. I assured him I was fine (which I most assuredly was), despite the cold weather. During the event, Asada-san told Uchiyama-san's group of admirers about me, pointing out to them that I was single. I had a bit of fun with that (telling the young ladies the reason I'm single is that I play for the other team), to which Asada-san jokingly got exasperated. It's kind of amusing when a Toho SFX director tries to play matchmaker for you.

With Eiichi Asada.

Asada-san left the event a bit sooner than I did, so you can imagine my surprise when I heard someone call my name when I was about to get on the elevator at the train station. It was Asada-san (who was with another person from the event), and we all went up the elevator together. I was holding a flyer for the recent soundtrack release for the Ken Takakura film Station (1981), which Asada-san pointed out was a good film. Actress Chieko Baisho was on the flyer, and I mentioned that she was married to the composer of Godzilla 1985 (1984), of which Asada-san wasn't aware. He then told me I knew a lot about these movies, which I guess after all this time I kind of do. 

We went out separate ways at the next station. What a fun event! Even though I wasn't sure I would attend, I'm glad I did. Bring on the next one!