Out and About in Ginza!

The Hattori Clock Tower stands atop the Wako Department Store, a notable location featured in the original Godzilla (1954). Photo by Brett Homenick.

I spent the evening in Ginza tonight, so I had the opportunity to check out a few sights. Here's what I saw. Enjoy!

Seeing the lovely and talented Grace Mike perform at a Ginza nightclub.

Could that be King Kong monkeying around in Ginza? Photo by Brett Homenick.

Or maybe it's Queen Quong! Photo by Brett Homenick.

A New 'Ultra Seven'-Themed Advertisement on Tokyo Trains!

Photo by Brett Homenick.

Earlier tonight, I was riding the Oimachi Line again and saw yet another Ultra-themed advertisement from Nojima. It was pretty cool, so I thought I'd share it here. Enjoy!

Japanese Cut-Up Noriro Niiyama Passes Away at 86

Noriro Niiyama in October 2019. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The recent news of Shinichi Yanagisawa's passing prompted me to look up another actor I met at the HUB Asakusa in October 2019. The performer in question was comedian Noriro Niiyama. Mr. Niiyama (real name: Norio Watanabe) was born on January 1, 1936, and formed a manzai comedy team with his partner Toriro Niiyama (real name: Eiji Yokozawa) in 1958. The act eventually broke up in 1985.

When we met, Mr. Niiyama gave me his business card with his cell phone number on it, and today I gave some thought to ringing him up to see if he might be interesting in meeting. However, when I did some research, I found that he passed away on December 19, 2022, at the age of 86. He had been diagnosed with leukemia not long before his eventual passing.

His manzai partner Toriro Niiyama has apparently already passed away, but details of his passing, including the date he died, are apparently unknown.

Noriro Niiyama appeared in several films during his career, particularly Nikkatsu comedies of the late 1960s. These include The Invincible One (1967), starring Akira Kobayashi and co-written by Fumio Ishimori, as well as The Wedding Salesman (1968).

It's devastating to see so many figures from the Showa era pass away. Rest in peace, Mr. Niiyama.

Shinichi Yanagisawa, Who Played Miyamoto in 'The X from Outer Space,' Passes Away at 89

Shinichi Yanagisawa in October 2020. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Actor Shinichi Yanagisawa, who is best known in the West for playing Miyamoto in Shochiku's The X from Outer Space (1967), passed away on March 24, 2022, from myelodysplastic syndrome. He was 89. Although he died nearly a year and a half ago, the news has just been released in Japan.

Mr. Yanagisawa was born on December 19, 1932, in Tokyo and began his career as an entertainer in the early 1950s, singing jazz and acting onstage. In the mid-1950s, he signed with Nikkatsu Studios, beginning his film career, and shortly thereafter married actress Junko Ikeuchi in October 1957. The marriage didn't last long, and the pair divorced in January 1958. The scandal cost Mr. Yanagisawa his contract at Nikkatsu, which forced him to go freelance for a few years. 

Shinichi Yanagisawa in February 2017. Photo by Brett Homenick.

(As an aside, when Yosuke Natsuki was driving me home after dinner in October 2015, I mentioned something about Mr. Yanagisawa to him. Afterward, Mr. Natsuki told me he wondered why Mr. Yanagisawa got divorced from Ms. Ikeuchi.)

Shinichi Yanagisawa in February 2015. Photo by Brett Homenick.

During his time as a freelancer, Mr. Yanagisawa would appear in the Takarazuka Eiga production The Poem of the Blue Star (a.k.a. An Orchestra Whipping Up a Storm, 1960), an all-star musical featuring Akira Takarada, Tadao Takashima, Izumi Yukimura, and Tatsuyoshi Ehara. 

In 1964, Mr. Yanagisawa would find a permanent home at Shochiku, where he would stay until the early 1970s. The year 1967 would see Mr. Yanagisawa appear in his most famous role around the world, that of the comic-relief character Miyamoto in the kaiju romp The X from Outer Space.

However, Mr. Yanagisawa would garner his greatest fame in Japan on television. He is widely remembered in his home country for providing the Japanese voices for Ricky Ricardo in I Love Lucy, Wilbur Post in Mister Ed, and Darrin Stephens in Bewitched.

Shinichi Yanagisawa in February 2015. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Aside from his pursuits in the entertainment industry, Mr. Yanagisawa was well known for his activism in humanitarian causes, which even earned him an award from the Japanese prime minister in 1981. 

In more recent years, Mr. Yanagisawa would sing jazz (as well as play drums) at the HUB Asakusa on the third Tuesday of every even month (February, April, June, etc.). Starting in October 2014, I attended just about every performance I could (the December 2019 show was the only one I missed pre-COVID, which was due to work commitments), and I believe the last one I attended with Mr. Yanagisawa was in December 2020. After that, to the best of my knowledge, he never returned to the HUB.

With Shinichi Yanagisawa in February 2020.

I was told by one of his bandmates that Mr. Yanagisawa was an extremely private person, even with them. From what I was told, even his bandmates didn't know much about Mr. Yanagisawa's private life. I was always a bit puzzled that, even though Mr. Yanagisawa studied English at university and sang English-language jazz songs very well, he never spoke English around me. So I could see the bandmate's point.

One evening, after his performance, Mr. Yanagisawa was leaving the HUB but seemed quite wobbly. He was in his late 80s even then, and, given that I wasn't sure where he was going after the show, I insisted on helping him. Of course, at first, Mr. Yanagisawa assured me that he would be all right on his own, but it quickly became clear to both of us that that certainly was not the case.

With Shinichi Yanagisawa in August 2019.

I got the same bandmate to help me as we assisted Mr. Yanagisawa to his destination. It turned out we didn't have to go very far. He booked a hotel room for the evening not that far from the venue. We assisted Mr. Yanagisawa up to his hotel room, and he thanked us for our help. All I knew was, I wasn't going to let Mr. Yanagisawa get hurt that night.

His bandmate theorized that perhaps bar patrons poured Mr. Yanagisawa a few too many drinks in between sets. (During breaks, Mr. Yanagisawa would always sit with audience members and chat with them.) That explanation certainly seemed plausible. I was concerned that no one from the bar staff intervened before I did, but I just chalked it up to the fact that Mr. Yanagisawa was a private person and that no one wanted to disturb him.

With Shinichi Yanagisawa in October 2018.

I was fortunate to interview Mr. Yanagisawa in September 2014. The interview can be read here. He gave me a great interview, and it's one I'm proud to host on Vantage Point Interviews.

Shinichi Yanagisawa in October 2018. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Rest in peace, Mr. Yanagisawa. Thank you for all the wonderful Tuesday evenings.

An Afternoon in the Company of a Toho Tokusatsu Legend!

Jiro Shirasaki. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today (Wednesday, June 28), I spent a fascinating afternoon with Toho SFX staff member Jiro Shirasaki. Shirasaki-san joined Toho in the early '60s and first worked on Mothra (1961). He also worked on just about every Toho tokusatsu film of the decade. Suffice it to say, he had a lot to say!

I met Shirasaki-san once before at an event in 2016, but I hadn't seen him since then. I'm surprised he hasn't turned up at other functions. It's a shame, but I was definitely fortunate to have spent several hours in his company today.

And that's a wrap! Many thanks to Shirasaki-san for his unmatched hospitality!

Checking Out the Art of Sadao Iizuka!

Ultraman by Sadao Iizuka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

A brief blog post about some artwork by Sadao Iizuka that I was able to see today. I visited Iizuka-san's friend (and manager) Kei-san today. During my visit, Kei-san brought out some paintings by Iizuka-san. He didn't know exactly when they were painted, just that they were painted a long time ago.

Toho Studios by Sadao Iizuka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The Ultraman painting at the top of the blog post was especially fascinating. According to Kei-san, he painted Ultraman with a female form, which was apparently Iizuka-san's style. It certainly gives Ultraman a memorable look.

Artwork by Sadao Iizuka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

There was also a painting of Toho Studios, as well as a couple of boats at a dock. Kei-san reminded me that Iizuka-san, at the end of his events, would usually leave for the bus stop about 10 minutes before the bus was scheduled to arrive. I suppose Iizuka-san was always a bit too concerned about missing his ride! 

Not a whole lot else to say -- I just wanted to share this artwork. It's quite good!

A Kamen Rider Series Actress Celebrates Her Birthday in Style!

Mariko Matsuoka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Earlier today (Sunday, June 25), I attended a special birthday event for actress Mariko Matsuoka. I met Matsuoka-san for the first time a couple of months ago, and after I had the chance to get to know her a bit at that time, I was looking forward to my chance to see her again. Today was that opportunity.

And it actually is her birthday today, which made the occasion extra special. The event was divided into two parts: The first part were manzai-style comedy routines that were read directly from a script. Although several were performed, the one that stuck out to me the most was the one where Matsuoka-san played an old woman who had her credit card information stolen but got easily distracted when talking on the phone with the investigator who was trying to look into her situation. 

Mariko Matsuoka with her birthday cake. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The second half of the event focused entirely on signing. It wasn't just Matsuoka-san who sang, however. Two other female vocalists also performed songs. A live pianist was on hand to provide musical accompaniment.

Now make a wish! Photo by Brett Homenick.

Mariko Matsuoka plays android girl Carolyn in episode 24 of Ultraman Leo (1974-75), Ritsuko Okamura in Kamen Rider Amazon (1974-75), Misaki Minekawa in episode 29 of Akumaizer 3 (1975-76), episode 32 of UFO Great War Fight! Red Tiger (1978), and Jun in episode 37 of Kyoryu Sentai Koseidon (1978-79). She also appears in the Fumio Ishimori-penned Shochiku film Frozen River (1976) as Harumi Hayata.

When chatting with Matsuoka-san after the show, I found out that she happens to live in my general area. That was a surprise! I'd love to meet up with her a lot closer to home sometime. Let's hope it happens.

Happy birthday, Matsuoka-san!

My Interview with Machiko Naka Is Now Live!

Machiko Naka in October 2021. Photo by Brett Homenick.

My October 2021 interview with the late Machiko Naka, who played Ichiro's mother in Godzilla's Revenge (1969), has finally been published at Vantage Point Interviews. Content is always king at Vantage Point Interviews, and this Q&A is certainly no exception!

The Revenge of the 'Godzilla's Revenge' Footbridge!

The footbridge seen in Godzilla's Revenge (1969). Photo by Brett Homenick.

Given that it had been nearly three years to the day that I lasted visited it, I decided to make another pilgrimage to the footbridge in Kawasaki seen at the beginning of Godzilla's Revenge (1969). It's still standing after all these years, and it's one of the more interesting filming locations to visit. A picture's worth a thousand words, so let's get to the highlights.

 

Another Evening of Chanson, Tokyo-Style!

Yoshiro Uchida. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I just got back from another chanson performance by former child actor Yoshiro Uchida, and as expected it was wonderfully performed. Not a bad way to spend a Tuesday evening after work!

After the show, Uchida-san and I had a brief chat, particularly a storm from a few weeks ago that looked like it would flood Meguro River. After that, we had our obligatory photo session. It was a lot of fun -- let's do it again soon!

It's a Toku Blackout!

Eiichi Asada and Takashi Naganuma. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Earlier tonight (Sunday, June 18), I attended another event with Eiichi Asada and Takashi Naganuma. Asada-san was wearing the crew jacket he got while working on Tokyo Blackout (1987), which was cool to see. Not much else to say, so let's check out the highlights. 

Takashi Naganuma. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Eiichi Asada. Photo by Brett Homenick.