Having Lunch with KG from 'KG'!

Kent Gilbert. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today (Friday, January 26), I enjoyed lunch with Kent Gilbert, a familiar face in Japan for viewers of film, television, and current events. Godzilla fans, of course, recognize him as the American ship commander from the World War II scenes in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991).

Kent Gilbert. Photo by Brett Homenick

Could you believe it had been 10 years since we last saw each other in person? I'm just as surprised as you are!

Today, we met in front of Meguro Station at noon and went to a nearby tonkatsu restaurant that he recommended. Although we had to wait a few minutes before getting seated, it was worth the wait. I'm not sure I'd ever had tonkatsu prior to our lunch, but it was quite delicious!

Our chat covered a wide variety of topics: Kent's experiences in the Japanese entertainment business, the recent goings-on in American politics, his King Ghidorah memories and co-stars, and my plans for March. 

To say the least, it was wonderful to catch up with Kent after so many years. We usually exchange several emails every year, but there is no substitute for face-to-face communication. Many thanks to Kent for his generosity today, especially for picking up the bill!