A Trip to Kaiju Paradise!

With Tomoo Haraguchi and some of his incredible props.

On Wednesday, November 4, I was privileged to visit the kaiju bar owned and operated by Tomoo Haraguchi, the director of such tokusatsu movies as Mikadroid (1991), Sakuya: Slayer of Demons (2000), and Death Kappa (2010). Among many other credits, he was a modeler for all three Heisei Gamera movies, as well as Gamera the Brave (2006). 

Angilas' 1968 carapace. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I'd heard about the bar for years but never had a chance to visit until last night. A couple of weeks ago, I made my reservation directly with Haraguchi-san and brought my friend Jacob with me. It was amazing to see all the props on hand.

Haraguchi-san gave us full permission to photograph any items in the bar proper. The stuff on display would be enough to make it a tokusatsu museum in its own right. The original Jet Jaguar flying prop from Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), Angilas' carapace from Destroy All Monsters (1968), which was also used through Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974), the English-language newspaper front page from War of the Gargantuas (1966), the photo of Akiko Wakabayashi from Ghidrah the Three-Headed Monster (1964), a Return of Ultraman (1971-72) flying prop, and so much more.

In all, we spent about two and a half hours at his bar. Since the establishment is technically closed, Haraguchi-san made an exception and opened it just for us. As a result, the three of us spent the evening hanging out together. Now how's that for hospitality?

With a Return of Ultraman flying prop.

Haraguchi-san talked about a variety of subjects, revealing that he worked on the suits as an unpaid volunteer on Godzilla vs. Megalon when he was 12 years old. Of course, he did it just for fun, so money was of no concern to him at the time. His first paid gigs in the business were a bit later in the '70s. 

The Jet Jaguar flying prop from Godzilla vs. Megalon. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I was especially fascinated to learn that Haraguchi-san loves pretty much all the Showa-era Godzilla movies. I suppose, because his style seems so contemporary, I expected him to be more captivated by modern movies. Of course, he's also into Willis O'Brien and Ray Harryhausen flicks, as well as movies with Rick Baker SFX. 

When it was all said and done, Haraguchi-san refused to be paid. We were both surprised and insisted we pay, but Haraguchi-san would not accept any money. He said it was fun, so no money was required. I can't tell you how grateful I felt, and I did my best to express that sentiment to Haraguchi-san. Suffice it to say, you just don't see that spirit very much anymore.

Many thanks to Haraguchi-san for the wonderful evening! Please enjoy the rest of the photos.

The newspaper front page from War of the Gargantuas. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The story reads: "The fishermen fled in terror from the scene as if pursued by the devil." Hey, Gaira isn't the devil! Fake news! Photo by Brett Homenick.

A newspaper from King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962). Photo by Brett Homenick.

Akiko Wakabayashi from Ghidrah the Three-Headed Monster. Photo by Brett Homenick.