Celebrating the Life of Linda Hardisty with Yuriko Hishimi

A photo of Linda Hardisty (1947-1986) is situated between two Kobe Port Tower candles at Asian Taipei in honor of her memory. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight I was part of an incredibly special dinner at Asian Taipei, the restaurant owned by actress Yuriko Hishimi (Ultra Seven, Godzilla vs. Gigan) in Chofu, Tokyo. Hishimi-san organized the dinner for those who helped in the search to locate Linda Hardisty. As I wrote about on this blog, Hishimi-san was very interested to reunite with her former Ultra Seven colleague. Unfortunately, Ms. Hardisty passed away almost three decades ago of natural causes.

Yours truly sat next to Yuriko Hishimi during the celebratory dinner at Asian Taipei.

Although we met under sad circumstances, many laughs were had throughout the evening, which lasted nearly four hours. Hishimi-san was very friendly and open with her thoughts and memories, and while she regaled us with stories and answered her questions, we dined on her restaurant's trademark Indian food.

Posing with Hishimi-san and a photo of the late Linda Hardisty.

It's been a long time since I last met Hishimi-san, so it was very enjoyable to catch up with her again. She thanked me for my role in finding out what became of the former Ultra Seven guest star, but it was truly a group effort. The fans in Japan did their part, and I had an assist from Mike Barnum and Jacob Dow. We all pulled together and accomplished something significant.

We hope to continue to celebrate the life of Linda Hardisty. Many thanks to Hishimi-san for graciously hosting this private event.

MISSION: ATTACK CHOFU! A Godzilla vs. Gigan Reunion Takes Place in Tokyo!

The restauarant Asian Taipei, located in Chofu, Tokyo, hosted an impressive Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) reunion that attracted several notable tokusatsu figures as attendees. The guests at the reunion were Yuriko Hishimi (who plays the karate-kicking Tomoko Tomoe), Hiroshi Ishikawa (who stars as cartoonist Gengo Kotaka), legendary suit actor Haruo Nakajima (who plays Godzilla), and SFX director Teruyoshi Nakano.

The event brought a few notable names who would otherwise be featured guests at such a signing, but they simply came as fans themselves. Millennium series director Masaaki Tezuka (Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, Godzilla against Mechagodzilla, and Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.) was among the attendees.

Also on hand were expert model maker Hiroshi Sagae (the Heisei Gamera series) and former child actor Sojiro Uchino (Ultra Q, Ultraman, Kaiju Booska, and Gamera vs. Viras).

Haruo Nakajima was revered by the audience and spoke about his many kaiju memories. Speaking of Nakajima-san, many prizes were given away to attendees. The last such prize was a signed paperback copy of Nakajima-san's autobiography. As it turned out, I was the lucky winner! Interestingly, I had held off on buying a copy of Nakajima-san's book, feeling I'd eventually be able to get a signed copy in such a situation. Luckily, my waiting paid off in the end.

It was quite a treat to see actors Hishimi-san and Ishikawa-san reunited and interacting with each other. They seemed to get along very well, and I have to wonder if this pairing will be featured at future events in Tokyo. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Teruyoshi Nakano lent his SFX expertise to the proceedings, and he discussed the more technical side of the film. He and Nakajima-san had great chemistry together and spoke about the old days very fondly.

I just had to get a photo of this: Gengo helping Godzilla speak to the crowd!

As you can see, it was a night of fun and friends. Not only did I leave with a signed copy of Nakajima-san's autobiography, but I also got a Blu-ray of Godzilla vs. Gigan signed by all four guests, as well as a shikishi board signed by all four. Not a bad haul!

On to the next events!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NAKANO-SAN! Toho's Legendary SFX Director Celebrates His Birthday with Yuriko Hishimi!

Yuriko Hishimi (better known as Anne Yuri from Ultra Seven (1967-68) shakes the hand of her friend Teruyoshi Nakano after handing him a birthday present.

On October 14, I was privileged to attend a special birthday party for Teruyoshi Nakano, the famed Toho SFX director whose worked dominated the '70s. The celebration was held at Yuriko Hishimi's restaurant, Asian Taipei, in Chofu, Tokyo.

The event was sponsored by the Grissom Gang, a group of hardcore film fans who host events for movies from all over the world. However, on October 14, the night belonged to Nakano-san!

When he was served with his cake, I had the distinct honor of leading the group in singing "Happy Birthday" in English. Suffice it to say, it was truly a highlight of the evening!

What came across to me was how friendly Hishimi-san and Nakano-san were. Hishimi-san organized a wonderful dinner at her restaurant and made sure everyone in attendance was taken care of. Bravo for a job well done!

All in all, it was a fun event. I certainly hope there will be another celebration organized for next year. If there is, I plan to be there!