HOORAY FOR CHOFU! Paying a Visit to Japan's Answer to Hollywood!

A map of Chofu, Japan's version of Hollywood. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On my travels on Friday, September 30, I visited Chofu, which is where Nikkatsu Studios and Kadokawa Daiei Studios are located. Chofu Station has a Daiei tokusatsu theme to it, which the pictures I took below will demonstrate. I've posted about Chofu Station before a few years ago, but I thought it was worth revisiting. Enjoy!

Kon Omura's 90th Birthday Celebration!

Kon Omura. Photo by Brett Homenick.

November 3 might be Godzilla's birthday, but it also saw a special event headlined by one of the stars of the Showa Gamera series. Kon Omura turned 90 years old on November 1, and this event was held in celebration of this milestone. The interview focused mostly on health and lifestyle topics, although Omura-san talked a bit about his career, too.

Omura-san's wife, Yoko, was also in attendance and was one of the event's participants. The multi-lingual Yoko sang a couple of songs in Italian. Suffice it to say, it was quite enjoyable.

After the event, I got to spend a few moments with Omura-san. I wished him a happy birthday and took photos with him and got a couple of things signed, as well.

Quite frankly, I was pleasantly surprised to have gotten to spend as much time with him as I did.

I also chatted with Yoko, who of course is very nice, too. She even called me handsome (and gets the last word on that subject) and told me an amusing story of visiting Italy once and meeting an Italian person who knew who her husband was. She also thought I might be British, which, believe it or not, I hear a lot in Japan.

It was a great afternoon spent in the company of a lovely couple. Here's to many more birthdays!

Gamera Stomps into the Kadokawa Cinema Yurakucho!

The Gamera/Daimajin display at Kadokawa Cinema Yurakucho. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On August 11, I returned to the Kadokawa Cinema Yurakucho for a wonderful double feature of Gamera vs. Guiron (1969) followed by Gamera vs. Zigra (1971). Seeing these titles on the big screen is exceedingly rare, but the digital transfers were fantastic. I had a great time with both films.

Last night, I was able to take in a showing of Gamera vs. Barugon (1966), and its elaborate SFX were a marvel to see on the silver screen. I've never seen the film look any better.

Screenings at the Kadokawa Cinema Yurakucho will continue, but that's about it for Gamera. The remaining showings will focus on Daiei's other tokusatsu and genre pictures, including ghosts and yokai. I hope to be checking out a few more before the festival ends.

Japanese Superstars Gather at the Hotel New Otani!

Kon Omura, Takashi Sasano, Mitsuko Kusabue, and Akiko Santo. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Earlier tonight, I attended a special event featuring a bevy of Japanese luminaries from the entertainment and political world. It was held at the Hotel New Otani, and it was certainly one for the ages.

Kon Omura. Photo by Brett Homenick.

One of the headliners was actor Kon Omura, who is best known in the West for his comic-relief roles in Gamera vs. Guiron (1969) and Gamera vs. Jiger (1970). I had the privilege of meeting Omura-san last year, and I jumped at the chance of meeting him again, which is why I decided to attend. But there were a couple of cool surprises in store.

Mitsuko Kusabue. Photo by Brett Homenick.

A surprise guest who was presented a special award was Toho actress Mitsuko Kusabue. Kusabue-san isn't a name very familiar to Godzilla or tokusatsu fans. In terms of genre output, she appeared in the Toho SFX fantasy The Lost World of Sinbad (1963), but she is better known for her roles in dramas and comedies, such as Mikio Naruse's Yearning (1964) and the Shacho series of salaryman comedies.

Kon Omura, Takashi Sasano, and Mitsuko Kusabue talk onstage. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Kusabue-san was given her award, delivered a speech, briefly socialized with the other guests, and was promptly whisked away, never to be seen again. Granted, that wasn't unexpected, but suffice it to say, it would have been great had she stuck around and mingled with the attendees. She's one of the few Toho actresses left who acted in the 1950s, so I'd definitely love the chance to pick her brain.

Mitsuko Kusabue. Photo by Brett Homenick.

But hey, seeing her in person was quite cool, and I did get to snap some photos of her, so considering I didn't expect to see her at all, anyway, it was a great bonus.

Akiko Santo. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

The other surprise for me was the presence of former actress (and current politician) Akiko Santo. Santo-san appeared in episode 28 of Kaiju Booska (1966-67), episode 3 of Mighty Jack (1968), and a couple of Moonlight Mask movies. However, his biggest genre credit is voicing Susan Watson (Linda Miller) in the Japanese release of King Kong Escapes (1967). She is currently a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet.

Naturally, a lot of people wanted to take photos of Santo-san, but when I finally had a chance, the first thing I did was mention that I was a big fan of King Kong Escapes, which of course amused her. Despite so many people vying for her attention, she spent a good amount of time with me and was very accommodating, so I'm especially grateful to her for her kindness.

Kon Omura. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Last (but certainly not least) is the man himself, Kon Omura. Omura-san was also constantly being asked for photos by attendees, so his time was limited. But he couldn't have been any friendlier. When a bingo game was being played, Omura-san approached me and asked me if I was having a good time. I answered in the affirmative. It was things like that that made me appreciate him all the more.

I had a longer chat with Omura-san's wife, Yoko. I explained the Gamera series' popularity in the West and that Omura-san was dubbed into English in his Gamera films (which piqued her curiosity). I enjoyed getting the chance to talk about growing up with Gamera films with the wife of one of the series' most iconic performers.

When Omura-san stepped off the stage at the end of the event, I shook his hand and thanked him again for being such an incredible special guest. It was a great evening and actually much more fun than last year's event.