The Trouble with Toy Dispensers

A toy dispenser in Toho Cinemas Shinjuku with lots of Toho kaiju goodness inside. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Earlier today, I briefly stopped by Toho Cinemas Shinjuku with the hope that I might find the toy dispenser I'd recently heard about that offers four different Toho kaiju, of which I was particularly interested in Sanda and Gaira from The War of the Gargantuas (1966). But, hey, Godzilla and Gigan aren't half bad, either. In any case, I was in luck because there it was!

Well, it didn't take me long to realize that I didn't have enough change on hand, so I went ahead and bought a small trinket (in this case, a Godzilla-themed magnet) in order to make more change. The cashier gave me exactly what I needed -- a 500-yen coin! Or so I thought.

While I had the exact amount of change I needed, I found out real quick that the machine didn't accept 500-yen coins. No way was I going to make change again when I already had a pocketful of it. Much like Jumpin' Jeff Farmer, I don't like it when things aren't going my way, so I metaphorically threw up my hands and gave up. Oh, well. Maybe next time.

A Quick Trip to Toho Cinemas Hibiya!

Godzilla merchandise available at Toho Cinemas Hibiya. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Saturday, February 18, I stopped by Toho Cinemas Hibiya and snapped a few photos. Here's what I saw. Enjoy!

Godzilla Sightings in Shinjuku!

Godzilla and Jet Jaguar prepare for the end of the school year and cherry blossom season. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Monday, I paid a visit to the Godzilla Store Tokyo in Shinjuku and saw a new Godzilla-themed vending machine next to the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku. The Godzilla Store, in particular, had a lot of amusing displays on hand. Let's take a look!

Gigan celebrates his 50th anniversary in style. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Godzilla brings all the requirements needed to enter a certain Chicago-area autograph line. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Photo by Brett Homenick.

The Nightmare Alley poster displayed at Toho Cinemas Shinjuku. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Shinjuku's new Godzilla-themed vending machine. But where's the Bireley's? Photo by Brett Homenick.

Seeing a Dinner Show with an Old Favorite!

Yutaka Hayashi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Last night, on Sunday, March 31, I went all the way out to Kisarazu, Chiba, to see a dinner show performed by Yutaka Hayashi and his band. The show took place at the Washington Hotel near the station, and it was a packed house. Other than Narita Airport, this was the farthest into Chiba I've ever been. It was certainly a new experience for me.

I hadn't seen Hayashi-san in almost exactly six years. I was quite eager to see him again after such a long time, so I was pleased when I was able to arrange ahead of time to visit him in the green room before the show.

The show itself was a lot of fun, featuring a mixture of '60s-era American and Japanese pop songs. Hayashi-san was great on the drums, and the lead singer could belt out those American oldies extremely well. Overall, it was a great night, but I spent a long time on the train!

GODZILLA TOKUSATSU IN YOKOHAMA! The Massive SFX Exhibit Stomps into Kanagawa!

The Godzilla Tokusatsu exhibit that came to Ikebukuro two years ago has come to Yokohama. While it isn't as elaborate as the one from two years ago, it's still impressive. But a picture's worth a thousand words, so I'll let them do the talking.