Revisiting Yokohama Marine Tower (and Other Locations)!

The exit that takes you to Yokohama Marine Tower. Photo by Brett Homenick.

During King Ghidorah's raid on Yokohama in the popular Godzilla series entry Ghidrah the Three-Headed Monster (1964), the space beast's gravity rays destroy a tower in one of the film's most impressive effects shots. That structure is Yokohama Marine Tower.

Yokohama Marine Tower is accessible by taking Exit 4 from Motomachi-Chukagai Station on the Minatomirai Line. It's only about a minute walk from the station. It's also very close to Yamashita Park. Best of all, it's so big that it's impossible to miss!

I paid my first visit to the tower in a few years, and it was a great opportunity to take in the sights again. While I didn't enter the tower, just seeing it from the outside was enough for me. After all, that's how we see it in Ghidrah! 

While in the area, I also saw Cosmo Clock 21, which is a humongous Ferris wheel, and the InterContinental Yokohama Grand, both of which appear in Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992). Also nearby was the Yokohama Bay Bridge, which is a GMK: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001) location.

It was a lot of fun to see these places again in person. Here's what I saw. Enjoy!

The Cosmo Clock 21 (the Ferris wheel on the left) and the InterContinental Yokohama Grand (the crescent-shaped structure on the right). Photo by Brett Homenick.

The Yokohama Bay Bridge. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Takehiro Murata Q&A Now Live on Vantage Point Interviews!

Takehiro Murata in July 2023. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Is there still a little Godzilla in all of us? Only one man has the answer, and Vantage Point Interviews has the scoop! Check out my interview with Godzilla 2000 (1999) star Takehiro Murata!

But that's not all. Mr. Murata's first appearance was in Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992) as Kenji Ando, which he followed up with cameos in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995) as Soichiro Hayami, GMK: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001) as an F-7J pilot who does battle with Godzilla, and Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002) as a convenience store clerk who gets an unexpected surprise. All these roles and much more are covered in the interview.

 Even in 2024, content is king at Vantage Point Interviews. Don't miss it, be there!

Heisei Godzilla Series Director Kazuki Omori Passes Away at Age 70

Kazuki Omori in July 2019. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The Japan News has just reported the shocking news that film director Kazuki Omori has passed away:

Film director Kazuki Omori, who worked on several Godzilla movies, died of acute myeloid leukemia at a hospital in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on Saturday at age 70.

Mr. Omori was scheduled to appear at a special event in the Tokyo area on Sunday, November 27, making the news of his passing all the more surprising. 

Kazuki Omori poses for a photo with SFX director Teruyoshi Nakano in October 2017. We lost both directors within months of each other. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I was privileged to have met Mr. Omori on several occasions, including being able to interview him on two occasions. He was always approachable and open-minded when it came to such things, which I couldn't always say about others in his profession.

Kazuki Omori with actress Megumi Odaka, who played Miki Saegusa in six Godzilla films, in October 2020. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Mr. Omori, of course, became a part of the Godzilla series when he wrote and directed Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989), which he followed up by performing the same duties on Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991). He also turned in the screenplays for Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992) and Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995). The Heisei Godzilla series was largely written in his voice, and it's no exaggeration to say that the Heisei series was largely driven by Mr. Omori's creative decisions.

Rest in peace, Omori-san. Thank you very much for your kindness.

TOKUSATSU SCULPTOR KEIZO MURASE! Monsters Born in Mizuho 2022!

Keizo Murase's Mothra greets visitors to the Mizuho Local Museum Keyakikan. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Just as it did a few years ago, the Mizuho Local Museum Keyakikan is hosting a special exhibition called "Tokusatsu Sculptor Keizo Murase -- Monsters Born in Mizuho 2022." The exhibit features a lot of Murase-san's work, some of which was actually used in tokusatsu films. I visited the exhibit on Wednesday, August 24.

The entrance to the Mizuho Local Museum Keyakikan. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Murase-san's 2019 recreation of the 1992 Mothra (from that year's Godzilla vs. Mothra) greets you as you walk in. There are some other odds and ends in the lobby area, such as Mothra's eye and a Mothra larva crawling around the local area, much as she did during her trek to Tokyo in the original 1961 film. 

Keizo Murase hangs out with his friends Booska and Takora. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Most interesting of all was a gallery in which photography was not allowed. It contained the Mighty Peking Man (1977) mask, a bit of Godzilla's skin from the King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) suit, a recreation of Matango (1963) mushrooms, and a recreation of a King Ghidorah head from Ghidrah the Three-Headed Monster (1964).

There were also many cool photos from Murase-san's career, making kaiju suits for Toho and Daiei productions. The exhibit is largely the same as the previous one from a few years ago.

Mizuho is way out west, so it took a while to get there. But the trip was well worth it. It's always cool to see such bits of kaiju film history up close, and even the recreations were fun to see. The staff was very friendly, and I had the exhibit all to myself, which was a big bonus for me. 

That's about all I have to say. I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking for me. Enjoy!

Revisiting 'Orochi the Eight-Headed Dragon' at a Special Screening!

Director Takao Okawara (left) and special effects director Kenji Suzuki pose with a mask from Orochi the Eight-Headed Dragon (1994). Photo by Brett Homenick.

Earlier today, I had the privilege of checking out Orochi the Eight-Headed Dragon (a.k.a. Yamato Takeru, 1994) in 35mm. I believe I'd only seen this film twice before -- and one of those times I fell asleep!

The first time was in mid-2000, just after it was released on VHS. Because I was attending college classes very early in the morning during that time, I remember dozing off toward the end. The second time was in late 2005 on DVD. That time, I was wide awake!

Yoshiaki Kondo. Photo by Brett Homenick.

So it'd been a long time since I'd last seen it, and there was a lot I'd forgotten about it. Overall, it's a mixed bag. Some parts are done very well, but it does start to drag toward the end, and I don't think Koichi Kawakita's mid-'90s-Godzilla-series style of special effects was a good match for a fantasy about ancient Japan. But I'm glad I saw it again, especially in 35mm. 

From left to right: Takao Okawara, Yoshiaki Kondo, and Kenji Suzuki. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I was surprised to that a mask from the film was brought to the event, which in a way made it a mini Tokusatsu DNA exhibit! Another surprise was the presence of Yoshiaki Kondo. Kondo-san worked as an assistant director on Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), Orochi the Eight-Headed Dragon, Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994), Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), Rebirth of Mothra (1996), and Godzilla 2000 (1999).

Takao Okawara. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Takao Okawara was the headlining guest. Okawara-san began his career as an assistant director on Submersion of Japan (1973), Akira Kurosawa's Kagemusha (1980), and Godzilla 1985 (1984). After becoming a director at Toho, Okawara-san helmed the SFX productions of Godzilla vs. Mothra, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, and Godzilla 2000.

I brought my original Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II poster for both Okawara-san and Kenji Suzuki (the chief assistant SFX director of the film) to sign. It was great to see Okawara-san in such a good mood, often laughing at the funny stories Kondo-san told -- and even telling a few himself! During the evening, I asked Okawara-san if he remembered the CNN story for which he was interviewed about Godzilla's demise in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. I was very surprised when he told me he had no memory of it. So I pulled out my smartphone, found the story on YouTube, and showed it to him. He found it interesting but still had no memory of it. Perhaps the interview clips were supplied by Toho and weren't actually shot by a CNN crew, which would explain why he doesn't remember. In any case, I thought that was noteworthy.

Kenji Suzuki. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The other headlining guest was Orochi's chief assistant SFX director Kenji Suzuki. Before joining Toho, Suzuki-san was a freelance SFX director who did some work at Tsuburaya Productions, most notably Ultraman 80 (1980-81). At Toho, he served as an assistant SFX director on The Imperial Navy (1981) and Sayonara Jupiter (1984). On Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), Godzilla vs. Mothra, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994), Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, Rebirth of Mothra (1996), and Rebirth of Mothra 2 (1997), he served as the chief assistant SFX director under Koichi Kawakita. On Rebirth of Mothra 3 (1998), Godzilla 2000, and Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000), he was the SFX director. In the 2000s, Suzuki-san returned to Tsuburaya Productions and lent his talents to various Ultra-projects.

Whew, what a busy weekend it was! Suffice it to say, there was no time to stop and smell the roses. But it was a lot of fun, and I wouldn't have it any other way. More fun's yet to come. Stay tuned!

A Great Evening of Toho Tokusatsu!

Takashi Naganuma. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight, I went to yet another special event featuring Toho tokusatsu luminaries. If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you should know who I'm talking about: Takashi Naganuma and Eiichi Asada.

I found out something interesting tonight. Naganuma-san was an extra in Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992) in a Ginza scene, running away from Mothra, who was in flight. The scene was shot with a blue backdrop at Toho Studios. All the extras in that scene had to wear a suit, necktie, and black shoes because they were supposed to be playing salarymen. I really have to check out that scene.

Eiichi Asada. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Also on hand was former Toho special effects director Eiichi Asada. As I spent most of the evening with Naganuma-san, I didn't have the same kind of opportunity to pick Asada-san's brain. But he was great to hang out with, as always.

And that's a wrap! Suffice it to say, I had a blast, and I'll get to do it all over again in the coming weeks. I can't wait!

The Great Godzilla Special Effects Kingdom!

Through June 27, Gallery Aamo at Tokyo Dome City will host a special exhibit called "The Great Godzilla Special Effects Kingdom." There are plenty of props, scripts, and suits on display. But, as they say, a picture's worth a thousand words, so let's check out the highlights.