Godzilla Celebrated as a National Treasure at the Tokyo National Museum!

The Tokyo National Museum. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The Tokyo National Museum in Ueno is hosting an exhibit called "Our National Treasures: 150 Years in the Future," which runs from November 2 until January 29. I visited this exhibit on Sunday, November 20. Guess what the first thing is you see when you walk through the door. Yes, you guessed it -- Godzilla! Ultraman and Gundam also make an appearance, as does a T-rex. There was a lot to see, so let's get to the good stuff!

 

Chargeman Ken! in Concert!

This concert was a just a bit tongue-in-cheek. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Really, I just wanted to hear some Tsuburaya Productions theme songs. That's all. I really didn't expect to be sucked into the world of Chargeman Ken! (1974) so completely. Chargeman Ken! is a low-budget anime from Knack Productions, which in the last 10 or so years has become something like The Room for anime fans. I was totally unaware of this cartoon or its reputation prior to the concert. As I said, I just came for the Tsuburaya stuff, so suffice it to say, I was caught off-guard by what was to come.

Despite the humorous presentation, there was nothing funny about the quality of the music. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today's concert was held at Shibuya Cultural Center Owada's Sakura Hall. The show started off with a performance of the theme songs from Ultraman (1966-67), Ultra Seven (1967-68), and Mighty Jack (1968). Admittedly, that was the sole reason I came. The concert also included several cues from Gundam and Dragon Ball Z, which were well performed, but I didn't recognize them at all. Hey, I'm just not into cartoons. Chumei Watanabe's "Laser Blade Medley" from Toei's Space Sheriff series was also performed, and in the house was Watanabe-sensei himself. I was pleased that I got a chance to greet him at the concert.

Chargeman Ken stands guard at the entrance of the concert. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The real fun started when it switched to Chargeman Ken! The concert suddenly became almost Rocky Horror-esque in its presentation. Voice actor Noboru Sato, who voiced the villainous General Maou and other characters in the series, voice-acted live from the stage during the concert, as episodes of the series played on a giant screen. Then various cosplayers would come onstage and perform various bizarre antics that left the audience howling with laughter. I was mostly bemused, but certainly interested. 

The evil General Maou attempts to block tokusatsu fans from entering the concert. Photo by Brett Homenick.

And yes, it was quite interesting. Another tokusatsu luminary in the house was director Minoru Kawasaki. As I was looking for my seat, I passed his and exchanged a brief greeting with him. I was expecting a pretty straightforward concert of tokusatsu and anime music, but things didn't quite turn out that way. I'm still digesting what I saw. The juxtaposition of seeing an orchestra decked out in fine evening wear performing alongside yelling and screaming cosplayers in funny outfits was not what I had in mind. It was fun, for sure.

Gundam Towers over Odaiba!

It had been years since I'd last seen the huge Gundam statue in Odaiba, but since I was in the area today, I decided to stop by and photograph it. Enjoy!

GUNDAM AT NIGHT! Views from Odaiba After Dark!

A nighttime view of the famous Fuji TV Building in Odaiba, Tokyo.

The other night I had a chance to visit Odaiba and snap some photos of a couple of locations (including the large Gundam statue). The nighttime atmosphere added a lot to the photos, so I thought I'd post them here. Everything is pretty self-explanatory, so enjoy!

SONNY CHIBA'S HEART WILL GO ON: A Look at Chiba-san's Dinner Banquet Celebration

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you; that's me interviewing Sonny Chiba, just before the start of his dinner banquet.

On April 7, the RIHGA Royal Hotel in Waseda, Tokyo, hosted a banquet in celebration of Sonny Chiba's being awarded an honorary degree from his alma mater, Nippon Sport Science University. And, even though his birthday is January 23, it also served as a 74th birthday party for the legendary Toei star (complete with a Marilyn Monroe-esque "Happy Birthday" routine). All in all, it was a celebration of Sonny Chiba, and I think we can all get behind that!

First, I had the distinct honor of interviewing Chiba-san. When he came out for the interview, he shook my hand and told me (in English), "Nice to see you again!" We didn't have a lot of time for questions (understandably so), but Chiba-san was quite energetic during our talk. He gave me a great quote about director Hajime Sato (Terror Beneath the Sea, The Golden Bat) which I can't wait to share!

Greatest of all, however, was seeing the interview reported on Chiba-san's blog after it was over! Seriously, folks, how cool is that?

Sonny Chiba addresses the banquet hall in style.

Many VIPs from Chiba-san's university addressed the audience, sharing their memories of his college years. Some vintage footage of Chiba-san performing gymnastics was shown, and it was amazing to see what a gifted athlete he was. The Street Fighter doesn't give you the whole picture of his abilities!

Interestingly, during this time, Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic was played on a constant loop, which inspired the title of this blog post. I found it a little amusing, seeing that Chiba-san's filmography is the very antithesis of that song!

Father and daughter: Sonny Chiba shares the stage with his daughter, actress Juri Manase.

Many movers and shakers from the entertainment industry in Japan were on hand for this event. I met some folks with rather impressive resumes.

In the above photo is Yumi Kinoshita. She became a Sonny Chiba fan with the hit series Key Hunter. She speaks great English, and we got along very well.

Tsuburaya Productions suit actor Kazuya Shimizu was in the house, too, as were a number of Japan Action Club members.

Suffice it to say, Chiba-san was mobbed everywhere he went. Still, he handled it like the pro he is and treated his fans respectfully. He cheerfully posed for pictures and signed autographs.

Would you like to look this good when you're 74?

Toward the end of the evening, I got to chat with Chiba-san's daughter, Juri Manase, who's best known to fans in the U.S. from her role in Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 1. She speaks quite good English, and I enjoyed having the chance to speak with her.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable event. I did more networking at this celebration than at any other time since I've been in Japan. I'd like to extend my thanks to Sonny Chiba, Seiji Iwahori, Yumi Kinoshita, and everyone else who helped make this event one for the ages.