CHICAGO COMES TO TOKYO! Director Masaaki Tezuka Hosts a Talk Show Event in Kawasaki!

 Meillennium series director Masaaki Tezuka remembers the late Hiroshi Koizumi during a Q&A event. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Yesterday, an event was held in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, in which director Masaaki Tezuka offered his memories of the great Toho actor Hiroshi Koizumi, who recently passed away. Tezuka-san worked with Koizumi-san on Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003) and had much to say about the beloved actor. Tezuka-san also spoke at length about his career and signed autographs for those in attendance.

Tezuka-san shares a laugh with the audience as the photographer gets a little too artistic. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Despite the lack of self-promoting picture book authors, the event was another success. Tokyo is the undisputed king of the mountain when it comes to movie-related events, and no other place in the world can begin to compare. (Not that that should stop others from trying!)

Tezuka-san signs my DVD sleeve of Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000), which was previously signed by screenwriter Wataru Mimura. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Quite a number of other events are planned for the month of July, so keep it here for photos and reports.

MASAMITSU TAYAMA STILL ROCKS! The Folk Singer Comes to Hino, Tokyo!

Masamitsu Tayama rocks the house in Hino, Tokyo! Photo by Brett Homenick.

Shinji Chujo has really grown up. Most of us would remember Masamitsu Tayama as the chubby youngster from the kaiju classic Mothra (1961), but the former child actor has been a musician and singer for decades, choosing to pursue a different form of entertainment.

Tayama-san recently moved to Shikoku, making his trips to the Tokyo area even rarer, but it is always a treat to see him perform live. On June 6, he came to Hino, Tokyo, to sing Japanese folk music to his appreciative audience.

I told Tayama-san about the recent passing of Hiroshi Koizumi, his Mothra co-star. He hadn't heard about it and was naturally saddened. We both agreed he was a true gentleman.

One of Tayama-san's trademark is his ubiquitous Superman hat, so I finally asked him about it. He told me he was a fan of the old George Reeves Superman TV show, making him by far the coolest fan of that program I've ever met.

When it was all said and done, Tayama-san and I (along with our mutual friend Tada-san) rode back toward the center of Tokyo together. On the train ride, Tada-san played some clips of kaiju movies he had prepared on his smartphone, including ones from Gamera 3 (1999) and Godzilla (1954). 

Tayama-san's next live performance in Tokyo will be in September, and I hope to be in attendance for that.

HIROSHI KOIZUMI: 1926-2015

Toho actor Hiroshi Koizumi, signing autographs at a Grissom Gang event, in June 2012. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Some very sad news started making its way across the Japanese press and the Internet worldwide this morning. Former Toho star Hiroshi Koizumi passed away at age 88 in the early morning hours of May 31.

Hiroshi Koizumi and Teruyoshi Nakano in June 2012. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I had the good fortune to meet Koizumi-san a couple of times during my time in Japan at some events. The first time was at a screening of Godzilla vs. the Thing (1964) held in June 2012. Other guests in attendance that evening were SFX director Teruyoshi Nakano and Millennium series director Masaaki Tezuka.

Koizumi-san contemplates his career following a screening of Godzilla vs. the Thing. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I sat next to Koizumi-san during the screening, and when it was finished, our group went to dinner. Suffice it to say, it was a memorable evening.

Shaking hands with Hiroshi Koizumi, the star of many great Toho films, in September 2013.

The following time was in September 2013 at Super Festival. Koizumi-san and Akira Kubo were guests at the event, and after their interview session was completed, I approached the guests in the autograph line and (thanks to my friend Yasushi) was able to have a conversation with both gentlemen.

While I interviewed Koizumi-san by correspondence in 2009, it was a brief interview, and I felt strongly that his entire film career (and not just the usual monster films) should be documented in English. Koizumi-san agreed to the interview, but I'll always regret never getting the opportunity to conduct it.

Akira Kubo and Hiroshi Koizumi take the stage together at Super Festival in September 2013. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Speaking of the interview, it was done for G-FAN, a copy of the magazine was mailed to Koizumi-san's office so that he could be photographed holding it to illustrate the article. The picture was taken by Koizumi-san's agent and sent to us. What truly surprised me, however, was several years later seeing a very similar photo being used on the agency's Web site! To put it mildly, I was honored. A screen cap of the site is below.

Koizumi-san was a warm and friendly gentleman, as many Japanese actors from the old school are. Whenever I saw him interacting with his fans, he was always welcoming. I'll remember him that way.

Thank you for the memories, Koizumi-san, on and off the screen. Please rest in peace.

SHINJI CHUJO RULES! The Former Mothra Child Star Rocks Japan!

Musician Masamitsu Tayama performs at the Marquee club in Nerima, Tokyo. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The Toho classic Mothra (1961) is a great film for any number of reasons. Its SFX, writing, and acting are all top-notch. While much is known about Frankie Sakai, Hiroshi Koizumi, Kyoko Kagawa, and even Jerry Ito, precious little information seems to be available about one of the film's supporting players, Masamitsu Tayama.

Masamitsu Tayama signs Mothra memorabilia for yours truly. 

Tayama-san memorably played Shinji Chujo, the pudgy, mouse-loving boy who tries to save the Shobijin from the clutches of the evil Nelson. Unlike other child actors, like Godzilla vs. Megalon's Hiroyuki Kawase, Tayama-san remains a public figure, though he has since entered a completely different line of entertainment.

Although he is now a professional singer, Tayama-san has fond memories of Mothra, especially his co-star Hiroshi Koizumi. After the concert at Marquee, I was invited to dinner with Tayama-san, who graciously signed several autographs and was happy to take photos. I enjoyed our meeting and hope to get another chance to see him again.

TOKYO TIMES: The Events of September 2013

Signing autographs is always a fun activity before eating Chinese food!

I just returned from a great trip to Tokyo from 9/27 to 9/29. I had a lot of fun and got to spend time with many friends. Below are just some of the highlights from the visit!

Posing with Akira Takarada's award for his production of The Fantasticks last year at his office.

Outside a nearby Chinese restaurant.

Ultraman guests Bin Furuya, Susumu Kurobe, and Hiroko Sakurai take the stage at Tokyo's Super Festival.

Toho greats Akira Kubo and Hiroshi Koizumi answer questions at Super Festival.

Meeting Kubo-san again.

Meeting Koizumi-san again.

With two legends.

Hanging out is what it's all about! With friends Butch Portillo and Yasushi Okuyama at a familiar location. More stuff is coming soon, so watch this space!

Kenji Sahara and Hiroshi Koizumi: The Movie(s)!

Hangin' out with legendary SFX director Teruyoshi Nakano at the dinner hosted by the Grissom Gang.

Now that I've written the report, you can watch the videos! They're self-explanatory, so I'll spare you any explanations. Please watch and enjoy!

MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA: Celebrating a Toho Classic in Style!

Screen legend Kenji Sahara signs autographs at the Grissom Gang's movie pub in Tokyo. 

The kaiju eiga classic Mothra vs. Godzilla (a.k.a. Godzilla vs. the Thing, 1964) is one of the most popular Godzilla films among Western G-fans. But leave it to the Japanese fans to honor the film in a big way! Over the weekend, the Grissom Gang hosted a two-day event that celebrated one of the best monster movies from Toho's golden age. 

Kenji Sahara (Rodan, The Mysterians, The H-Man) was the focal point of Saturday's activities. After a film print of  Mothra vs. Godzilla played to the small, exclusive audience in attendance (not much more than 20 people -- it's a small theater and can't hold any more than that!), Mr. Sahara took the stage for his talk show. The Toho legend brought some slides with him, detailing his early life up until the present. One such photo was from his college days, during which Mr. Sahara was into bodybuilding. In this photo, Sahara-san was shirtless and was -- to my surprise -- totally ripped! I had no idea he was in such great shape. Mr. Sahara brought his copy of the None But the Brave shooting script and passed it around the audience. Also, a golfing trophy that famed director Akira Kurosawa won but gave to Mr. Sahara after Sahara-san was unavailable to be cast in Sanjuro was also passed around the audience. I felt particularly honored to hold such wonderful pieces of film history!

Kenji Sahara meets me but not for the first time. I was happy to catch up with Sahara-san, whom I hadn't seen since G-FEST in 2009.

After signing autographs, it was off to dinner. Mr. Sahara joined us and sat down next to me. He happily answered every question posed to him. I was also able to speak with his son, who was able to speak quite a bit of English.

Good times with Sahara-san.

Sunday saw another screening of Mothra vs. Godzilla but with a twist. Hiroshi Koizumi showed up early to watch the film! And, as luck would have it, I ended up sitting next to him during the film. Once again, I truly felt honored.

A powerful trio: Masaaki Tezuka, Hiroshi Koizumi, and Teruyoshi Nakano answer questions from the audience.

Following the movie, Koizumi-san was joined by Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. director Masaaki Tezuka and longtime SFX director Teruyoshi Nakano. This talk show was long and informative, with Nakano-san providing the lengthiest and most detailed answers. In one interesting tidbit, he mentioned that he intentionally ended all his Godzilla movies with the Big G's back facing the camera, to symbolize the drift from the original intent of the character that director Ishiro Honda felt was taking place. Later in the evening, Mr. Nakano mentioned that he was slated to have an acting role in Conflagration (a.k.a. Tokyo Bay Burns, 1975) but was so busy he didn't have time to act!

My friend totorom poses with Hiroshi Koizumi.

After the interview was completed, it was autograph time all over again. Not much to say here, so let's check out the highlights:

Yours truly with Hiroshi Koizumi.

 Meeting Teruyoshi Nakano again. I first met (and interviewed) him eight years ago!

Meeting Tezuka-san for the second time. He had great stories to tell, especially about one of my favorite films, Fukkatsu no hi (a.k.a. Virus, 1980).

 Between two legends: Certainly one of many highlights of the weekend.

What else can I say? It was a spectacular event! Big thanks to the Grissom Gang and tororom for all their help. I should mention that I made several new friends (Yasushi, Akiko, and Jiro) whom I hope to meet again very soon. Everyone was open, warm, and friendly. If only everyone in Godzilla fandom were as nice!