Kamen Rider and Ultra-Heroes Unite for One Night!

Mitsuhiro Sano, Yumiko Tanaka, and Keiko Nishi pose for pictures. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Saturday, July 15, I attended a special event with some surprise guests. The main event was the variety show in which actress Yumiko Tanaka performed onstage with a number of other actors. After the show, I was invited to a dinner with Tanaka-san's friends and supporters. That, for me, was the real attraction.

Yumiko Tanaka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

If you don't know by now, Tanaka-san stars in Kamen Rider Super-1 (1980-81) as Harumi Kusanami and also appears in a small role toward the beginning of Godzilla 1985 (1984) in a scene with Ken Tanaka (which was edited out of the American release). 

At the end of the show, Tanaka-san and her co-stars sang and danced to the Japanese version of the Village People classic "YMCA." I thought that was quite amusing. After the show, our group gathered in front of the venue, which was in Tsukiji, before heading off to dinner. Before I knew it, actress Keiko Nishi joined our group and greeted me by touching my arm. (It's always a plus when the most beautiful woman in the history of the Ultra-series makes contact!)

Actor Mitsuhiro San wasn't too far behind Nishi-san. He and I talked about the song "YMCA," but he's a much bigger fan of the song "Massachusetts" by the Bee Gees, which he can do a pretty good job of singing in English. After that, we headed to the restaurant.

Mitsuhiro Sano. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Of course, Sano-san TAC member Kozo Yoshimura in Ultraman Ace (1972-73). I sat across from Sano-san at the table and close to Nishi-san. Naturally, it was a great experience to be in the presence of such Ultra-series royalty! 

Sano-san commented that he was good at signing in English but not good at English conversation. Well, I hope one day he can master English conversation, too. But, in any case, it's always a blast hanging out with him.

With Keiko Nishi.

Nishi-san appears in Ultraman Ace as TAC member Noriko Mikawa. Even though her cafe closed a while back, it's a joy to see Nishi-san attend events like these. 

And that's a wrap! It was a much more fun evening than I expected, but I'm definitely not complaining! Hope we can do it again soon.

SHOWA SONGS! Attending a Live Performance Featuring a Tokusatsu Actress!

Tsukiji Hongan-ji. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Saturday evening, January 14, I attended a performance featuring actress Yumiko Tanaka. The show was held next to Tsukiji Hongan-ji, a beautiful Buddhist temple, in Tsukiji. Due to my work schedule, I missed the first half of the show and arrived during intermission. I only caught the second half of the performance, which was essentially a comedic variety show that featured a lot of Showa-era songs, styles, and dances.

Yumiko Tanaka (right) sings onstage with her fellow performers. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tanaka-san stars in Kamen Rider Super-1 (1980-81) as Harumi Kusanami and also appears in a small role toward the beginning of Godzilla 1985 (1984) in a scene with Ken Tanaka (which was edited out of the American release). Tanaka-san's various performances during the show were highly entertaining. She's certainly a multi-talented performer! 

The main reason I attended the show was to participate in the dinner that was being organized by one of my friends. After the performance, a group of us headed to a nearby izakaya for a special New Year's celebration. At the dinner, I became acquainted with a couple of fellow tokusatsu fans whom I'd never met before at any other event.

Tanaka-san sat at the table next to mine, so I was able to communicate with her fairly easily. She's just as friendly as she's always been. I always get a kick out of seeing her.

She signed autographs for anyone who brought items for her to sign. I've had her sign a few things over the years, so I didn't bring anything to get autographed. But it turns out I didn't have to. My friend gave out a signed photo to each attendee featuring both Tanaka-san and actress Keiko Nishi, who played TAC member Noriko Mikawa on Ultraman Ace (1972-73).

Yumiko Tanaka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Speaking of Nishi-san, she also attended the show and dinner, which was a big surprise to me. I hadn't seen her since her cafe in Ginza closed a couple of years ago. When she saw me just after the show got out, she mentioned that it had been a long time since we last met.

Yumiko Tanaka signs Kamen Rider Super-1 memorabilia for a fan. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Nishi-san joined the dinner on the private basis, i.e., not as a featured guest, but she was still friendly enough to sign the photos for attendees and posed for the photo below. Also there was actor Mitsuhiro Sano, who played TAC member Kozo Yoshimura in Ultraman Ace, who was just as awesome. It's always great to spend an evening with such friendly people.

With Keiko Nishi.

And that's a wrap! It was a fun evening, and, even though I got home close to midnight, it was a great time. Hope to do it again!

GO, GO, LET'S GO! More Photos from the Kamen Rider 50 Years Exhibition!

Bad guys at a Kamen Rider event? What a SHOCKER! Photo by Brett Homenick.

Here are even more photos I took today at the Kamen Rider 50 Years Exhibition. There was just too much to fit into one blog post. Enjoy!

GO, GO, LET'S GO! Visiting the Kamen Rider 50 Years Exhibition!

Signage for the Kamen Rider 50 Years Exhibition. Photo by Brett Homenick.

 Earlier today, Friday, January 13, I visited the Kamen Rider 50 Years Exhibition currently taking place in Sunshine City, Ikebukuro. The exhibit, which runs from December 23 through January 15, covers the entire history of the Kamen Rider franchise and features actual props from the various series, as well as replica suits of the numerous heroes and villains. A picture's worth a thousand words, so let's get to the photos!