Returning to Ofuna-Kannon After a 10-Year Absence!

Ofuna-Kannon.

On Wednesday, March 20, I paid a visit to Ofuna Kannonji Temple (a.k.a. Ofuna-Kannon) along with the daughter of Ultraman (1966-67) co-star Masanari Nihei, Kazuka. Would you believe it'd been 10 years since I last visited it? It surprised me, too!

What also surprised me (but in a much worse way) was that my smartphone suddenly decided to die right then and there as I was taking a photo. For the record, I had a Pixel 5a, which is apparently notoriously for becoming a brick within about two and a half years -- which is about as long as I had mine.

Because my photos from the day weren't backed up, I lost them with my phone, which couldn't be turned on again. So the photos in the post were taken on Kazuka's phone, who kindly sent me them after she got home. Anyway, with all that out of the way, here are the photos from the day. Enjoy!

Paying Respects to the Actor Behind 'Ultraman's' Ito

A young mangaka, Akiko Fukushima, and Bin Furuya. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Yesterday (Thursday, November 23), I was able to join a unique event held in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, celebrating the life of the actor Masanari Nihei. Billed as a "garden party," this event was actually held at Nihei-san's home where his family still lives. It was an incredible opportunity and one I couldn't pass up.

Akiko Fukushima with a shikishi board featuring a drawing of her late husband. Photo by Brett Homenick.

For those of you not in the know, Nihei-san got his big break in 1966 when Ultraman (1966-67) was launched on Japanese television. Playing Science Patrol member Ito (Ide in the Japanese version), he would ultimately become one of the most recognizable characters in the Ultra-franchise.

With Bin Furuya.

After arriving at Kamakura Station, I took a taxi directly to the Nihei home. The taxi ride was a bit longer than I expected, and the route back to the station was -- shall we say -- a bit less than clear to me. Thankfully, though, I left the event with the group, so I could find my way back with no issues whatsoever.

On hand for the festivities were his widow Akiko Fukushima and one of their two daughters, Kazuka. Fukushima-san, a professional photographer, married Nihei-san in 1972, and they stayed married until his passing on August 21, 2021. The pair prepared and served food and drinks to the guests in backyard of their home.

The view of the Pacific Ocean from a point near the Nihei home. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Bin Furuya, the legendary suit actor who portrayed the original Ultraman, as well as Amagi in the follow-up series Ultra Seven (1967-68), was the guest of honor. He was a fellow Toho New Face with Nihei-san in the same class. So, suffice it to say, their history together dates back much further than Ultraman. 

Another view of the Pacific Ocean with Mount Fuji in the distance. Photo by Brett Homenick.

A young female mangaka was in attendance, and she gave Nihei-san's widow a wonderful drawing of her late husband on a shikishi board (which you can see in photo that's second from the top of this blog post). 

Bin Furuya studies a toy of his alter ego. Photo by Brett Homenick.

As the event was winding down, our group headed to the nearby cemetery to pay our respects to Nihei-san at his grave. While there, we were mesmerized by the view of the ocean from a particular viewing spot from which you could also see Mount Fuji in the distance. What a sight it was!

I took a lot of photos at the garden party, so I'll just let them speak for themselves. There's really not much else to say -- we were there to hang out and have fun. 

I guess I should add that we all got a souvenir for attending -- a commemorative mini poster (about a fraction of the size of an average sheet of paper) on glossy stock with the aforementioned mangaka's rendering of Nihei-san and Furura-san on it, signed by Furuya-san himself. It's quite a cool keepsake!

Ultraman Soars in Kamakura!

The toy store Choppe along Komachi-dori in Kamakura. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Saturday, August 5, I went to Kamakura to attend an event with Bin Furuya, the original Ultraman suit actor himself. Along the way, I passed Choppe, one of my favorite sights in Kamakura. The old-fashioned toy store has been in business since 1924!

It'd been a long time since I was in Kamakura (the last visit was in those pre-pandemic days), so it was nice to walk around an area I used to visit quite frequently. 

A Science Patrol uniform on display. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Also in attendance was Masanari Nihei's daughter Kazuka, whom I met earlier this year. It was great to see her again, and I also met her husband for the first time.

A collage of Masanari Nihei photos. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Interestingly, it turns out that he has never seen his father-in-law in the original Ultraman (1966-67) series, though he did say that he plans to change that soon.

I was at the venue for a few minutes before Furuya-san showed up. He gave me a surprising, long-lasting bear hug from behind. 

Yours truly posing with all the Ultraman items on display.

I was so surprised by it that I compared him to the late Japanese pro wrestler Rikidozan. 

Kazuka, Masanari Nihei's daughter. Photo by Brett Homenick.

At the beginning, all attendees introduced themselves for about three minutes each. When it came to me, I talked about my hometown, where I live now, my interest in Japanese movies, talked about how Shigeo Kato used to live in Kamakura and how he was an actor in many Akira Kurosawa movies.

Bin Furuya. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I also pointed out that Furuya-san appeared in a Kurosawa movie, too, before handing the floor back to Furuya-san, who then commented on how much my Japanese has improved since we first met. (I guess it technically has, but really not by much.)

The venue was a bit small and was fully packed with attendees, which isn't a great combination on a hot August night in Japan. So Furuya-san and a couple of other attendees took a break outside, and I took the opportunity to join them. 

We posed for some obligatory photos while continuing the chat from earlier on. By this point, two hours had passed, so I decided it was time to begin my long journey home. 

And that's a wrap! Everyone was quite friendly, and the guests were a lot of fun. It was also great to visit Kamakura again after a few years.

Oh, I guess I should mention that there was a huge train delay getting back home, which naturally I wasn't thrilled about, but ultimately it didn't matter much. It just made sitting on a packed train in the middle of August even less enjoyable, but there you go.

The event itself went smoothly, which is all you can ask for. And it was great to see Kamakura again.

The scene from Kamakura Station. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I took this photo from the train platform of Kamakura Station. Can't wait to go back there!

An Ultra-Good Photography Exhibit in Yotsuya!

Signage for "Bath Time" at the Portrait Gallery of the Nippon Photography Center. Photo by Brett Homenick.

This afternoon (Thursday, April 20), I stopped by a photo exhibition dedicated to the work of photographer Akiko Fukushima in Yotsuya, Tokyo, which runs from today until April 26 in the Portrait Gallery of the Nippon Photography Center. Fukushima-san had been married to actor Masanari Nihei (Ide/Ito from the 1966-67 Ultraman TV series) until his passing in 2021. 

Masanari Nihei enjoys "Bath Time." Photo by Brett Homenick.

Even though I hadn't been there in years, I remember passing by this gallery a long time ago and seeing some eye-catching photos of Showa-era actors on display. When I saw the news about the photo exhibition, I figured it had to be the same place and was able to find it easily. Thankfully, my instincts were correct!

On hand at the exhibition were Fukushima-san herself, as well as her daughter, Kazuka. I had a lot of fun chatting with Kazuka about her father and (naturally) about herself, too. I wasn't sure if anyone related to Nihei-san was even going to be there, so it was certainly an added bonus for me.

With Akiko Fukushima.

I should explain that the photo exhibition consisted of a series of photos called "Bath Time," and (as the name would suggest) it features various Japanese celebrities bathing. This, of course, includes Nihei-san himself. According to a sign at the exhibition, it started in 1984, and Fukushima-san explained to me that the whole project lasted about a year. "Bath Time" was serialized in a weekly magazine called Emma.

Other Japanese celebs who participated in "Bath Time" include Tatsuya Nakadai, Sandayu Dokumamushi, Jiro Dan, Ichiro Mizuki (with sheet music in the shower!), and Hiroshi Miyauchi. Miyauchi-san's picture was the last to be put up. In fact, when I entered the gallery, a staff member was hammering in the hooks for his picture to hang on the wall!

Akiko Fukushima poses with the photo she took of her husband. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Akiko Fukushima is a photographer and haiku poet. She was born in Tokyo in 1943 and graduated from Nihon University College of Art's Photography Department in 1965. "Bath Time" remains one of her most famous works.

Mother and daughter. Photo by Brett Homenick.

One interesting tidbit that Fukushima-san told me was that the photo of Nakadai-san was taken while he was making Akira Kurosawa's Ran (1985), and you could even see a horse in the shot! Pretty fun stuff.

Takeshi Yoshioka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

After I left, in a total coincidence, I ran into Ultraman Gaia (1998-99) star Takeshi Yoshioka! I immediately saw him as I stepped out of the building. I told him about the exhibition, but he actually wasn't aware of it. He took a photo of the signage on his phone, and then I snapped a photo on mine.

Naturally, there had to be a selfie with him, too! He said he'd check it out later, which sounded Ultra-good to me. What a fun afternoon! I didn't expect it to be as fun as it was, so it was a pleasant surprise. It was most definitely an Ultra-good day!