Actress Mio Ota Passes Away at Age 70

Mio Ota. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

May 1 saw Japan enter the Reiwa era. It was also the day that actress, chanson singer, and artist Mio Ota suddenly passed away at age 70.

Mio Ota was born in Azumino, Nagano, on February 17, 1949. Among genre fans, her best-known credit is Toho's vampire thriller Evil of Dracula (1974) in which she plays student Yukiko Mitamura. She also appeared as Blue Jaguar on the TV series Giant Iron Man 17 (a.k.a. Daitetsujin 17, 1977) from episode 22 through 35. In more recent years, she performed under the stage name Izuhi Higashioka. (Her real name was Chieko Ota.)

I had the distinct privilege of meeting Ms. Ota in June 2018. I got to spend quite a bit of time around her at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Ueno. She signed some Evil of Dracula items for me, and we even had a discussion about (of all things) politics. (She held strong opinions about both American and Japanese political topics.)

She and I had been connected for years prior to that on social media, and I always enjoyed getting a like or a comment from her. Suffice it to say, I'll always remember her kindness.

Rest in peace, Mio Ota.

Special thanks to Archie H. Waugh for the graphics assistance.

VAMPIRE DIARIES! Meeting Actress Mio Ota!

Mio Ota. Photo by Brett Homenick.

One of my favorite horror movies has long been Evil of Dracula (1974), and I think a good case can be made for it as the best of director Michio Yamamoto's Bloodthirsty trilogy. She played student Yukiko Mitamura in Evil of Dracula, as well as Blue Jaguar on the TV series Giant Iron Man 17 (1977) from episode 22 through 35. She also appears in Shohei Imamura's Why Not? (1981).

Ota-san had some of her art on display at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Ueno, and I decided to pay her a visit. We had a nice chat about her acting career and other topics. She was surprised to learn that I'm an American from California, saying that I looked like a British gentleman.

It was a great afternoon and well worth braving the sweltering heat and humidity. I certainly hope to have a chance to meet Ota-san again.