BANDITS ON THE WIND! Attending a Special Screening with a Very Special Guest!

Nami Tamura. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Today, I was able to take in a special screening of a 35mm print of Hiroshi Inagaki's Bandits on the Wind (1961), starring Yosuke Natsuki and Makoto Sato. The screening was in celebration of Natsuki-san's life, and the film itself is one of Natsuki-san's favorite movies of his career. The event's guest of honor, Nami Tamura, appears in the film alongside Izumi Yukimura and Akiko Wakabayashi.

Nami Tamura joined Toho in 1959 and began her acting career the same year. In her early days at Toho, she belonged to a trio with Yuriko Hoshi and Mie Hama called Toho's Three Pets, which emphasized the youth and cuteness of the three actresses. Her film acting credits include: Jun Fukuda's The Merciless Trap (1961), Frank Sinatra's None But the Brave (1965), Kihachi Okamoto's Samurai Assassin (1965) and Kill! (1968), and Michio Yamamoto's Terror in the Streets (1970). On television, Tamura-san can be seen in episode 5 of Ultra Q (1966), episode 35 of Ultraman (1966-67), episode 26 of Ultra Seven (1967-68), episode 17 of Space Giants (1966-67), and episode 8 of Operation: Mystery! (1968-69).

It was a great opportunity to see a film that's rarely seen these days. Additionally, Tamura-san shared many fun stories from her Toho days. All in all, it was an enjoyable evening, and a great way to celebrate the life and career of Yosuke Natsuki. 

ULTRA ONE-MAN SHOW 2016! Meeting the VIPs!

With Bin Furuya.

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, there is much more to talk about from the Ultra One-Man Show 2016. So let's get to it!

With Nami Tamura.

One of the highlights for me was seeing actress Nami Tamura again. Although she is best known for her guest appearances in Ultra Q (1966) and Ultra Seven (1967-68), she was a Toho actress who appeared in numerous films for the studio, including the thriller Terror in the Streets (1970) along with a bevy of Kihachi Okamato actioners. 

With Minoru Kawasaki. 

Also on hand was Minoru Kawasaki, the director who created Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit (2008). Kawasaki-san was there promoting his new film, Daikaiju Mono (2016), and he took part as an emcee of some of the Q&A sessions.

With Hiroyuki Takano. 

Hiroyuki Takano co-starred in the Toei superhero series Barom-1 (1972) as Kentaro Shiratori. Takano-san has also appeared in episodes of Ultra Seven, Fight! Mighty Jack (1968), Operation: Mystery (1968-69), Spectreman (1971-72), Return of Ultraman (1971-72), Kamen Rider (1971-73), Silver Mask (1971-72), and Submersion of Japan (1974-75). Takano-san attended the show as a friend of Furuya-san.

Sojiro Uchino. Photo by Brett Homenick.

While there, I bumped into former child actor Sojiro Uchino, who appeared in episodes of Ultra Q, Ultraman, and Kaiju Booska (1966-67). I hadn't seen Soji-san since the summer, so I enjoyed chatting with him again.

With singer Grace Mika. 

I've gotten to know Grace Mika since last year, and I always enjoy her company. As always, it was a blast talking with her.

With Atsuko Tanaka. 

I met Tsuburaya Productions scripter Atsuko Tanaka at last year's Ultra One-Man Show, and I was fortunate enough to see her again. She thanked me for sending her photos from last year's event.

With Eiichi Kikuchi.

Last, but certainly not least, was Eiichi Kikuchi, the Return of Ultraman suit actor. He's a gentleman who always makes time for his fans.

And that's a wrap from the Ultra One-Man Show. What a great time it was!

MORE PHOTOS! Yasuhiko Saijo's 77th Birthday Bash!

Yasuhiko Saijo and Hurricane Ryu onstage!

A closer look at Saijo-san's extra-special birthday cake!

Hiroko Sakurai and Yashiko Saijo pose for the cameras.

Yours truly with Machiko Naka and Nami Tamura.

With Yasuhiko Saijo.

With Machiko Naka.

Teruyoshi Nakano talks shop with Hurricane Ryu.

With Machiko Naka (again!).

Yasuhiko Saijo at the after-party in Ikebukuro.

Do you think he can drink it all?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YASUHIKO SAIJO! The Ultra Q Star Celebrates His 77th with a Bang!

Nami Tamura, Hiroko Sakurai, Machiko Naka, and Yasuhiko Saijo (all Ultra-series veterans) pose with Saijo-san's birthday cake. Photo by Brett Homenick.

February 20 marks Ultra Q star Yasuhiko Saijo's 77th birthday, and on the very same day, a special event was held on the 58th floor of Sunshine 60 in Ikebukuro to celebrate the occasion. While there are several birthday events throughout the year to honor various Toho/Tsuburaya personalities, they are seldom held on the honoree's actual birthday (as this one was).

Yasuhiko Saijo and SFX director Teruyoshi Nakano sing a karaoke rendition of "We Are Space Pilots" from Gorath. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The event was star-studded, and it was great to see some guests appear who don't often do shows in Japan.

Heisei series suit actor Hurricane Ryu addresses the crowd. Photo by Brett Homenick.

One surprise was seeing suit actor Hurricane Ryu, whom I'd only met once before (at Koichi Kawakita's memorial event at Toho Studios). Hurricane Ryu played King Ghidorah in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), Battra in Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992), Baby Godzilla in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), and Godzilla Junior in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995). He also portrayed Guilala in Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit (2008). For much of the event, he actually served as emcee.

Minoru Kawasaki celebrates the birthday of a tokusatsu legend. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Director Minoru Kawasaki was also on hand, and he talked about his fondness for Saijo-san and his role on Ultra Q. Kawasaki-san, of course, is well known for being a huge fan of tokusatsu and for using many actors from the genre in his own films.

Yasuhiko Saijo sports dresses up in character for the occasion! Photo by Brett Homenick.

During the event, there were many chances for mingling among the attendees. Kyoko Ifukube, daughter of Akira Ifukube, was there, and I sat at her table. She was there with several of her friends, and we had a great chat together.

The band gets back together: Yuriko Edogawa (Hiroko Sakurai) and Ippei Togawa (Yasuhiko Saijo) gear up to hunt for monsters! Photo by Brett Homenick.

After all the comments were made, and after everyone had eaten lunch, it was time for pictures and autographs.

In between Machiko Naka (left) and Nami Tamura (right), two Toho actresses who appeared in the Ultra-series.

I had a blast seeing Machiko Naka (Godzilla's Revenge, the Young Guy series) and Nami Tamura (Terror in the Streets, Kill!) again. Naka-san is always very energetic, and Tamura-san is also very friendly. While most fans at the event were largely familiar with them for their guest appearances on Ultra Seven, I'm fascinated by their movie roles at Toho. 

With suit actor Hurricane Ryu.

It was a great surprise to get to see Hurricane Ryu again, but this time I was finally able to get a photo op with him. I found him to be a very friendly fellow, but alas we didn't have much time to chat!

With Yasuhiko Saijo.

What else can I say? Saijo-san is great, and he's one of the friendliest celebrity guests I've ever met. I love his enthusiasm!

With Kyoko Ifukube and a friend.

Naturally, it was also a joy to sit and chat with Kyoko Ifukube, the daughter of the legendary composer.

With Hiroko Sakurai.

Despite being in demand for many picture and autograph requests, Sakurai-san made time to pose for one with me. Thank you very much!

Yasuhiko Saijo, Makoto Inoue, and Teruyoshi Nakano hang out at the after-party. Photo by Brett Homenick.

After the event itself wrapped, I was invited to the after-party at a nearby izakaya. Saijo-san and Nakano-san joined us, as did composer Makoto Inoue. We stayed there a couple of hours (!) before calling it a day.

BONUS! More Photos from the Ultra One-Man Show!

Yasuhiko Saijo and Hiroko Sakurai share a laugh onstage!

Yasuhiko Saijo prepares to do battle with Kemurajin, as Bin Furuya and Minoru Kawasaki look on.

Grace Mika sings jazz as part of the show.

Bin Furuya and director Toshihiro Iijima reminisce about the glory days of Tsuburaya Productions.

Iijima-san is feted by an old adversary.

Hanging with Yasuhiko Saijo.

Shaking hands with scripter Atsuko Tanaka.

Catching up with Sojiro Uchino.

Grace Mika and Yasuhiko Saijo meet for the first time.

Striking a familiar pose with suit actor Eiichi Kikuchi.

Meeting Yasuhiko Saijo is the highlight of just about any event.

With actress Nami Tamura.

Ultramen do their thing!

ULTRA ONE-MAN SHOW! Bin Furuya Hosts Another Big Event!

Bin Furuya puts a new spin on his Specium Ray pose. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Sunday, December 6, saw the second Ultra One-Man Show hosted by Bin Furuya (the original Ultraman suit actor). Taking place in Minato's Hatsumei Kaikan, it featured many notable celebrity guests.

Ultra Q stars Yasuhiko Saijo (left) and Hiroko Sakurai (right) take the stage to discuss their career at Tsuburaya Productions. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Among the guests on hand were Ultra Q alumni Yasuhiko Saijo and Hiroko Sakurai. Both shared many laughs when recounting their memories at Tsuburaya Productions.

Grace Mika and Bin Furuya perform a tap-dancing routine to a warm reception from the audience. Photo by Brett Homenick.

After the Q&A wrapped, actress-singer Grace Mika took to the stage with Furuya-san, and together they performed a tap-dancing number that wowed the audience. How often do you get to see Ultraman cut a rug like that?

Tsuburaya Productions director Toshihiro Iijima was feted at the event. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The guest who seemed to garner the most reverence was Tsuburaya Productions director Toshihiro Iijima, whose directorial credits include Ultra Q, Ultraman, and Ultra Seven. Director Minoru Kawasaki (who served as an emcee for the event) interviewed Iijima-san onstage while Tsuburaya alumni Furuya-san, Sakurai-san, Saijo-san, and scripter Atsuko Tanaka threw in their two cents.

One surprise was a video message from Ultraman and Ultra Seven actor Sandayu Dokumamushi. If only he were able to attend in person!

Yes, hanging out with Yasuhiko Saijo is as fun as it looks!

After the show finished, it was time to meet and mingle. I spoke to many familiar faces in the lobby area. I also was able to snap a few photos with some of the guests.

Yours truly with Tsuburaya Productions scripter Atsuko Tanaka. 

Once that wrapped, the after-party was ready to commence. Many of Furuya-san's fans and friends converged upstairs for a dinner that lasted about two hours.

It was great to see and speak with Hiroko Sakurai again. 

This was an opportunity for attendees to get autographs from and photos with the celebrity guests. One of the first I approached was Hiroko Sakurai. Even though fans immediately swarmed around her, she was as friendly as always.

Enjoying a chat with former child actor Sojiro Uchino (Ultra Q, Ultraman). 

It had been months since I last saw and hung out with Sojiro Uchino (a former child actor whose credits include Ultra Q, Ultraman, Kaiju Booska, and Gamera vs. Viras). I certainly hope to have the chance to see him again before the end of the year.

With the enchanting and multi-talented Grace Mika.

I spent the majority of the evening hanging out with actress-singer Grace Mika, along with our mutual friend Yasushi. Grace is always a blast to spend time with, and even though she isn't a tokusatsu fan, she seems to fit right in at events like this.

Yours truly with Ultra Seven and Return of Ultraman suit actor Eiichi Kikuchi.

It was also a lot of fun to speak with Eiichi Kikuchi, who played Ultra Seven in Ultra Seven for two episodes (14 and 15) and the suit actor for Ultraman Jack in Return of Ultraman. We took several pictures together with different poses, all at his insistence!

Meeting Toho actress Nami Tamura for the first time.

 A suprise guest was actress Nami Tamura, an actress who appears in many Toho films, particularly the works of Kihachi Okamoto. She can also be seen in many programs from Tsuburaya Productions.

A great time was had by all, and I must congratulate Furuya-san on an excellent event. I can't wait for next year's show!

After it was finished, Grace, Yasushi, and I went out for dinner and drinks for a few more hours. It was the perfect way to cap off an incredible day!