Bin Furuya's 2021 Christmas Show!

Bin Furuya addresses the audience. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Saturday, December 11, I attended a Christmas show hosted by Bin Furuya, the original Ultraman suit actor. It was essentially a variety show, which featured an onstage Q&A session with the guests, singing from various performers, and even the reading of a Christmas story.

The show was organized and arranged by Furuya-san's company, so you could imagine that numerous Tsuburaya Productions alumni would be in attendance -- and you'd be right! The two official guests were Hiroko Sakurai and Sandayu Dokumamushi, veterans of the original Ultraman (1966-67), but even more luminaries attended the show in audience.

Bin Furuya, Sandayu Dokumamushi, and Hiroko Sakurai reminisce about their Ultraman days. Photo by Brett Homenick.

In the audience, I spied former Ultraman script supervisor Atsuko Tanaka, former Shintoho actress Kyoko Yashiro (the widow of Ultra-series director Toshihiro Iijima), Tsuburaya Productions cameraman Masao Nakabori, as well as director Minoru Kawasaki.

Sandayu Dokumamushi reads a Christmas story. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The venue itself was a basement nightclub, so it was quite cramped. This made things a bit difficult to maneuver around. The guests were also much less accessible than at other events, but you could still approach the cool ones who didn't mind mixing with attendees.

With Minoru Kawasaki.

I had a nice chat with director Minoru Kawasaki, who was holding court with his entourage. He gave me a flyer for his recent Prince of Space remake (Planet Prince 2021) and briefly talked about it with me.

Masao Nakabori. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Cinematographer Masao Nakabori was another luminary I was able to spend some time with. I interviewed him a couple of years ago, and his career is impressive. Be sure to read all about it here.

We stepped outside for the chat, as the scene indoors was too crowded to talk comfortably. A little fresh air can do a lot of good!

Furuya-san clearly enjoyed himself, as he wore many hats throughout the show. Not only did he host the festivities, and discuss his history as Ultraman, but he performed as a singer and dancer, too! It was all a lot of fun to see. And that's a wrap! 

ULTRA ONE-MAN SHOW 2016! Bin Furuya and Friends Return to the Stage!

Bin Furuya strikes his traditional Specium Ray pose at the Ultra One-Man Show. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Saturday, November 26, I attended the third (and reportedly final) Ultra One-Man Show in Tokyo. Hosted by Ultraman suit actor Bin Furuya, the event is essentially a live variety show that mixes Q&A interviews with musical numbers, video montages, and dramatic readings. 

Actor Sandayu Dokumamushi recounts his Ultra-experiences. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

The main attraction for the event was the appearance of Ultraman (1966-67) and Ultra Seven (1967-68) cast member Sandayu Dokumamushi, who has made few personal appearances at such events in recent years. As expected, Dokumamushi-san was warmly greeted by the audience, and his jokes often brought down the house.

Ultra-alums Sandayu Dokumamushi (left) and Hiroko Sakurai (right) share a laugh during the event. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Joining Furuya-san and Dokumamushi-san onstage were actress Hiroko Sakurai and Ultra-series director Toshihiro Iijima. The four recalled their memories of working on the original Ultraman, which was most certainly a great way to celebrate the 50th anniversary. 

Sandayu Dokumamushi, Hiroko Sakurai, and Toshihiro Iijima at the Ultra One-Man Show. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

During the course of the event, Furuya-san made several wardrobe changes. So if you're looking through the photos and are wondering why Furuya is wearing different shirts and jackets, now you know why!

Bin Furuya and Sandayu Dokumamushi celebrate 50 years of Ultraman. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Many other familiar faces were also in attendance. Eiichi Kikuchi, the Ultraman Jack suit actor from Return of Ultraman (1971-72) joined Furuya-san onstage several times. They even staged a mock battle in period clothes, which left the crowd cheering. It's always cool to see these two Ultraman suit actors performing together.

Ultraman Jack suit actor Eiichi Kikuchi. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Of course, what really brings out the cameras are when the two strike the Specium Ray pose. In fact, I think I took a picture of that myself!

Bin Furuya and Eiichi Kikuchi are Ultramen! Photo by Brett Homenick, 

I mentioned that the show featured dancing, and that was no exaggeration. Furuya-san joined forces with singer Grace Mika to do a tap dance that was just as good as any old-time Hollywood star could do.

Grace Mika and Bin Furuya cut a rug at the Ultra One-Man Show. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

The Ultra One-Man Show had just about everything. There truly was something for everyone. From what I understand, Bin Furuya plans this to be the last one, given that three is a lucky number in Japan. Still, while the Ultra One-Man Show may not return, Bin Furuya most certainly will, and I can't wait to see what his next event will be.

But wait -- there's more! That's right, so much happened at the Ultra One-Man Show that I couldn't possibly fit it all into one blog post. Stay tuned for more details!