Godzilla Sighted Again in Setagaya!

It's Godzilla! Photo by Brett Homenick.

 

Last year, I went to the Setagaya Literary Museum to check out the Godzilla 2000 (1999) filming suit on display there, and earlier today I came back for another visit with my friend Jacob. It was great to see the refurbished suit, which had recently been touched up. (Its head was noticeably drooping last year.)

It's still hard for me to believe that this suit was used during filming on a movie made almost 25 years ago, but the signage, and even the staff, confirmed that it was used during shooting. Jacob was fascinated by the suit, and it's easy to see why.

As an added bonus, we happened to walk into a gallery honoring famed Japanese costume designer Etsuko Yagyu (1929-2020), who worked on a variety of films in a variety of genres, including the rollicking musical You Can Succeed, Too (1964). In fact, numerous costume design sketches from the film were on display, which were great to see. We didn't realize that this exhibit was being held, but we were glad we found it. It offered an intriguing look at Japanese movies that are quite often overlooked.

It was a great way to spend an evening!

'Godzilla 2000' Sighted in Setagaya!

The Godzilla 2000 filming suit. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today, I visited the Setagaya Literary Museum with just one objective in mind: to check out the Godzilla 2000 (1999) filming suit that is currently on display there.

The suit is on display in the museum's cafe on the first floor. According to the signage there, it's the actual filming suit, which is remarkable, given how well it's held up over the years. The head is noticeably drooping, but, other than that, it's in fantastic shape. 

Also on display were an actual Toho movie camera and lighting fixtures used during shooting. Suffice it to say, this display is something of a hidden gem.

Despite all rain and cold temperatures we experienced today, it was well worth the trip to visit. I hope to see it again in the near future! Here are some other pictures I took. Enjoy!