An Evening in the Village with a Village Singer!

Kazuomi Sasai. Photo by Brett Homenick.

After meeting up with Yamamoto-san today (Monday, March 25), I made my way over to Ningyocho Station to meet with Kazuomi Sasai, a member of the Village Singers. If Sasai-san seems a bit familiar to you, that's because he should be. We met just a few days ago.

I figured that meeting with Sasai-san would be the only one before leaving the country. But then the next day Sasai-san messaged me and offered to meet me again on either the 25th or 26th at Futako-tamagawa, a train station near my home.

I was pleasantly surprised to receive this offer, and I eagerly accepted. A few days later, I asked Sasai-san to tweak the schedule, as I would be coming a bit closer to Sasai-san's home, and it would fit perfectly in my schedule. Sasai-san accepted my proposal, and we met as planned.

Sasai-san wasn't too familiar with the area and asked where I wanted to go. Coincidentally, there was a big advertisement for a burger shop called Brozers' near the exit where Sasai-san was waiting, which looked pretty enticing. 

Inside Brozers'. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I pointed it out to Sasai-san, but, when he asked me if I knew where it was, I admitted that I didn't. So Sasai-san took out his phone and called the establishment. They gave him directions, and off we went.

We were looking for a police station, at which we were supposed to turn right, but the police station never appeared. Sasai-san asked a random shop employee where it was, and he found out it was in the opposite direction. So we had to change direction and try again. 

Ultimately, we found the police station, so Sasai-san called back to get the rest of the directions. Thankfully, the restaurant was basically a stone's throw from the police station, so we got there without further incident. 

I was quite amused by the layout of the restaurant. All the posters on display had a "brother" theme to them. When I pointed out the Blues Brothers poster to Sasai-san, he mentioned that one of the pair was dead. 

While we were there, I asked Sasai-san about the Village Singers' performance of "The Midnight Special." It wasn't performed in the 1960s or '70s but sometime in the 2000s. I still would have loved to  have seen it, though.

The Iron Claw is going to get delivered to you ... in burger form. Photo by Brett Homenick.

We also spent a great deal of time talking about California. He loves the beaches in the L.A. area and remembers the names of many of them. He especially loves Laguna Beach. We talked about California, as well as my family. It was a great discussion. 

Sasai-san expressed interest in visiting California again, and of course I encouraged him to come. I insisted on paying for our dinner, and then we walked back to the station. Sasai-san and I will stay in touch, and hopefully we will meet again in the near future. 

Getting the Party Started with Takahashi-san as Our Host!

Yoko Takahashi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today (Friday, March 22) was also notable as the day that actress Yoko Takahashi hosted a party for me as I prepare to leave Japan. Takahashi-san was a prolific actress in the 1970s, with her best-known work in the West being the Oscar-nominated Sandakan 8 (1974). She also can be seen in Kon Ichikawa's The Devil's Ballad (1977).

Yoko Takahashi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I first met Takahashi-san in 2016, as her starring role in Sandakan 8 was intriguing to me. Not only was it an Oscar-nominated film, but it was also named by film critic Gene Siskel as the third-best film of 1976 and boasts a score by the great Akira Ifukube. In fact, I saw a photo from this film in a fanzine article about the composer when I was 14 years old, and, while Takahashi-san herself wasn't seen in that photo, it nonetheless fascinated me at a young age.

I arrived at the cafe just after 3:00, but it turned out that Takahashi-san was stuck in traffic and apparently a bit lost. (She had never been to this venue before, and it's some distance outside Tokyo.) Thankfully, the cafe owner happened to be our mutual friend, so he painstakingly guided her over the phone with all the necessary directions. Takahashi-san ultimately arrived at about 5:00, at which point the party could truly start!

Takahashi-san's lemon cake. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Takahashi-san brought a delicious lemon cake to celebrate, which we shared between the three of us. She also bought me a coin purse as a gift, which was an unexpected surprise. But, most importantly, she gave me a handwritten note in English that expressed her sincere feelings. Now that is a treasure I will always keep with me!

Make a wish!

I believe the party lasted until about 8:00. It was a lot of fun, so the time just flew by. We discussed many topics, including Takahashi-san's favorite films from America. (She has an encyclopedic knowledge of American films from the 1970s and told me about movies I'd never heard of, such as 1973's Cinderella Liberty, starring James Caan.) I told Takahashi-san about Gene Siskel and how he named Sandakan 8 the third-best movie of the year. She was especially impressed to see that Siskel ranked it above Taxi Driver (1976).

While she isn't exactly an expert on kaiju movies (and hasn't seen Godzilla Minus One), she knows enough about the genre to be able to sing a few bars of The Peanuts' Mothra song. I was pleased to have Takahashi-san sign my DVDs of Sandakan 8 and Africa's Light (1975), which I happened to find at a Book Off just prior to coming.

When it was time to leave, Takahashi-san kindly drove me home in her car. It's been a while since I've been driven home by a Japanese movie star, but it's always a lot of fun when it happens! At one point, when we came to a sign pointing the way to Nagoya, I blurted out that we should go there instead, which seemed to amuse Takahashi-san. 

Takahashi-san seemed quite motivated to visit California in the future, and I hope I can meet her there. Otherwise, I hope we can meet again in Japan someday. Even though tonight was a low-key affair, it was a great way to relieve some of the stress of the past couple of days. Many thanks to Takahashi-san for hosting this party -- it's one for the history books!

A Visit with a 1960s-Era Musician and Actor!

Kazuomi Sasai with a signed copy of Ring of Memories (1968). Photo by Brett Homenick.

 

On Friday, March 15, I had the distinct privilege of spending an afternoon with actor and musician Kazuomi Sasai (born November 12, 1944), a member of the 1960s musical group Village Singers. He served as the bassist for the band for about three and a half years. According to Japanese Wikipedia, he left the group in 1969 but eventually rejoined the group in 2002. 

Notably, he is the son of film producer Hideo Sasai, who was most closely associated with Nikkatsu, but has also produced films at Toho and Shochiku.

Kazuomi Sasai with a signed copy of Lemon in the Rainbow (1968). Photo by Brett Homenick.

I'd met only one member of the band before this -- Yutaka Hayashi. I have to admit that my interest in the Village Singers is more related to their movie appearances in the 1960s rather than their music, but both are still intriguing to me. 

In fact, I brought two DVDs with me for Sasai-san to sign -- Ring of Memories (1968) and Lemon in the Rainbow (1968). Both films, in which the Village Singers more or less play themselves, were produced by Shochiku. 

Kazuomi Sasai in Toyosu. Photo by Brett Homenick.

We met near Toyosu Station and made our way to a nearby Starbucks. I got a hot chocolate, and Sasai-san got a coffee. We discussed numerous topics. Sasai-san hasn't seen Godzilla Minus One (2023) but is aware of the success it's had around the world. 

Sasai-san also told me that his favorite type of movies are suspense ones, like the works of Alfred Hitchcock.

When I asked him if he liked The Beatles, Sasai-san mentioned he prefers The Rolling Stones and Creedence Clearwater Revival. I share that opinion, so I asked Sasai-san if he knew the CCR song "The Midnight Special." I was surprised to hear that his band had actually performed it once. When I asked if there was a recording of it, he said it was just a live performance and not included on any album. Ah, well.

When I originally made plans with Sasai-san, I budgeted about two hours, though I was confident I wouldn't need that much time. To my surprise, we actually did! We hung out for the entire two hours. After Starbucks, we moved on to Hama-sushi, a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, where I ate a bowl of ramen.

As we were leaving the sushi restaurant, Sasai-san listed many Southern California towns, even pointing out that former President Nixon used to live there. 

After I got home, I found another message from Sasai-san, offering to get together much closer to me in the next couple of weeks. Of course, I'd love to do that! It was great to meet him, and I look forward to meeting him again very soon.

A Double Feature at the Laputa Asagaya!

Signage for the Laputa Asagaya's Yuzo Kawashima Retrospective. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight -- that's Thursday, March 2 -- I returned to the Laputa Asagaya a bit earlier than I expected. A new film program has started, the Yuzo Kawashima Retrospective. As you've probably gathered, the retrospective focuses on the career of director Yuzo Kawashima. Tonight's film was a 35mm print of Romance Express (1961), a comedic ensemble featuring several notable Toho performers. I've wanted to see the film for a while, having seen some publicity stills that make the flick look like a lot of fun. The timing was good, so I went to the theater to check it out.

Publicity material for Romance Express (1961) in the theater lobby. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The film stars Frankie Sakai, who in the story is in a relationship with the leading lady, Reiko Dan. Sakai plays a cook working the dining car of a Kodama limited express train, and Dan plays a waitress who also works on the train. There's a bit of a love triangle involving Yumi Shirakawa, who plays a train attendant.

Reiko Dan wants to marry Frankie Sakai, but, because she wants to open a bento shop after they get married, Sakai isn't sure about the proposal. So he has six and a half hours -- the time it takes for the train to travel from Tokyo to Osaka -- to make his decision.

In addition, a lot of assorted kookiness takes place on the train, including the shenanigans of a lecherous company president, a loud, drunken weirdo, and pickpocket gang. As if that weren't enough, there's also a bomb scare to top things off. 

If that sounds even remotely serious, don't worry; it's not. In fact, Frankie Sakai has a slapstick fight with the pickpockets toward the end of the movie, complete with over-the-top, cartoonish sound effects. It's all done for entertainment and laughs. The movie is presented in black and white, but I think a movie this metaphorically colorful would have easily benefited from some literal color.

Oh, and I briefly spotted Shigeo Kato standing on a train platform and Haruo Nakajima as the Kodama driver. Fun stuff!

A Romance Express poster in the theater lobby. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Another note of interest is that the score was composed by Riichiro Manabe. Kaiju fans typically don't think of Manabe as having scored Toho movies during the golden age, but here's an example of his having done just that. The score itself matches the light-hearted tone of the proceedings, and it even reminded me a bit of the score to Roger Corman's The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) in places. 

The last scene takes place completely without dialogue. The camera is positioned outside the train, so the audience can only see the action take place inside the train, but it follows the characters as they move around inside. In this scene, Frankie Sakai gives Reiko Dan his answer about their getting married. It's all cleverly done, and it's a fun visual experience.

After the movie, I decided to hang around and catch another screening of Goke Body Snatcher from Hell (1968) -- again, in glorious 35mm -- as part of the Science Fiction Film Festival. Even though I literally just saw it a few days ago, I was up for another screening. I don't have anything to add to my blog post from a few days ago, other than to say I never got bored watching it again so soon after the last time and enjoyed it immensely again. What a great film! 

A Special Screening of 'Goke Body Snatcher from Hell' in 35mm!

Goke Body Snatcher from Hell (1968) at the Laputa Asagaya. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Earlier tonight (Sunday, February 26), I attended a screening of Goke Body Snatcher from Hell (1968) in 35mm. It's the penultimate film of the Laputa Asagaya's Science Fiction Film Festival. The film print was in good shape, though the usual specks and scratches were present throughout the movie. 

Publicity material for Goke in the theater lobby. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I've seen the film several times over the years, and it's been a favorite of mine since I saw the dubbed version on VHS in the year 2000. The movie has held up quite well, and I'd have to say that it's the screening I've enjoyed the most so far as part of the program. 

A poster for Goke in the theater lobby. Photo by Brett Homenick.

It's hard to believe there's only one film left -- that being Espy (1974). Actually, the theater put up a sign informing patrons that the film print for Espy is faded, so they are apologizing in advance for it. No worries, though -- I'm quite interested to see how it compares with the other prints they've screened. 

A poster for Romance Express (1961) in the theater lobby. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Also in the theater lobby was this poster for director Yuzo Kawashima's Romance Express (1961). It's not particularly relevant to anything, but I'm happy to photograph and share anything with the dazzling Yumi Shirakawa in it, so here you go.

The 120th Anniversary of Director Yasujiro Ozu!

The Togeki Building. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The year 2023 will mark the 120th anniversary of acclaimed director Yasujiro Ozu, whose most famous work is Tokyo Story (1953). He is also closely associated with the film studio Shochiku, so it should come as no surprise that a special panel exhibition featuring Ozu's film works (posters, awards, etc.) is currently on display on the first floor of the Togeki Building (which is where Shochiku is headquartered) in Tsukiji. The exhibition opened on November 16 and will run through late December. While out and about on Sunday, November 20, I stopped by to look around. Here's what I saw. 

 

Tokyo's King of Jazz Is Back!

Shinichi Yanagisawa on the drums. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tuesday, October 20, saw my first visit to the HUB Asakusa since February. It was long overdue. The April and June shows were cancelled due to COVID-19, but I was surprised to find out (after the fact) that the August actually happened. For a variety of reasons, I just assumed that performance would have been postponed, as well, so I didn't even bother to check to see if it would happen. Suffice it to say, I really regretted that.

As a result, I made it a point to attend the October performance of Shinichi Yanagisawa and His Swing All-Stars. Attendance was much smaller than usual (for obvious reasons), but the usual attendees were all there. It was also great to see Yanagisawa-san again for the first time since February. Yanagisawa-san, of course, is one of the stars of The X from Outer Space (1967).

Shinichi Yanagisawa after the show. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The performance ended a bit earlier than usual, which given the situation, isn't all that surprising. I'm just glad they're still happening at all. I certainly hope all goes well for the next concert in two months. If it's still on, I plan to be there.

Shochiku at 100!

The National Film Archive of Japan. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Thursday, August 13, I went to the National Film Archive of Japan to check out its Shochiku at 100 exhibit.  It was interesting, but a bit of a disappointment. It mostly consisted of various posters, and while there were a few other items (such as storyboards and scripts), it was largely for films I'm not familiar with.

The X from Outer Space (1967) was represented with an international poster, as well as the trailer playing on a constant loop (along with trailers for several other notable Shochiku titles). Other than that, there just isn't a whole lot to talk about. It was a nice exhibit; I just wish I had more to share about it!

Another Jazzy Night with Yanagisawa-san!

Shinichi Yanagisawa. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Last night, October 15, I went to Asakusa to see Yanagisawa-san perform live jazz. This time marked five straight years of attending the performances, never having missed one of them.

It was an enjoyable show, as usual, and I got to speak with a couple of familiar faces who usually attend the show, too.

Another Jazzy Evening in Asakusa!

Shinichi Yanagisawa. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight was another night at the HUB in Asakusa, listening to some live jazz as performed by Shinichi Yanagisawa and His Swing All-Stars. Suffice it to say, it was another great evening of entertainment.

At this point, I really hope I don't have to explain who Yanagisawa-san is. I blog about him all the time, and I've attended his performances for nearly five years. But yes, he was Miyamto in The X from Outer Space (1967), though there's much, much more to his career.

Best of all, I get to spend a bit of time in the company of such a wonderful gentleman. His fellow band members are great, too. I always look forward to attending these shows. I hope there will be many more to come in the future.