THE FIRST HALF OF FEBRUARY IN REVIEW! The Month Isn't Over Yet, But Here Are Some Highlights!

The month of February is moving at a rapid pace, and while the month is drawing to a close, it's not quite there yet. Still, I wanted to share of the highlights of the month that I haven't covered elsewhere, so here we go.

First, I spent Sunday, February 15, with my friend Jon Gallock in Tachikawa. Jon appeared in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), among countless other movie and TV appearances in Japan. We had a great time catching up on many topics. Actually, it was the first time I got to see Jon since moving to Tokyo last year!

On February 17, I got to visit actor-singer Shinichi Yanagisawa at the HUB in Asakusa. Yanagisawa-san and his band often perform jazz music there, and it's always a treat to go there and visit. I was able to hand Yanagisawa-san a copy of his recently published interview, and he was excited to receive it. Many thanks to Kyoichi Watanabe for his translation and his friendship!

Yanagisawa-san is a great man, and I think it's wonderful he still performs on a regular basis. I hope to see many more shows during my time in Tokyo. I feel very fortunate that I've gotten to know Yanagisawa-san as well as I have. As one of the stars of The X from Outer Space (1967), it has certainly been my privilege to know him.

That's all for now. Stay tuned to this blog for further updates!

CRYSTAL SKY: Tachikawa's Super Sentai Hang-out!

A brand-new bar in Tokyo that will attract even teetotalers like me! Whether you drink or don't drink, the Crystal Sky bar offers much to tokusatsu fans of all backgrounds.

Over the weekend, I had the good fortune to visit the new Crystal Sky bar in Tachikawa, Tokyo. Actor Masaru Shishido opened the bar in April, and given his association with Japan's long-running Super Sentai series, decided that a tokusatsu theme was the way to go. Mr. Shishido, who played the Red Ranger in Toei's Ohranger (1995-96), goes the extra mile and gives his patrons much more than what you'll find at similar theme restaurants in Japan.

Signage pointing the way to the Crystal Sky bar. If you find yourself in Tachikawa, be on the lookout for it!

My friend totorom and I entered the bar, not knowing much about what to expect. I've eaten at Kamen Rider: The Diner in Ikebukuro, which was an experience you can read about here. While that diner provided its guests with some great memorabilia, it lacked a personal touch. That is not at all the case with Crystal Sky.

Mr. Shishido happily mixes and mingles with the fans and patrons. When totorom and I walked in, he sat down with us, answered our questions, and even signed autographs! Truth be told, we weren't even expecting to meet him at all! The wait staff was especially friendly and knowledgeable about tokusatsu. One of the bartenders informed me that I was the first non-Japanese customer in the bar's short history. With this blog post, I hope many more will follow!

A record of my surprise meeting with Mr. Shishido, who was happy to pose for pictures.

One drawback is that photos are not allowed to be taken inside the bar. That was a big disappointment, as many cool items were on display, from Godzilla and Ultraman figures to autographs from several fellow tokusatsu stars. In fact, Hiroshi Miyauchi (Kamen Rider V3, The War in Space) signed a huge portion of the wall itself! I was dying to photograph it, but alas... Afterward, I sang a bit of superhero karaoke in front of the entire bar (namely Ultra Seven), which helped lift my spirits.

Mr. Shishido told us that the bar is open seven days a week because, appropriately enough, a hero never rests. Also, he plans to host personal appearances of tokusatsu stars at his establishment, which certainly had me intrigued. Suffice it to say, this will not be my final visit to the bar!

I give Crystal Sky my highest recommendation. Its friendly atmosphere and gracious host are well worth the trip to Tachikawa, even if Super Sentai isn't your bag. For more information on Crystal Sky, this article has the scoop.