A Return to Toei Movie Studios in Tokyo!

Toei Movie Studios. Photo by Brett Homenick.

One of the highlights of today (Sunday, November 5) was checking Toei Movie Studios in Nerima, Tokyo. I last visited the studio in March 2020, so this was only my second time there. It was a lot of fun to see again. Instead of a thousand words, here are some photos. Enjoy!

TOEI HISTORY! Oizumi-gakuen Station Honors the Japanese Studio's Heritage!

Oizumi-gakuen Station. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today (Sunday, November 5), I stopped by Oizumi-gakuen Station in Nerima, Tokyo. Oizumi-gakuen Station is the home of Toei Movie Studios, as well as Toei Animation, so the area is replete is film and television history. Much of that history is on display at the train station itself, which not only salutes many of Toei Animation's famous characters but a number of Toei's live-action movies, too. For example, Oizumi Anime Gate features several bronze statues of Toei characters that is well worth checking out. From Astro Boy to Ken Takakura, Oizumi-gakuen Station has you covered!

A Visit to Toei Studios!

Toei Studios. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Over the years, I've been a part of tours of Toho and Kadokawa Daiei Studios, and I've visited Nikkatsu Studios, but the one place that I'd never visited was Toei. Oh, sure, I'd been to the Toei Kyoto Studio Park, but not the Tokyo studio. I decided it was high time for me to change that. So yesterday (March 30), I went to Oizuumi-gakuen Station and eventually made my way to the studio. It was quite interesting to see, even without going behind the studio gates. I always enjoy checking out places with so much film history. Here's what I saw. Enjoy!

Pink Jaguar in Concert!

Rushia Santo. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

On Wednesday, November 21, I attended a live performance by Rushia (a.k.a. Lucia) Santo, an actress-singer whose career dates back to the early 1970s. Santo-san is best known for playing Pink Jaguar in Daitetsujin 17 (1977), and she also can be seen in Nobuhiko Obayashi's The Visitor in the Eye (1977).

Santo-san was more than a little surprised to see that an American was familiar with her work in Daitetsujin 17. I enjoyed her show and look forward to attending the next one!

HENSHIN! Meeting Kamen Rider 2 Takeshi Sasaki!

 Takeshi Sasaki (a.k.a. Kamen Rider 2). Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Today, I attended a special event with Takeshi Sasaki, the man who replaced Hiroshi Fujioka on the original Kamen Rider (1971-73) series and then teamed up with him when Fujioka recovered from his on-set injury. While I'd seen Sasaki-san at Super Festival in the past, I'd never actually met him until today.

I'm not as well versed in all things Kamen Rider as others are, but I certainly enjoyed meeting Sasaki-san, who is an undisputed legend in tokusatsu. I just have to work on my Kamen Rider poses!

THE STUNTMAN! Meeting Hironobu Hagimae!

Hironobu Hagimae. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Saturday evening, I had the unexpected privilege of meeting stuntman Hironobu Hagimae. Hagimae-san isn't a name that's very well known in America (or even Japan), but his credits are quite cool. As a stuntman who specializes in car and motorcycle stunts, he has been seen in movies and TV programs all over the world -- not just Japan, but also America and even Australia.

Hagimae-san was the motorcycle stuntman for the original Kamen Rider (1971-73) and continued in that capacity throughout the '70s. His favorite Rider is Kamen Rider V3, and he is quite proud of the work he did on that show, too. 

In the late '70s, Hagimae-san moved to America and did stunt work on the long-running TV series CHiPs. Due to his similar build to actor Erik Estrada, Hagimae-san was his motorcycle stuntman on the show. (So, yes, Kamen Rider and Frank Poncherello are related.) Hagimae-san also did stunts on the George Miller actioners Mad Max (1979) and The Road Warrior (1981).

I greatly enjoyed meeting Hagimae-san, whose career ought to be better known on both sides of the Pacific. I hope to see him again very soon.

SUPERHEROES CONVERGE ON TSUKIJI! The Toei All-Stars to the Rescue!

Tsukiji Hongan-ji. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight, I attended a play near Tsukiji Hongan-ji, but the true highlight is what happened afterward. I was quite fortunate to attend a special dinner with several stars from the Super Sentai and Kamen Rider series.

Sayoko Hagiwara, Yumiko Tanaka, and Koji Unoki pose for pictures. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The three luminaries on hand were Sayoko Hagiwara (Dynaman's Dyna Pink), Yumiko Tanaka (Harumi Kusanami from Kamen Rider Super-1, as well as Godzilla 1985), and Koji Unoki (Dyna Blue from Dynaman). 

To say it was a fun evening would be the understatement of the year. I had a blast. There's nothing like hanging out with people as cool as this. To top it all off, it was Hagiwara-san's birthday. That made the evening all the more special. Many thanks to all involved!