Ultraman: Towards the Storage Unit!

Ultraman sez, "Keep it!" Photo by Brett Homenick.

 

While out and about today, I spied not one but two storage units (owned and operated by the same company, of course) that prominently use Ultraman to advertise their services. It was certainly unexpected -- maybe they'll bring in Ultraman to host Storage Wars!

Sapporo Scenes in December!

Welcome to Sapporo! Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Friday, December 5, I spent the night in Sapporo, Hokkaido, which was my first time to visit the city. While most of it was pretty simple -- eating at Saizeriya, shopping at Book Off -- I did have the opportunity to see and do quite a few cool things. Let's take a look at the highlights!

An Ultra-Good Q&A on Vantage Point Interviews!

Photo © Todd Gilbert.

Screenwriter Bud Robertson gives us a rare look at Americanizing Ultraman in the 1990s for Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero (1995) in this brand-new interview with many never-before-seen images -- only on Vantage Point Interviews!

Kaiju Eiga Secrets Revealed in New Q&A on Vantage Point Interviews!

Yoshio Suzuki in March 2024. Photo by Brett Homenick.

A new vintage account is now available on Vantage Point Interviews -- this time with Yoshio Suzuki, one of the five original suitmakers for the original Godzilla (1954). For the first time in English, Mr. Suzuki recounts his career at both Toho and Tsuburaya Productions, covering everything from the first two Godzilla movies to the enigmatic North Korean kaiju epic Pulgasari (1985).

It's all here in this brand-new Q&A from Vantage Point Interviews!

Joining a Tsuburaya Pro Legend for Dinner!

Akihide Tsuzawa. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight (Wednesday, March 27), I enjoyed the company of former child actor Akihide Tsuzawa with whom I ate dinner at a Jonathan's family restaurant near his home. Tsuzawa-san played Hoshino in the original Ultraman (1966-67) TV series, which makes me wish we could have met at a Hoshino Coffee instead!

I was surprised to find that Tsuzawa-san had another present for me. It was a pamphlet-size photobook of pictures his mother took on location during the shooting of Ultra Q (1966) and Ultraman. Apparently, this book will be on offer at an upcoming event in Japan, but I'm certainly privileged to have been given my own copy.

Akihide Tsuzawa. Photo by Brett Homenick.

There are a mixture of color and black-and-white photos in the booklet. Some of the photos were originally taken in color, while others were colorized for the pamphlet. 

We hung out for just under two hours and talked about many things, including Tsuzawa-san's interest in Japanese MLB players throughout the years (especially Otani and Nomo), my reaction to Godzilla Minus One (2023), which Tsuzawa-san hasn't seen, his recent trip to Lake Okutama (which I pointed out was a location in 1961's Mothra, which he didn't know), his busy professional life that left him little time to stop and smell the flowers, and many other things. 

Tsuzawa-san told me that his favorite director to work with on Ultraman was Toshihiro Iijima. He also drew a map on a napkin of where Toho was in relation to Tsuburaya Productions. I asked Tsuzawa-san if he watched any of the tokusatsu scenes being shot, but he said he didn't due to how hectic the drama side's shooting schedule was. While shooting took place at Tsuburaya Productions, the dubbing apparently took place at Toho.

Tsuzawa-san also talked about his nostalgia for old American TV shows like Lassie, Rawhide, and Superman. In fact, he wanted to see a photo of the Superman he grew up with, but, when I showed him a photo of George Reeves in costume, he said that wasn't it. So I thought maybe he was thinking of Kirk Alyn, but no dice. It wasn't until I showed him a photo of Reeves with Noel Neill as Lois Lane that it finally clicked.

Of course, we also touched on real-life issues, such as careers, relationships, the cost of health insurance, and other things like that. When it was all said and done, I paid for both our meals. Hey, it was the least I could do!

I'm so glad to have had the opportunity to hang out with Tsuzawa-san so soon after our last meeting in January. During the evening, Tsuzawa-san remembered the first time we met in 2016. All these years later, I'd say that's a tremendous feat. When I pulled out my phone to take Tsuzawa-san's photo, he beat me to the bunch by taking my picture first on his camera. (I won't remind you about what I always say about VIPs and guests who take photos of you.)

What a fun evening! Many thanks to Tsuzawa-san for his kind hospitality!

Remembering a Toho Legend at His Final Resting Place

The grave of Sadao Iizuka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

 

Today (Sunday, March 24, I was invited to join a small group of Sadao Iizuka's fans and friends to pay tribute to his memory at his grave near Chitose-karasuyama Station. This day marked the first anniversary of his passing, so it was an especially momentous occasion.

I was surprised to learn that Iizuka wasn't his birth name. His last name at birth was actually Ikeda (as the grave suggests) but later took the name of his adoptive father, which is how he became Sadao Iizuka. 

The members of our group placed incense sticks in his grave, poured water on top of it, and prayed. It was very moving, and it was my first time to visit a grave and pray in a traditional Japanese way. 

An Ultra-Good Morning with Two Very Special 'Ultraman' Alums!

Atsuko Tanaka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today (Saturday, March 23), I woke up bright and early to go to Shibuya and meet with two veteran Tsuburaya Productions script supervisors, Atsuko Tanaka and Noriko Shishikura. Our meeting was scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m., but it turned out that I arrived much earlier than they did. 

 

A few minutes later, they made their entrance, and we sat down for a bit less than an hour before Shishikura-san had to move on to her next appointment. 

Noriko Shishikura. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that Shishikura-san had dug up some old photos of her career at Tsuburaya Productions and Nikkatsu Studios. It was truly fascinating to see these vintage pictures that may never have been published anywhere else.

Before I knew it, our time was up, and we both had to move on to our next appointments. Right before I left, we posed for the mandatory photos that are always a necessity for this blog. Besides, they're a lot of fun to take!

Noriko Shishikura and Atsuko Tanaka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I should point out that the cafe we used is on the second floor of Toho Cinemas Shibuya. In fact, it was the same cafe where I met with the late Kenpachiro Satsuma in November 2014. While I've walked past the cafe many times since then, I think this was the first time I've been inside it since that meeting. It only took me about 10 years!

Actor Minori Terada, Veteran of Toho and Tsuburaya Productions, Passes Away at Age 81

Minori Terada in February 2020. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Actor Minori Terada, a prolific performer whose acting career dates back to 1961 and continued into the current year, passed away on March 14 due to lung cancer, his agency, CES Entertainment, has announced. He was 81.

Minori Terada in August 2019. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Born on November 7, 1942, Terada would join the theater company Bungakuza in 1961 and began performing onstage. By the mid-1960s, he started acting in movies, embarking on a decades-long career that saw him collaborate with some of Japan's most talented directors.

Terada stars in Kihachi Okamoto's The Human Bullet (1968) as "Him," but he is also known for his supporting parts in such films as Okamoto's Red Lion (1969), Zatoichi and Yojimbo (1970), Battle of Okinawa (1971), Station (1981), Hayao Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky (1986), Akio Jissoji's Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis (1988), and Ultra Q: The Movie (1990). On TV, he guest-starred in Ultraman (1966-67) episode 14 as the truck driver's assistant.

I was privileged to meet Mr. Terada twice. I remember that he wanted to talk to me about Akira Kurosawa movies, as well as the works of other Japanese directors. He was quite friendly and seemed genuinely interested in knowing my opinions. My second meeting with Terada-san is also notable because it was one of the last ones before the COVID-19 lockdowns started in Japan.

With his passing, Minori Terada leaves behind a body of work that few actors could hope to match. Rest in peace, and thank you very much for the decades of entertainment.

Returning to Ofuna-Kannon After a 10-Year Absence!

Ofuna-Kannon.

On Wednesday, March 20, I paid a visit to Ofuna Kannonji Temple (a.k.a. Ofuna-Kannon) along with the daughter of Ultraman (1966-67) co-star Masanari Nihei, Kazuka. Would you believe it'd been 10 years since I last visited it? It surprised me, too!

What also surprised me (but in a much worse way) was that my smartphone suddenly decided to die right then and there as I was taking a photo. For the record, I had a Pixel 5a, which is apparently notoriously for becoming a brick within about two and a half years -- which is about as long as I had mine.

Because my photos from the day weren't backed up, I lost them with my phone, which couldn't be turned on again. So the photos in the post were taken on Kazuka's phone, who kindly sent me them after she got home. Anyway, with all that out of the way, here are the photos from the day. Enjoy!

THE NAGASAWA FILTRATION PLANT REVISITED! A Filming Location for Many Tokusatsu Productions!

The Nagasawa Filtration Plant. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today (Tuesday, March 19), I braved heavy winds to pay another visit to the Nagasawa Filtration Plant (a.k.a. the Nagasawa Purification Plant) in Kawasaki, Kanagawa. This particular building was used as a filming location for countless tokusatsu movies and TV programs dating back to the early 1960s.

Among other titles, it has been featured in Invasion of the Neptune Men (1961), Gorath (1962), episode 2 of Ultraman (1966-67), the Super Sentai series, and perhaps most famously as Jounan University's Institute of Biochemistry in Kamen Rider (1971-73).

I last visited the plant back in March 2016. Hard to believe it's been eight years, but there you go. At any rate, I clearly remember that you aren't allowed to get too close to the building without prior approval (such as joining an official tour of the facility), so I made sure to stay outside the gate. 

Still, as tokusatsu buffs, we're more concerned with the outside of the building than the inside since that's what we saw in our favorite flicks. It was great to see the plant again after so long. It isn't exactly the easiest spot to visit since it's quite far from any train station, which is the main reason it's taken me so long to return, but it's well worth seeing if you have the chance. Here are my snapshots from earlier today. Enjoy!