Godzilla Teams Up with Family Mart!

Godzilla Minus One (2023) stomps into Family Mart! Photo by Brett Homenick.

While walking around in Yotsuya earlier tonight, I spotted this Godzilla Minus One (2023) promotional tie-in at Family Mart convenience stores. Right now, you can get a Godzilla-themed coffee cup at Family Mart! Available are five different white, small-size Minus One coffee cups, as well as five different red, medium-size Heisei/Millennium-era coffee cups. Unfortunately, you can't choose which cup you'll get, and the promotion will end when they run out of cups.

Other goods will be available from November 7 through November 27, so, if you'd like to see what's available, go here. Happy hunting!

Odds and Ends

Yotsuya Station. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I was at Yotsuya Station, but didn't see any ghosts! What gives?

Oh, well, at least I had fun!

M11, you say? Photo by Brett Homenick.

Say, that number sounds a bit familiar! 

Um, the less said about it, the better!

YOTSUYA-SANCHOME! Could It Really Be an Android from the Future?

Today's business brought me to Yotsuya-Sanchome Station on the Marunouchi Line. Even though I've blogged about it before, there's something about this station that makes me laugh every time I visit it or pass by. Can you guess what it is?

The image above should be a big hint. Insert your own jokes here. (And there are many to be made!)

YOTSUYA'S PORTRAIT GALLERY! Classic Japanese Stars Are Celebrated!

While walking around Yotsuya, I found the Nihon Shashin Kaikan. The Portrait Gallery is on the fifth floor, but I didn't go up. Actually, I really didn't need to. Something especially cool was right there at the ground-floor entrance.

While walking along the street, this collection of photos caught my eye. Several very recognizable faces are among these photographs, and they're not the type that you see every day in Japan.

The Peanuts (Yumi and Emi Ito) were the ones who initially grabbed my attention. They, of course, are well known in the West for playing the Shobijin in several Godzilla and Mothra movies at Toho Studios.

Also featured is the legendary Ken Takakura. While he is virtually unknown in America (at least when compared to the likes of Toshiro Mifune), he is easily one of Japan's most popular and beloved stars -- a true icon if there ever was one.

Koji Tsuruta was another headliner in the collection. While he went on to mark his mark at Toei Studios, Tsuruta appeared in numerous Toho productions during the 1950s and early '60s, such as The Big Boss (1959), The Three Treasures (1959), and Secret of the Telegian (1960).

Suffice it to say, this was an unexpected (and totally welcome) surprise.

YOTSUYA AT NIGHT! No Ghosts to Be Seen Anywhere!

I made a brief stop tonight in Yotsuya and decided to snap a few photos. It certainly was a nice view of the skyline, especially from the Marunouchi Line platform.

Sadly, I still haven't seen the Ghost of Yotsuya (as seen in various Japanese horror movies over the years). I sure would like to see the apparition in person!

Anyway, it was a fun evening exploring an area I usually don't visit. Gotta do it again soon!

SEARCHING FOR THE GHOST OF YOTSUYA! I Ain't Afraid of No Yurei!

On Saturday night, I made a stop at Yotsuya Station. Whenever I come to Yotsuya, I can't help but to think of the famous Japanese ghost story "The Ghost of Yotsuya." This tale has been made into feature films several times over many years, though the 1959 version directed by Nobuo Nakagawa is widely considered to be the best.

Unfortunately, I didn't see any ghosts, yurei, spirits, or anything else hanging out in either the JR or Marunouchi train platform, but it was nonetheless a fun thing to do.

While there, I noticed that the next station on the Marunouchi Line, Yotsuya-sanchome, had an interesting designation. It must be a station whose popularity could conquer Asia. Well, maybe not.

ULTRAMAN GAIA RULES YOTSUYA! Actor Takeshi Yoshioka Keeps a Watchful Eye Over Tokyo!

Actor Takeshi Yoshioka always keeps his tokusatsu memorabilia handy! Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight I spent the evening at Live Bar Grotto, a Yotsuya-based restaurant owned and operated by actor Takeshi Yoshioka, who starred as the title character in Ultraman Gaia (1998-99). It was my first time back to the establishment in three years. Still, it was exactly as I remembered it.

Posing with Ultraman Gaia himself!

Yoshioka-san was very friendly and spoke a little English. We talked about American music, his visit to California several years ago, the Ultraman series, and other topics. It was great to catch up with Yoshioka-san again, and I promised that next time I would return sooner than three years!