GODZILLA DESTROYS NAKANO! The Three Principal G-Suit Actors Make a Joint Appearance in Tokyo!

Godzilla sighted on the Chuo-Sobu Line! Suit actor Ken Satsuma travels to the signing event in Nakano. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today I attended a talk show and signing event in Nakano, Tokyo. Held on the 15th floor of the Sun Plaza (right next door to the Nakano Broadway Mall), the three major Godzilla suit actors were the guests of honor. Haruo Nakajima, Kenpachiro Satsuma, and Tsutomu Kitagawa were big hits with the fans, as they happily signed autographs and posed for photos!

Three Godzillas! What does it mean!?

Following a talk show session, all three suit actors signed autographs for their fans. The first suit actor I met in line was Kenpachiro Satsuma, who played Godzilla from 1984-1995. I had Satsuma-san sign my DVD sleeve of Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), in which he plays Gigan. Satsuma-san's signature joins those of Katsuhiko Sasaki, Yutaka Hayashi, Teruyoshi Nakano, Ulf Otsuki, and Riichiro Manabe! I also purchased a copy of Satsuma-san's book and had that signed as well.

Posing with Kenpachiro Satsuma, who not only played the Heisei Godzilla, but also Hedorah and Gigan!

Next for me was meeting Haruo Nakajima, the original Godzilla suit actor from 1954-1972. I had Nakajima-san sign my Blu-ray sleeve for King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), as well as a copy of his brand-new photo book, which contains many incredible still shots from Nakajima-san's acting career. When I approached his table, Nakajima-san's daughter, Sonoe, whispered to her father who I was, and Nakajima-san greeted me with a big smile.

Then we took several photos like the one below. The last several times I've met Nakajima-san, we've always taken photos like this. It's practically a tradition now!

The final guest for me was Millennium series suit actor Tsutomu Kitagawa, who played Godzilla from 1999-2004 (minus GMK). Kitagawa-san was also very friendly and welcoming. He signed my Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) DVD sleeve.

When I was about to leave, a surprise guest showed up -- none other than Robert Scott Field! That's right, M11 from Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) happened to be in Tokyo at the time and was invited to attend by Kitagawa-san. Scott spent a lot of time catching up with Satsuma-san as well as Kitagawa-san. Interestingly, this marks the first time I've actually seen Scott in Japan. But, considering he lives in Osaka, that's not too surprising!

Overall, it was a fun event, and the highlight was getting to see old friends and great guests. I hope to attend more such events in the future.

BIN FURUYA'S PLAY IN ASAKUSA! The Ultraman Actor Wraps His Starring Role in a Stage Performance!

Ultraman approves! Former Ultraman suit actor Bin Furuya poses for the cameras immediately following his performance onstage. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I was recently invited to view a performance on Bin Furuya's new stage play at in Asakusa, which recently wrapped. Its title, which translates as "Under the Sky of the Six Wards," was a postwar tale of Japan with plenty of humor but also some dramatic moments.

Yours truly with Furuya-san. It's been a while since our last meeting, but it is always fun to catch up with Ultraman!

Seeing Furuya-san's play gave me a chance to see him sing and even perform some tap-dancing! I've known for a long time that Furuya-san was a man of many talents, but he continues to prove it in all he does!

A leaflet for "Under the Sky of the Six Wards," starring Bin Furuya, which ran from October 8 through October 10.

A couple of days after seeing the play, Furuya-san called me to thank me for coming out to see it. It, of course, was my pleasure. But Furuya-san is the real deal, so his phone call was just a reflection of the gentleman he is.

Under the night sky of Asakusa.

IN CELEBRATION OF AKIRA TAKARADA! Kaiju Legends Come Out to Honor THE Legend!

 

When worlds collide! Godzilla star Akira Takarada and Heisei Godzilla suit actor Ken Satsuma meet for the first time! Photo by Brett Homenick.

Sunday, October 5, saw a celebration of Godzilla, Akira Takarada, Akira Ifukube, and just about everything else in the genre take place at Cue Studio in Ueno, Tokyo. Akira Takarada was the guest of honor, but also in attendance were Godzilla suit actor Kenpachiro Satsuma, director and creature creator Tomoo Haraguchi, Kyoko Ifukube (Maestro Ifukube's daughter), and artist Yuji Kaida.

Everyone in attendance (including the other special guests!) each got a chance to speak with Takarada-san on the microphone. It was quite a sight to see Godzilla (and Hedorah and Gigan!) speak with Takarada-san!

Tomoo Haraguchi also offered his praise for Takarada-san. I was pleased to see two giants of the Heisei kaiju universe pay tribute to one of the greatest figures from the Showa era.

The obligatory buddy shot! After getting some things signed, it was picture time! I should mention that when it was my turn to speak, I presented Takarada-san with a poster for Salaryman Chushingura (1960), in which he was one of the stars. He was delighted to receive it!

While it was my first time to meet Haraguchi-san, I've briefly met Satsuma-san at Super Festival. I got to communicate with Satsuma-san a bit more through our mutual friend Tsuyuki. Satsuma-san was his usual gregarious self!

Even Kyoko Ifukube wanted an autograph from Takarada-san! The great composer's daughter was very excited to get this lovely shikishi board signed by the Godzilla series' biggest star.

And that's a wrap! What a great event! I was taken by surprise by all the additional guests. Truth be known, I thought Takarada-san would be the only guest, so the addition of so many bonus guests was the icing on the cake!

The highlights for me were catching up with Takarada-san and getting to know Satsuma-san much better. This event far exceeded my expectations, and I had a wonderful time. I eagerly await the next one!

TERUYOSHI NAKANO TURNS 79! The Celebrated SFX Director Celebrates His Upcoming Birthday!

 Former Toho SFX director Teruyoshi Nakano prepares to blow out the candles on his birthday cake! Photo by Brett Homenick.

October 4 marks the third year in a row that I have been privileged to attend the birthday party for Teruyoshi Nakano, the Toho SFX director who helmed the Godzilla series in the 1970s through Godzilla 1985. Despite what is often posted on the Internet, Nakano-san's birthday takes place on October 9.

Nakano-san's celebration took place in a cafe near Yomiuriland-mae Station in Kawasaki, Kanagawa. For the entire "talk show" portion of the event, Nakano-san talked about two of his favorite movies: The Third Man (1949) and Our Very Own (1950). After the talk show was completed, Nakano-san signed copies of his book, of which I'm happy to say I am now a proud owner!

When I posed for the above photo, Nakano-san said, "Family." Suffice it to say, I was humbled. So long as I'm in Japan, I'll always make it out to Nakano-san's birthday parties. I'm a Teruyoshi Nakano guy! Many thanks to my good friend Yasushi!

JAPAN'S JAZZ SINGER! Interviewing Actor and Musician Shinichi Yanagisawa!

Actor-singer Shinichi Yanagisawa holds a copy of G-FAN magazine following our interview about his career. Photo by Brett Homenick.

While the actors from Toho Studios have often been celebrated by fans of the Godzilla series and Japanese movie fans in general, many of the actors who made their names at rival studios remain largely obscure and unnoticed. Names like Sonny Chiba, Yujiro Ishihara, and Ken Takakura became famous outside of Toho, but they are largely the exceptions, at least where American fans are concerned.

That's why it was my distinct honor to interview actor and jazz singer Shinichi Yanagisawa last Sunday in Shinjuku. Yanagisawa-san is certainly best known worldwide for his comic-relief role as Miyamoto in The X from Outer Space (1967). If you remember the film's line about "plastic water," then you remember Yanagisawa-san!

Despite having been a prolific actor at Shochiku Studios throughout the 1960s, Yanagisawa-san started at Nikkatsu Studios in the late 1950s, working with filmmaker Shohei Imamura on several films. Yanagisawa-san worked freelance at Toho thereafter, even being directed in a film by Motoyoshi (Godzilla Raids Again) Oda. He also voiced Ricky Ricardo in the Japanese version of I Love Lucy! How's that for an entertainment legacy?

All this (and more) is covered in my upcoming interview. It was a joy to do, and I hope to see Yanagisawa-san again very soon!

MY DAY WITH SHIGEO KATO! Hanging Out with a Prolific Toho Player!

Actor Shigeo Kato signs my DVD sleeve of Conflagration (1975), in which Kato-san appears in a small supporting role. Photo by Brett Homenick.

As I was leaving Super Festival on Sunday, I called retired Toho actor Shigeo Kato at his home. I blogged about Kato-san in a previous post, but suffice it to say that he appeared in just about all the major Toho films of the golden age -- everything from Seven Samurai (1954) to Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000).

Kato-san and I made an appointment to meet in Kamakura and then have coffee at a nearby cafe. He happily regaled me with stories of his old days, and it is at moments like this I wished my horrendous Japanese skills were a thousand times better than they are. Still, I managed to follow along as best I could, and I was nevertheless enthralled by what I could pick up.

After a while, we left the cafe and went walking around. We spotted a local shop with a familiar face guarding its entrance! When I asked Kato-san to pose for a photo, he immediately struck Ultraman's famous Specium Ray pose. Kato-san appeared in several episodes of Ultraman and the subsequent series that followed.

Kato-san showed me around several beautiful places in Kamakura that I'd never seen before, despite having made several visits there. The day turned out to be much more memorable than I could have imagined. Walking around with Kato-san (who's a spry 89 years old!) and seeing many awe-inspiring sights was an experience for which I will always be grateful. It's exactly the sort of thing I came to Japan to do. Many thanks, Kato-san!

GET YOUR KICKS AT SUPER FESTIVAL 66! The Long-Running Tokusatsu Convention Has Toys and Models Galore!

Model maker extraordinare Hiroshi Sagae does some promotional work at Super Festival 66 in Tokyo. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Super Festival 66 took place in its usual location in Tokyo's Science Museum near Kudanshita Station. As usual, there were toys and models aplenty, and while there were a few special guests on hand (including Kikaider actor Daisuke Ban), tickets for autograph signings typically sell out quickly at this event, so I decided just to do a bit of window-shopping this time.

That said, I did run into G-FEST XXI guest Hiroshi Sagae, and we took some photos and exchanged greetings. It's always a treat to see Sagae-san at these events. He's been a ubiquitous presence in recent months!

Models and toys were just as ubiquitous, and while I have not been a toy or model collector since my teenage years, it can be interesting to see what's new (or, in some cases, old). I couldn't tell you the first thing about who made these models or when, but hey, they're cool to look at!

Admittedly, a show like Super Festival offers me very little. I'm more into meeting celebrity guests and hanging out with my friends, and the culture of buying overpriced toys or models is not my bag. (Your mileage may vary, of course.) Some of these items can be fun to photograph, but only occasionally. After all, if I don't collect the models themselves, why would I want to collect a bunch of pictures of them?!

Overall, it was fun to stop in at Super Festival for a moment, but the more I attend, the more I realize the show is just not for me. Much like Wonder Festival, it caters to a different crowd with a different hobby. It can be fun to step inside that world every now and again, but I think there's a reason I spend less and less time at Super Festival every time I go.