2015: A Great Year!

At a Tokyo event in October featuring Teruyoshi Nakano, Hiroko Sakurai, Machiko Naka, Yasuhiko Saijo, and Eiichi Asada.

In Japan, it's already 2016, but I wanted to say a few words about the year that just ended. In short, 2015 was by far my best year in Japan. It easily toppled 2012 (my previous favorite) to claim the top spot.

There was so much to do, and keeping busy was never an issue. I made many new friendships and strengthened the ones I already had. There were many other positive developments (most of which are beyond the scope of this blog), but suffice it to say that when I think of 2015, the good far outweighs the bad.

Thanks for the memories, 2015!

RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR! Ulf and I Begin the Celebrations!

Ulf Otsuki and yours truly at our favorite Indian restaurant in Edogawa.

Today (December 30), I paid a visit to actor Ulf Otsuki at his home in Edogawa. I had a great time seeing him again. First, we watched the old MGM musical Till the Clouds Roll By (1946). (Ulf is a big fan of old Hollywood movies, and we've started watching one every time I come to visit.)

The sun always sets on Edogawa. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Following the movie, we made our way to our usual Indian restaurant for some curry. We spent a long time there, chatting about a variety of topics.

The Tokyo Sky Tree in the distance. Photo by Brett Homenick.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable evening, and it's always a blast to see Ulf. Celebrations for the upcoming new year continue tomorrow, and I'm quite excited for what's in store.

Happy New Year, from me and Ulf!

SEEING STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS IN TOKYO! May the Futako Be with You!

Signage for Star Wars: The Force Awakens at a movie theater in Tokyo. Photo by Brett Homenick.

First, a confession. I'm not the biggest Star Wars fan in the world. In fact, I haven't seen a new Star Wars film since my brother took me to see The Phantom Menace in the summer of 1999. Unsurprisingly, I haven't been in any particular hurry to catch up on the franchise since then, but truth be told, I pretty much left Star Wars behind in my early teens.

Hey, look! It's Paddington, and he probably wants some marmalade! Photo by Brett Homenick.

Given all the hype (most of which seems to come from meme-sharing fans on Facebook), I finally broke down and went to see it at the 109 Cinemas in Futako-Tamagawa (hence the name of this blog post, in case you were wondering).

Even though the film has been out for a while in Japan, my screening (which was on a Tuesday afternoon) was nearly sold out, and I had to settle for a seat in the very first row. Hm... 

How come Star Wars doesn't offer any marmalade soda? Photo by Brett Homenick.

Interestingly, the teaser trailer for Shin Godzilla (a.k.a. Godzilla Resurgence) played before the film. If J.J. Abrams catches a screening of Star Wars in Japan, he'll probably be wondering why it took his flick Cloverfield so long to get released in Japan and why it's being called Godzilla. Suffice it to say, the teaser was as unimpressive to me on the big screen as it was on YouTube.

(Minor spoilers ahead)

As for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the movie had me up until those gloopy tentacled monsters showed up on the Millennium Falcon (at least that's where I think it was -- the characters moved around so much it was hard to keep track of where they were). Not only were they boring and nondescript, but they belonged in another movie. After that, well, I just had a "been there, done that" feeling until the last shot of the film, which was just as unsatisfying as anything else on the screen.

I'd give the movie about two out of four stars, but again, I'm not the target audience for this sort of thing. I've certainly seen movies a lot worse, but it could have been so much better.

CELEBRATING THE HOLIDAYS IN STYLE! Memories of a Fun Christmas!

A VERY TOHO CHRISTMAS! More Photos from the Christmas Eve Event!

Akira Kubo and Yoshio Tsuchiya pal around with an old friend.

Yoshio Tsuchiya and Yukiko Kobayashi talk shop with each other.

Three Toho legends pose for the camera.

Akira Kubo lights a cigarette for an old friend.

Yoshio Tsuchiya watches himself at work over 50 years ago in The Human Vapor (1960).

Akira Kubo holds up a Japanese program booklet for A Star Is Born (1954).

Return of Ultraman suit actor Eiichi Kikuchi honors Akira Kubo at the event.

Yours truly, posing with Akira Kubo, Yoshio Tsuchiya, and Yukiko Kobayashi.

With Akira Kubo.

With Yukiko Kobayashi.

Yukiko Kobayashi assists Yoshio Tsuchiya with his signings.

With Yoshio Tsuchiya.

A CHRISTMAS EVE TOHO ALL-STAR EVENT! Three Godzilla Series Bring the Holiday Cheer!

Actors Yoshio Tsuchiya, Akira Kubo, and Yukiko Kobayashi pose for pictures during a special event on Christmas Eve. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Thursday, December 24, saw an all-star reunion of three major Toho stars at a restaurant called Nano in Shinjuku. The three actors were Yoshio Tsuchiya (Seven Samurai, The Human Vapor), Akira Kubo (Gorath, Monster Zero), and Yukiko Kobayashi (Detroy All Monsters, The Vampire Doll).

Yoshio Tsuchiya reacts to the ovation he receives from the audience. Photo by Brett Homenick.

In particular, it was a rare opportunity to meet Yoshio Tsuchiya, who doesn't often appear at events in Tokyo. I was very excited to meet him, as he acting credits are among the most impressive of any Toho actor. He's one of the principal cast members of Seven Samurai (1954)!

Akira Kubo enjoyed mingling with the fans. Photo by Brett Homenick.

During the Q&A, I was privileged to ask the only question from the audience, and I asked it of all three quests. I asked them what their favorite childhood memories are. Kubo-san replied that joining Toho as a 15-year-old actor was his favorite.

Kobayashi-san then told the audience that when she was born, her father (an actor in his own right) wanted a boy, and so she grew up dressing like a boy, and even enjoyed playing with guns rather than dolls.

Tsuchiya-san talked about being afraid of King Kong (1933) as a boy. He also went on to talk about how many actors left Tokyo and went to Yamanashi Prefecture to escape the war. Since Tsuchiya-san lived there, he got to know many actors during that time. One of the actors he got to know turned out to be Kobayashi-san's father!

Yukiko Kobayashi talks about her acting credits at Toho Studios and Tsuburaya Productions. Photo by Brett Homenick.

After the interview session wrapped, the three guests joined the audience in singing "Silent Night" in both Japanese and English. During the English portion, I was invited to join the guests onstage (so to speak) and to sing along with them. It was quite a surprise for me!

Yours truly with the three guests of honor, after singing "Silent Night" with them.

Following that, it was time for autographs. Since Tsuchiya-san is a rare presence at events, he signed more autographs than the other guests by far. Despite it all, he remained in good spirits.

This was my fourth time meeting Akira Kubo, and I was gratified to know that he recognized me. He mentioned that we first met in Kyoto at a screening of Monster Zero, which took place four years ago in 2011. Kubo-san was very kind and was a joy to speak with.

Kobayashi-san was also great to see again. The Vampire Doll is a great Japanese horror film, and she is excellent as the film's vampire.

It was my first time to meet Yoshio Tsuchiya, and what can I say? He's a legend, and it was very exciting to speak with him.

I had an excellent time at the event, and I must commend the organizers on a job well done. What better way to close out 2015 than with three Toho legends?

KADOKAWA DAIEI STUDIOS SEZ MERRY CHRISTMAS! Celebrating the Holidays with Gamera and Daimajin!

Tonight I paid a visit to Kadokawa Daiei Studios in Chofu, Tokyo, to photograph the Daimajin statues decked out in their yuletide glory. Here are the photos for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!