Stopping By for a Visit with Godzilla's Former Boss!

Shogo Tomiyama. Photo by Brett Homenick.

This morning (Friday, March 22), I had the distinct privilege of being invited to visit former Toho president and Godzilla series producer Shogo Tomiyama at his university office. I also came to Tomiyama-san's office three years ago to conduct our in-person interview, but this was my first time to meet him one-on-one there.

Shogo Tomiyama. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The appointment was scheduled for 11:00 a.m., but somehow I arrived quite earlier than I expected. (I guess I got lucky with the train schedule.) It's usually polite to arrive to an appointment about 10 minutes early, but I had to kill more time than I would have expected just to get to the 10-minute mark. But, once the time came, I made my way over to the office and asked for Tomiyama-san.

The university staff knew I was coming, so they immediately informed Tomiyama-san when I arrived. (I must say, they were very friendly.) After that, Tomiyama-san invited me into his office, which is where we talked for about the next 40 minutes. Most of our discussion centered around movies, both new and old, American and Japanese. Naturally, there was a lot of Godzilla talk, but we also discussed some real-world issues. It was all rather enlightening.

After our meeting, we took the photos seen in this blog post. I must thank Tomiyama-san for making time to see me today. He's a true legend of Japanese films, and his steady guidance of the Godzilla series is sorely missed. What a day!

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! 

The Godzilla Store Tokyo Gets a (Slightly) New Location and Tries Its Hand at Subtracting One!

The Godzilla Store Tokyo. Photo by Brett Homenick.

While walking around Shinjuku tonight, I decided to stop by the Godzilla Store Tokyo and found that the store has moved to a different corner. (It's on the same floor of the same building, so you won't miss it.) The store has gone full Minus One in celebration of that film's recent Oscar victory, which you can see in the photos here. Enjoy!

The Night Sings in Tokyo!

Yoshiro Uchida. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight (Tuesday, March 19), I attended another chanson performance by Yoshiro Uchida. I always enjoy his performances, and I've become rather familiar with some of his songs, none of which I'd known about before.

One amusing moment happened when one of Uchida-san's fans, whom I really got to know last month when we had a pretty long conversation, suddenly asked me if I was the boyfriend of one of our acquaintances. This question came out of nowhere and was totally unexpected. I laughed and said of course not. I have no idea where she got that idea.

After the show, Uchida-san came up to me and asked me when my date of departure was, which I told him. When I was about to leave, I asked Uchida-san to autograph a Gamera postcard, as well as to pose for some obligatory photos, which he graciously did. He asked me about what my living situation will be like overseas and wished me good luck on my travels. He also remembered that we first met just two years ago -- a lot has happened since then!

I will certainly miss seeing Uchida-san's performances, but I'm grateful for the memories. The photos certainly help keep them alive.

Godzilla Sighted in Don Quijote!

Godzilla in Don Quijote Shinjuku Tonanguchi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

While shopping at Don Quijote Shinjuku Tonanguchi earlier tonight, I saw a familiar face while going down the stairs to exit the store. I never knew Godzilla could be seen there, but there you go. Enjoy!

FAIL SAFE! Reconsidering an American Classic with a Japanese Connoisseur of Cinema!

Hiroshi Kashiwabara. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight (Monday, March 18), I paid a visit to Hiroshi Kashiwabara's cafe to participate in an event focused on a classic movie. (If you know anything about Kashiwabara-san, you know about his extensive fondness for American oldies.) The topic of the evening was the Sidney Lumet thriller Fail Safe (1964).

Some of the memorabilia on display. Photo by Brett Homenick.

It's always been fascinating to me (in a less-than-positive way) that Dr. Strangelove (1964) is regarded as an all-time classic while Fail Safe has largely been forgotten. I first saw Dr. Strangelove circa December 1996 when I was going through my Kubrick-Is-God phase (through which most teenage boys eventually have to pass). That and The Shining (1980) were the two Kubrick films I had the most trouble getting into. (I'd throw in 1962's Lolita, too, but does a film that minor even rate?)

I just never found Strangelove particularly clever or funny. It has its moments (most of which I found out later were improvised), but I'd be hard-pressed to call it one of the best films of 1964, let alone of all time.

Even more memorabilia! Photo by Brett Homenick.

Around August 1997, I saw Fail Safe for the first time on late-night cable TV. It was everything that Strangelove wasn't. I've since read that audiences of the time avoided Fail Safe because they supposedly found the subject matter humorous in the wake of the Kubrick film, but I certainly wasn't laughing. (Heck, I wasn't laughing the first time around, watching the genius auteur's would-be comedy.) Fail Safe kept me on the edge of my seat, and ever since that evening I've considered it the superior film.

Anyway, a funny thing happened this evening. When I entered the venue, I noticed a few attendees giving me a quizzical look. One of them asked Kashiwabara-san if I was an actor. He explained who I was, after which I confirmed to the folks in attendance that I'm indeed not a performer.

When the discussion of the film ended, Kashiwabara-san asked me to stand up, and he proceeded to tell the gathered attendees about more about me. I wasn't expecting to be put in the spotlight, but it's always flattering. Afterward, a few attendees expressed interest in seeing my interviews, so I shared the URL for Vantage Point Interviews with them. They seemed impressed!

Tonight was a fun night of film discussion. Many thanks to Kashiwabara-san for making it possible!