I have urged J. D. for several years to have him back and award Nakajima the coveted "Mangled Skyscraper Award" for his career as Godzilla and other kaiju characters. Both requests will be honored.
I first met Nakajima at G-FEST 2000 in Los Angeles. Although he does not speak English, I still found him a warm and friendly man who enjoys mixing with fans.
In November 2001, I visited Japan for the first time to attend the Tokyo International Film Festival for the premiere of Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. Following the screening, I was able to see Nakajima out in the theater lobby. Richard Pusateri and I were able to have a photo taken with him (for some reason, some wags have dubbed the photo "Godzilla vs. The Super Mario Brothers").
Fans who have never met Nakajima are in for a real treat. He should be considered "the fourth Godfather" of Godzilla along with Ishiro Honda, Tomoyuki Tanaka and Eiji Tsuburaya. G-FEST is the perfect venue. It is a laid-back convention that is family-friendly with activities for the small-fry so that parents can participate in convention events without worry. As far as I know, no other convention is so family-friendly.
Along with Nakajima, Don Frye from Godzilla Final Wars will also be attending as a guest. Robert Scott Field will return as another celebrity guest as well as being an able translator for Nakajima's sessions. Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters author August Ragone is also expected to attend. If you have a copy of his book, this is your opportunity to have him sign it for you.
For additional information, go to www.g-fan.com. If you have no other vacation plans for this year (considering the high gas prices and air fares, you will want to get more bang for your ever-shrinking buck), you'll be doing yourself a big favor by attending G-FEST XV this summer.
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