A VISIT TO THE HOUSE THAT GODZILLA BUILT

Above, Destoroyah and Godzilla seem to be waiting for their next scene in Koici Kawakita's office.

A VISIT TO THE HOUSE THAT GODZILLA BUILT

by Armand Vaquer

Photos by Armand Vaquer and Richard Pusateri

Back during the Nixon Administration, a White House dinner was held and the evening's entertainment was provided by a group from south central Los Angeles. After the performance, the leader of the group spoke and said, "You know, it is a long way from Watts to the White House." Well, I can certainly tell you that it is a long way from Los Angeles to Tokyo and, specifically, Toho's famous studio.

It is generally conceded that to a rabid G-fan, a visit to Toho Studios in Tokyo would be a dream come true. In November 2001, I was fortunate to have a visit arranged by friends at Toho as Toho, as a company policy, does not arrange tours. Fellow G-FAN contributor Richard Pusateri joined me in this visit.

First of all, we as Americans are accustomed to mega-studio tours and attractions like Universal Studios-Hollywood and Universal Studios-Florida. In comparison, Toho's Tokyo studios is a no-nonsense working studio whose sole mission is to produce motion pictures. The studio lot itself has no rides, concessions or any other trappings that we are familiar with. It is nestled in the middle of a middle-class neighborhood in the outskirts of Tokyo in Setagaya. If someone were in a hurry, he can easily pass the main gate without even noticing that a movie studio of the biggest movie company in Japan was there. It was a beautiful lot with many trees whose leaves were in their autumn color.

Above, Richard's expression seemed to indicate that someone spiked his coffee with lemon juice.

Richard and I agreed to meet at the Godzilla statue in Hibiya. After taking some photos, we migrated over to Becker's for some coffee before our appointed time to go to Toho International's offices. (Becker's is a good coffee and hamburger restaurant located under the Shinkansen tracks in Hibiya. It is across the street from the Yurakucho Marion buildings. There's also a very good revolving sushi restaurant around the corner from Becker's that is also under the tracks. Two can "pig out" on sushi lunch for under $30.)

Mr. Pusateri and then I met up with Toho sales manager Shozo Watanabe at his office in Hibiya. After a quick sushi lunch, we headed out to the studio lot via one of the many subway trains that criss-cross Tokyo (there's very few, if any, company cars available).

Above, in his office, Koichi Kawakita discusses his collection of kaiju toys and props.

Upon arrival, we signed in at the main gate and proceeded to meet with Toho's former special effects supervisor Koichi Kawakita at his office. Mr. Kawakita's office is what you may call a workshop consisting of many props (some dating back nearly 50 years), a big collection of Godzilla and kaiju toys and, standing next to Mr. Kawakita's conference table, the Little Godzilla suit (below) from "Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla." We sat at the conference table and talked of the different props, kaiju suits and effects techniques. After several minutes, we proceeded further into the workshop area and looked over several props including a submarine model, a fighter jet from the original 1954 "Godzilla" and many other models and props from past kaiju films (too numerous to list).



We then headed outside to see some of the sound stages (below).



While outside, we were then joined by producer Shogo Tomiyama who then led us to a large workshop building that also has a storage facility. Here, the suits are prepared for the day's shooting schedule, repairs made and generally stored. Hanging inside (below), was a 1990s era Godzilla exhibition suit and hanging behind that, were a couple of "Godzilla vs. Destoroyah" Godzilla suits in varying conditions (one was headless).



From there, we made our way to another sound stage building where a television show based on "The Fugitive" was being filmed. We went inside and watched the actors and crew film a scene. The set appeared to be the inside of a traditional Japanese home.

Above, Richard seems to be thinking about jumping into the famous Giant Pool.

We then headed over to the legendary "giant pool" where so many history-making water scenes were filmed. The pool was quiet and serene and a blank white backdrop was next to the pool. At one time, the pool was about twice the size as it was when we saw it. It appeared that much of it was paved over to provide parking spaces years ago. [Note: The whole pool was removed following completion of Godzilla Final Wars (2004) to make way for the contruction of new sound stages. The only remaining remnant of the Giant Pool is the backdrop.]

Above, I am posing with the filming suit from "Godzilla x Megaguirus."

From there, we headed over to what seemed to be a locked shed connected to a sound stage. Inside, were Godzilla suits from "Godzilla X Megaguirus" and "GMK" (photo below). Also inside, was King Ghidorah and Mothra from "GMK." I hate to sound like Indiana Jones here, but I thought at the time, "These belong in a museum!" It is sad in a way that after a film is completed, these props, who gave us so many thrills for so many years, should end up in this way collecting dust. [Since then, Toho has been making use of these old kaiju suits and props in various exhibitions.]



After looking over the suits and props, we then went to the Toho sound-mixing facilities. Compared to the other buildings on the lot, this building seemed to be much newer. Inside, was a huge studio with enough room for an orchestra and the equipment needed for the sound-mixing work. On one wall, higher up than in a theater, was a big screen so that a film can be projected while the technicians synchronize the soundtracks to the film's images and for the musicians to get inspiration by seeing what they are playing for. In another section of this building, we were led into a projection room to view the not-as-yet-released theatrical trailer to "GMK." To say that we were awestruck would be putting it mildly. It was the first time we were able to view actual footage of the new film and we were greatly impressed! We were even more anxious about seeing the film the next day at the Tokyo International Film Festival in Shibuya.

The visit to the sound-mixing building was our last stop and the tour was over. We then proceeded over to the studio cafeteria/snack bar. Entering the cafeteria/snack bar, I had the feeling that I just stepped into a time warp. The fixtures, decor, Coke machine and other items appeard to have been there since the 1950s. One can just picture Ishiro Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya at one of the tables discussing the day's shooting schedule. Richard and I sat down with Mr. Tomiyama and Mr. Watanabe and discussed what we thought should be done about releasing Godzilla films in the U.S. and other topics over Cokes. It was a pleasant and enjoyable conversation. Later, after bidding Mr. Tomiyama and Mr. Kawakita goodbye, we then headed back through the adjoining neighborhood with Mr. Watanabe to the train station.

Above, Mr. Watanabe after we left the cafeteria/snack bar.

I am grateful for this opportunity to see where so much movie history took place (and is now taking place.) One can easily visualize in one's mind the hustle-bustle of the golden age of Japanese monster movie-making with Ishiro Honda directing his latest Godzilla epic while Eiji Tsuburaya positions Haruo Nakajima in his Godzilla suit among the intricate miniatures.

Yes, it is a long way from Los Angeles to Toho Studios, but it was sure as hell worth it!