New Godzilla Movie: Opportunity and A "Problem"

Above, a view of the Toho studio lot from the outside. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The news yesterday that Toho Co., Ltd. will be producing a Godzilla movie for the first time in twelve years (making the wait for the sequel to Gareth Edwards's Godzilla a little more tolerable) presents to me an opportunity and a little "problem".

The opportunity is that people may want to go to Japan, while the dollar is performing at about 121 yen, to visit Toho Studios and may want to get The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan. The guide has directions on how to get there.

The "problem" is that I am currently working on a revised/updated edition of the travel guide and if Godzilla is coming back into production in Japan, should I wait to include any new locations/landmarks of that film in the new edition? (Will Godzilla attack the new Tokyo Skytree in the new movie?) I can either wait or press ahead with the new edition and if there are any interesting locations/landmarks in the new movie, I can always publish an addendum. I'll have to mull this over.

Above, the Tokyo Skytree. Will Godzilla attack it in the new movie? Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I mentioned that fans may want to visit Toho Studios in Setagaya while the new Godzilla movie is in production, I didn't want to leave any impression that if they go there, they will be able to get inside the studio to watch the filming. The studio won't allow this. (We're not talking Universal Studios here.) The best that one can do is to look inside the studio from the outside. But, you'll likely not see anything. Still, if you want to see the Seven Samurai mural, the new Godzilla mural and the Godzilla statue, a visit there would be worth it.