40 Years of "Godzilla 1985"

It is hard to believe that 40 years has passed since the release of the Americanized Godzilla 1985 (an edited version of Return of Godzilla (1984) by Toho Co., Ltd.) was released to U.S. theaters. The U.S. release was on August 23, 1985 by the now-defunct New World Pictures.

It featured Raymond Burr reprising his role as Steve Martin from Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1956). 

It was in August 1985 that I was house-sitting a friend's condo in Canoga Park. I found that Godzilla 1985 was being shown at the Van Nuys Drive-In. So, I headed there to see it during its 10:00 PM screening. It was the first Godzilla movie that I saw in a theater since I saw King Kong vs.Godzilla in 1963. The rest I saw on television.

Since then, the Van Nuys Drive-In has been demolished in the late 1990s.

As for Godzilla 1985, it has not seen a video release since VHS days as the rights to the movie are in limbo. It was released in VHS format several times and paired with Bambi Meets Godzilla, an animated short. I have a copy of one of these versions. It has never seen a DVD or Blu-ray release.

Coronavirus: Resurgence of Drive-In Theaters?

Above, the long-gone Van Nuys Drive-In, where I saw Godzilla 1985.

The last movie I saw at a drive-in movie theater was The Beverly Hillbillies at the Winnetka Drive-In in Chatsworth, California back in 1993.

Since then, that drive-in and many others in California and in other states closed up for good, allegedly due to high property values. The last drive-in theater in Gallup, New Mexico closed up years before I moved to the state.

The current coronavirus is making people take a second look at the drive-in theater.

Hagerty Drivers Club posted:

A nostalgic staple of 1950s–60s America might provide a valuable escape from the current stay-at-home situation if U.S. officials allow it. 

Drive-in theaters, once a common form of entertainment here and abroad—mostly in rural areas—are already experiencing a resurgence in some areas of Europe and Asia as people look for safe distractions from the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal guidelines do not specifically mention drive-in theaters, but state governments may choose to allow them to open since they are functionally so different from typical movie theaters. Drive-in movie-goers can easily maintain a safe distance from others outside of their own vehicle.

To read more, go here. 

Mummified Corpse Found On Yacht

Above, a mummy-like corpse in Return of Godzilla (a.k.a. Godzilla 1985).

It is weird how sometimes life imitates art. Or, in this case, death imitating art.

The Japan Times reported:

MANILA – Philippine police said Tuesday they were trying to determine the identity and cause of death of a man found dead while sitting slumped in a yacht that was drifting in the Pacific Ocean and which was apparently owned by a German adventurer. 

Police Chief Inspector Dominador Plaza said the gray decomposing remains of the man resembled a mummy, adding mystery to his death. His body was discovered near the radio in the cabin of a white yacht found last week by Filipino fishermen off the southeastern province of Surigao del Sur. 

There were no visible signs of foul play, like a gunshot or stabbing wound, Plaza said.

Maybe Godzilla is returning and a giant sea louse is somewhere on that yacht like in Return of Godzilla?

To read more, go here. 

Monsters Attack! Number 4

A recent posting by Stan Hyde at Facebook Monsterland prompted this recollection.

Following Terror of Mechagodzilla in 1975, Toho Co., Ltd. put Godzilla on a long hiatus. During those years, all was quiet on the Godzilla front.

Then, out of the blue, Toho released Godzilla in 1984 (renamed Return of Godzilla and released here (heavily edited) with Raymond Burr reprising his Steve Martin character as Godzilla 1985). The movie, although well-done in its original Japanese form, received a lukewarm response here. The movie was a direct sequel to the original 1954 Godzilla and ignored all of the prior sequels.

Then, following that movie, Godzilla disappeared again, at least as far as the United States was concerned.

In Japan, Toho finally decided to produce a sequel to the 1984 movie, based on a story-writing contest, in 1989. The result was Godzilla vs. Biollante. Unfortunately, not too many people in the U.S. were aware of this movie and it received no stateside theatrical release. It seemed that Godzilla was gone again.

However, the following year, Monsters Attack! (no. 4) was published. The cover date was September 1990, The magazine featured Godzilla on the cover by John Severin. The magazine contained an article on Godzilla that recapped his cinematic career and featured the first word (and images) about Godzilla vs Biollante that many U.S. fans received. It was the first time I was made of aware of the movie. To me, in seeing those images, this was the best-designed Godzilla suit in a long time.

I remember buying Monsters Attack! at a local comic book shop and bringing it along to read on a camping vacation to Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone National Park in the summer of 1990. I still have the issue (somewhere around here).

Today, Monsters Attack! no. 4 is a much sought-after Godzilla collectible for being one of the first (if not the first) source of information Americans received about Godzilla vs. Biollante. It ranks up there with Famous Monsters of Filmland issue 114, the special 100-page all-Japanese monsters issue.

European Godzilla Posters

Most everyone who are fans of Godzilla are familiar with the Japanese and U.S. posters, like the above U.S. poster for Godzilla 1985. But how familiar are they with Godzilla's European posters?

Rocket News 24 has a gallery of European Godzilla posters spanning several decades. Some of them are rather strange-looking (to put it mildly).

Rocket News 24 begins their gallery with this:

Ever since he attacked his first village in Japan in 1954, Godzilla has been broadening his horizons. Seeking out mightier foes and playing to bigger audiences, the giant monster has done what other beasts could only dream of – garnered a following as huge as himself, with fans still spreading across decades and continents around the globe. An impressive feat for a beast. 

One continent certainly went above and beyond when welcoming the giant to their corner of the world, as these vintage posters show. From Poland to France, we take a look at some of the most amazing Godzilla artwork from Europe. We’ve never seen Godzilla look so different!

To view the gallery of European Godzilla posters, go here. 

6.2-Magnitude Quake Rocks Tokyo

Above, Oshima Island from Atami City. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Sometimes it's funny how things work.

I just posted a blog the other day on Oshima Island (featured in Return of Godzilla (1984) and Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)).

Today, I received a bulletin from Japan Today that said a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck the Tokyo area.

It said:

TOKYO —A strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake shook buildings in Tokyo early Monday, but officials said there was no risk of a tsunami. 

Tokyo inhabitants—set to enjoy a national holiday—were woken shortly after dawn by the quake, which jolted the densely built apartments and office blocks. 

The epicenter of the quake—which struck at 5:18 a,m.—was near Izu Oshima island southwest of central Tokyo, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Maybe Mount Mihara on Oshima is about to erupt again? It last erupted in 1986.

To read more, go here. 

Oshima and Baldness Discount Blogs Picked Up By The Japan Daily

Two blog posts from yesterday were picked up by The Japan Daily.

The first was the post on Oshima Island, site of Godzilla's "demise" at the end of Return of Godzilla (1984) (released in the U.S. as Godzilla 1985 a year later).

The second was on the central Tokyo pub that offers a special discount to those salarymen who are follically challenged (i.e., balding). It is cool to see Lex Luthor by Curt Swan and George Klein posted at The Japan Daily.

To view The Japan Daily, go here.

Oshima

Above, a view of Oshima Island from Atami. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

At the end of Return of Godzilla (1984) (released the following year in the U.S. as Godzilla 1985), the great beast is lured to Oshima Island (Izu Ōshima (伊豆大島 Izu-ōshima) by sonic waves set at a frequency imitating the chirping of birds (after all, dinosaurs are distant ancestors of birds). On Oshima, Godzilla topples into the crater of the 830-foot Mount Mihara, seemingly to his doom.

Fortunately, for Godzilla's fans and Toho's bank account, Godzilla returned in the next movie, Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989). Mount Mihara is an active volcano, having last erupted in 1986.

Today, Oshima is a tourist haven when the island's camellias are in bloom. There is an annual Camellia Festival on Oshima. Visitors can fish, scuba dive, hike and partake in an onsen bath at Hama-no-yu (浜の湯), Motomachi. It is a co-ed (men and women) outdoor bath that has great views of Izu Hanto and Mt. Fuji on a clear day. The onsen tends to get crowed around sunset. Bathing suits are obligatory. Standing in the garden in front of the onsen is a statue of Godzilla.

There is also another spa, Gojinka Spa, also in Motomachi.

To get to the island, jetfoil boats can be taken from Takeshiba Sanbashi Pier, near Hamamatsucho, Tokyo. It is an 1 hour and 45 minute ride from Tokyo. Jetfoils to Oshima also leave from Atami in Shizuoka and will get you there in about 45 minutes. A one-way ticket costs approximately ¥5,700.

People can get around on the island by microbus, car rental or bicycles.

If one wants to stay overnight on the island (although Oshima is mainly a day-trip place), there is an inn at Motomachi called the Pension Minamoto. Contact: p-minamoto.1002@docomo.ne.jp, fax: 04992-2-1002.

Forbes Contributor Predicts "Godzilla" Flop

Above, the Hibiya Godzilla statue. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It may happen, and it may not.

John Furrier, a contributor to Forbes.com, predicts that the upcoming Legenday Pictures/Warner Bros. Godzilla will be a box office flop. He named it as number one of three big Hollywood productions that will be flops in 2014.

On Godzilla, he wrote:

Following are our predictions and analysis for the Top Three biggest flops of 2014, in order of magnitude (net loss):

1)Godzilla. Hands down, “Godzilla” will be the biggest box office bomb of 2014. Godzilla as a character is box office poison. The fact is the last 3 Godzilla movies released domestically have flopped: “Godzilla 1985” made $4M; “Godzilla 2000” made a whopping $10M and the last attempt at a Hollywood-style big budget remake, also called “Godzilla” bombed so bad that its lead toy licensee went bankrupt. Had the movie made a profit the studio wouldn’t have just let the rights expire in 2003 without even attempting a reboot or sequel. They had 5 years to make a new film based on this property yet they passed. Think about it—Sony, the studio that greenlights sequels to most anything—”Resident Evil 6″ is on the horizon and don’t forget about “Underworld 5″—walked away from investing another cent in Godzilla.

Furrier neglects to factor the 1985 dollars and adjust them to inflation when it comes to Godzilla 1985. Plus, the studio who produced and distributed it paid relatively a paltry sum. So, $4 million in 1985 dollars was not that bad a return.

On Godzilla 2000, the movie was poorly marketed and many people thought it was a sequel to the 1998 Matthew Broderick disaster, which, by the way, deserved to flop. It didn't look like Godzilla or act like Godzilla. Additionally, he fails to mention that both Godzilla (1998) and Godzilla 2000 made money in the home video (VHS, DVD) market. (Godzilla 1985 is currently in limbo as far as home video rights are concerned.)

So far, Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. seem to be doing everything right this time. Whether this translates to "more butts in seats" remains to be seen. The fan buzz on the movie has been very positive. That's another thing Furrier neglected to consider. Godzilla has a fan base (although not as big as the Star Wars or Star Trek fan bases) that will drum up more positive buzz should the movie meet their expectations. Good word-of-mouth is something that cannot be ignored.

To read the full article (Furrier does have more to say on Godzilla), go here.

Godzilla On Harumi-Dori

This photo from Return of Godzilla (a.k.a. Godzilla) (1984) is circulating around on Twitter. Godzilla is seen at the shinkansen tracks on Harumi-Dori that divides Hibiya and Ginza in Tokyo.

A different photo of Godzilla had been floating around and I posted it here. In that photo, Godzilla was approaching the Yurakucho Mullion Building. With that photo, I included a shot of the real Harumi-Dori and the Yurakucho Mullion Building that I took on a previous trip to Tokyo.

Here it is again:

This location/landmark is covered in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan on page 28.

"Godzilla" (1984) DVD From Far East Flix

Thanks to the fine folks at Far East Flix, I've started to fill in some gaps in my Godzilla and other Japanese sci-fi flicks DVD collection.

Not recalling buying anything from them before (if I had, it must've have been ages ago and completely forgot about it), I decided to try them out with Godzilla (1984) (also known as Return of Godzilla and its U.S. counterpart, Godzilla 1985). The DVD arrived in the mail yesterday.

I have this movie and Godzilla 1985 in VHS format (I have all Godzilla movies in VHS), but haven't bought either in DVD until now.

This DVD is just the Japanese version with subtitles. It is a good 2-disc set with the first disc being just the movie and the second disc contains the extras (that includes a gallery, trailers and a behind-the-scenes feature shot during the making of the movie with a lot of  producer Tomoyuki Tanaka in it).

Tonight was a not-too-interesting television night and my roomie conked out on the couch, so I decided to pop in the disc. It played quite well in my Blu-ray player with great picture and sound quality. As it happened, she woke up while I was watching. After grumbling a bit, she actually enjoyed the movie as well as the extras. She was impressed with the miniature work as well as special effects director Teruyoshi Nakano's pyrotechnics. We both agreed that this was far more enjoyable than the CGI crud (although much improved) that is now being put out by Hollywood today.

Far East Flix passed the test, so I will be buying more DVDs from them. Their website is http://www.fareastflix.com/kaijucollection.html#.

Oshima Island Typhoon Death Toll Rises To 18

Above, a view of Oshima Island from Atami.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Oshima Island has been in the news since the major typhoon struck this week, causing massive damages and killing 18 (so far) from mudslides on the island.

Here's the latest from The Japan News:

The death toll on Tokyo’s Izu Oshima island from the torrential rains caused by Typhoon No. 26 has risen to 18, the Tokyo metropolitan government announced Thursday morning. 

The Metropolitan Police Department, the Tokyo Fire Department and the Ground Self-Defense Force increased the number of personnel in the search and rescue operations for survivors to about 650, but the operations on the island in the Izu Islands chain made little progress. 

Meanwhile, the land ministry’s research organ has discovered evidence of debris flows—the geological phenomena in which torrential rain washes away soil and fragmented rock like a rapid stream—in the affected area on the island.

If Oshima Island sounds familiar to Godzilla fans, it should. It was where Godzilla was lured into the island's volcano in Return of Godzilla (1984) (released in the U.S. as Godzilla 1985). There is a stone Godzilla statue at the Hamano Hot Spring Resort on the island.

The island is administered by the Tokyo Metropolitan government.

For more on Oshima, go here.

Getting To The Godzilla Statues

Above, the Godzilla statue in Hibiya.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The question of getting to the Godzilla statues in Hibiya and at Toho Studios was presented to me today:

I'm going to Japan next month can you give me the addresses to the Godzilla Statue in Tokyo and the Toho Studios statue?

I could have replied, "Get The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan and find out!" But, being the helpful fellow that I am, I replied this way instead (and posting it here so I won't have to re-write it):

Addresses in Tokyo will do you no good. There's really no rhyme or reason to them (not in the western sense). Essentially, you will need maps get to where you want to go and the subway/train station stops. The Godzilla statue is in the Hibiya (next door to Ginza) section of Tokyo at the Hibiya Chanter Square and Toho Studios is out in Setagaya. Basically, from Ginza crossing, you proceed along Harumi Dori north (or west) to Hibya, pass the Yurakucho Mullion Bldg. and go under the train tracks. About a block up from the tracks, make a left turn on the side street and you'll get to Hibiya Chanter Square. For Toho Studios, you will have to take the Odakyu Train from Shinjuku to Setagaya and get off at the Seijo Gakuen-mae station. From there, get a taxi and tell the driver to take you to Toho Studios as it is nestled in a residential area and will be hard to find. The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan has this info. http://armandsrancho.blogspot.com/p/about-monster-movie-fans-guide-to-japan.html

Above, the Wako Dept. Store in Ginza.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the Yurakucho Mullion building.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For those wondering where/what is Ginza Crossing, it is where the Wako Department Store (featured in Godzilla (1954)) is on one corner and the Mitsukoshi Department Store is on the other.  For those wondering what is the Yurakucho Mullion Building, it was featured in Return of Godzilla (1984) (a.k.a. Godzilla 1985 (1985)).

The guide does include a map to Toho Studios on page 21.

Above, the Godzilla statue at the entrance to Toho Studios.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Godzilla and The Yurakucho Mullion

Going through some photo albums, I found a photo of Harumi-Dori looking towards Ginza from Hibiya.

I took it back in 2001 as I recalled a similar shot in Return of Godzilla (1984) (a.k.a. Godzilla 1985) in which Godzilla is about to approach the Yurakucho Mullion Building and pick up a shinkansen from its tracks after collapsing the street and clawing the Yurakucho Mullion.

Above, looking towards Ginza from Hibiya down Harumi-Dori.  The
Yurakucho Mullion Building is the big building on the left.  Photo
by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a scene from "Return of Godzilla" has the Big G strolling towards
the Yurakucho Mullion Building.  Toho Co., Ltd.

Before the Yurakucho Mullion was built, the property was once occupied by the cake-shaped Toho Nichigeki Theater (featured in the 1954 Godzilla).  Inside the Yurakucho Mullion Building, there a modern Toho Nichigeki Theater.  I screened Space Battleship Yamato in this theater in 2010.

Above, the Yurakucho Mullion Building from a different angle.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This location is covered on pages 28-29 in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

Izu Oshima Beckons

Above, Izu Oshima Island can be seen from Atami's harbor.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The end of Return of Godzilla (1984) (also known as Godzilla and Godzilla 1985) has Godzilla lured to Mt. Mihara on Oshima Island and toppling into the volcano, seemingly to his doom.

However, Godzilla escapes the confines of Mt. Mihara in Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) to wreak havoc in Japan.

The formal name for Oshima Island is Izu Oshima.  According to Wikipedia:

Izu Ōshima (伊豆大島, Izu-ōshima^?) is a volcanic island in the Izu Islands.^[1] The island is administered by the Tokyo Metropolitan government, Japan, lies about 100 km south of Tokyo, 22 km east of the Izu Peninsula and 36 km southwest of Bōsō Peninsula. Ōshima Town (大島町, Ōshima-machi^?) serves as the local government of the island.

 On Mt. Mihara itself, Wikipedia says:

Izu Ōshima is most famous for Mt. Mihara (764 meters), which last erupted in 1990. Izu Ōshima is also a popular site for tourists from both Tokyo and Shizuoka due to its close proximity to the mainland. 

There are a number of ferries which leave from Takeshiba Sanbashi Pier, near Hamamatsuchō, Tokyo. Ferries also leave from Atami in Shizuoka.

Back in November 2001, I took a bullet train (shinkansen) from Tokyo to Atami.  Izu Oshima can be seen from Atami's harbor area on clear days.  Fortunately for me, the day I went to Atami was a relatively clear day and I was able to see Izu Oshima.

What prompted me to post this was an article in Japan Today, "10 Travel Ideas Slightly Off The Beaten Track."  One of the ten ideas was Izu Oshima.

They wrote:

Izu Oshima – This volcanic island, technically part of Tokyo, is a 2-hour hydrofoil trip from Tokyo Takeshiba pier (three daily departures between 7 and 8 a.m.) or take an overnight ferry departing at 11 p.m. The island is just over 26 kilometers in circumference; rented bicycle is a great way to explore the whole island. Geology—the volcano, the beaches, the rocks — and botany — farms and camellia groves — and a chance to just slow down and relax. This is a nice little overnight getaway.

To see the other nine ideas in the article, go here.

Also on the island, there is a stone Godzilla statue at the Hamano Hot Spring Resort.  [Izu Oshima and Atami are covered on page 35 of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.]

Perhaps the next time I visit Japan, an excursion to Izu Oshima may be taken.  A ride on a hydrofoil sounds like fun!

The Van Nuys Drive-In Theater

The Van Nuys Drive-In Theater (above) in Van Nuys, California (San FernandoValley) was built in 1948 and originally had a car capacity of 891 cars.  It was operated by Pacific Theaters. Its address was 15040 Roscoe Blvd., Van Nuys, California.

The Van Nuys Drive-In Theater screened Godzilla 1985 in the summer of 1985 and I caught a late showing on a warm night. At the time, the theater had already been converted to a triple-screen facility.

The theater was closed in August 1996 and demolished in August 1998.

"Godzilla vs. Biollante" Is Days Away

Godzilla vs. Biollante is slated to be available on DVD and Blu-ray at Amazon.com this coming Tuesday (December 4).  Some people have already found it in different stores.

I have my copy of the Blu-ray edition on pre-order at Amazon.  I am in no rush (if there are delays) as I have the old HBO VHS in my library.  So it's not as if I've never seen the movie before.

The movie is the direct sequel to 1984's Return of Godzilla (released in the U.S. as Godzilla 1985 with Raymond Burr added in).  Biollante contains some of the best special effects work by Koichi Kawakita (photo, left with yours truly in 2000).  There is a good reason for this, Godzilla was around 80 meters tall in this movie, so the miniatures were scaled accordingly and are more detailed.  Godzilla's size was bumped up to 100 meters in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) and this required the change in the scale of the miniatures that did not allow for as much detailing.

Godzilla vs. Biollante is a little plodding in its pacing, but once the monster action starts, it is a very enjoyable movie.  It also introduces the psychic character Miki Saegusa (Megumi Odaka) to the series.

A snippet of the movie was used in the Tim Burton movie, Mars Attacks.

"Godzilla vs. Biollante" Coming December 4

Since the late 1990s, whenever I wanted to watch Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989), my only recourse was to pop in the HBO VHS tape.  It has some of the silliest dialog in a modern Godzilla movie ("Godziller" and "Eggs is eggs").

That's about to change as Godzilla vs. Biollante is about to be released on DVD ($6.99) and Blu-ray ($14.99) by Echo Bridge on December 4.

Godzilla vs. Biollante is the follow-up to Return of Godzilla (1984) (a.k.a., Godzilla 1985 (1985)).  In the previous movie, our hero fell into the cauldron of Mt. Mihara on Oshima Island.  In Biollante, he is released from his confinement and goes on a rampage into Osaka, Japan.  Meanwhile, a grieving scientist mixes cells from a rose bush, his late daughter and Godzilla to create (unintentionally) a giant plant monster.

The movie also introduces psychic Miki Saegusa (Megumi Odaka) into the series.

Godzilla vs. Biollante contains the best special effects work done by Koichi Kawakita in the Godzilla series (in my humble opinion).

It is one of the better Godzilla movies of the second (or Heisei) series, although the pacing is a bit plodding.

My grade:  B+.

Godzilla Cybot

After giving Godzilla a nine-year-long vacation, Toho Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka decided it was time to return Godzilla to the big screen. The last Godzilla movie was 1975's Terror of Mechagodzilla.

Initially, the film was released as Godzilla, but was later re-titled as Return of Godzilla. It was released (heavily-edited) in the United States as Godzilla 1985 with Raymond Burr.


The new movie returned Godzilla to his nuclear metaphor roots with Kenpachiro Satsuma as the Godzilla suit-actor. Toho didn't want to just have Godzilla portrayed by an actor, so they created a 20-foot animatronic cybot Godzilla prop to be used in some scenes. Unfortunately, the cybot had limited screen time (mainly in close-ups) and it bore little resemblance to the Godzilla suit used in the movie.

However, the cybot did garner Toho and the new movie some media attention.

At right, the cybot is displayed in front of the Yurakucho Mullion building in Tokyo.

The Godzilla cybot has made a number of appearances over the following years at publicity events.

Toho has since made smaller animatronic Godzilla props capable of more facial expressions than the original 1984 cybot.

Keiju Kobayashi Dies At 86

The man who played the intense prime minister who stopped the United States and the Soviet Union from going to war after Godzilla attacked a Soviet nuclear submarine has passed away.


Left, Keiju Kobayashi.









Kyodo News is reporting:

Keiju Kobayashi, whose earnest performances endeared him to viewers throughout his nearly seven-decade long career, died of heart failure at a Tokyo hospital Thursday, his agency said Saturday. He was 86.

Kobayashi played Prime Minister Mitamura in Return of Godzilla (1984) (a.k.a. Godzilla 1985) in a very memorable performance. In that movie, the United States and the Soviet Union were about to go to war after a Soviet submarine was sunk by Godzilla. As the prime minister, he disclosed the real culprit for the sinking to both governments, thus averting war. He also resisted the U.S. and U.S.S.R. ambassadors' demands to use nuclear weapons against Godzilla.

His career spanned seven decades with his most recent role in Koisuru kanojo, nishi e. (2008).

Kobayashi appeared in roles ranging from prime ministers to police detectives in over 260 movies and television dramas.

He was also the recipient of medals of honor from the Japanese government for his achievements and cultural contributions.