Haruo Nakajima: First Anniversary

Above, Haruo Nakajima with a costumed fan in 2013. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A year ago tomorrow (in Japan, it will be August 7 in two and a half hours), Godzilla fandom lost one of its best friends: Haruo Nakajima.

Last year, the Rafu Shimpo reported:

TOKYO – Haruo Nakajima, the Japanese actor who wore the Godzilla suit for about two decades from the monster movie series’ original, died of pneumonia on Monday, his daughter, Sonoe, said Tuesday. He was 88. 

A native of Yamagata Prefecture, Nakajima aspired to become a movie actor as a teenager shortly after the end of World War II and played stunts in a number of movies in his early career. His first credited role was in Hiroshi Inagaki’s “Sword for Hire” (1952). He appeared in three of director Akira Kurosawa’s best-known films — “Seven Samurai” (1954), “The Hidden Fortress” (1958) and “Yojimbo” (1961). 

Nakajima’s fire stunt performance as a warplane pilot in Ishiro Honda’s “Eagle of the Pacific” (1953) led to him getting the role of Godzilla the following year when the first of the series featuring the monster, also directed by Honda, was released.

In many respects, it is hard to imagine that Mr. Nakajima has left this mortal coil. But we are still fortunate to be able to enjoy his work through film.

To read the full Rafu Shimpo article, go here. 

Japan Airlines Resuming L.A. To Osaka Service In March

Above, Osaka Castle. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

There's good news for people who head to Japan from Los Angeles, but want to by-pass Tokyo.

Japan Airlines (JAL) is resuming direct service between Los Angeles and Osaka in March.

According to The Rafu Shimpo:

Hirokazu Kurihara couldn’t wait to make the announcement official on Thursday, rushing to the lectern when his name was called. 

“It’s been a long time,” he said, trying to hold back a grin. “Too long, but we are returning.” 

Kurihara, vice-president and regional manager of Japan Airlines’ Southwest Region, was one of the primary speakers at a luncheon at Yamashiro restaurant in Hollywood, to announce the return of JAL’s direct service between Los Angeles and Osaka. 

It’s been more than eight years since then-financially troubled JAL discontinued its no n-stop flights to and from the Kanai region of central Japan. With its resumption, the convenient gateway to some of the country’s most popular destinations – including the historic cities of Kyoto and Nara, and L.A. sister city Nagoya – is again available.

To read more, go here. 

Robert Kinoshita, R.I.P.

Above, a replica Robby the Robot at the 2013 Monsterpalooza. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The name Robert Kinoshita is not a very familiar name to people, but he is well-known to fans of classic science-fiction.

According to the Rafu Shimpo:

Robert Kinoshita, whose robot designs have become American pop culture icons, passed away on Dec. 9.

Kinoshita designed the title character of Tobor The Great (1954), Robby the Robot of Forbidden Planet (1956) and the robot from television's Lost In Space, among others.

He was 100 years old.

To read more, go here.

Akira Takarada's L.A. Visit Article In Rafu Shimpo

Above, Akira Takarada about to sign a photo for Loren "Butch" Portillo at Son of Monsterpalooza.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Los Angeles-based Japanese newspaper, The Rafu Shimpo has posted an article on actor Akira Takarada's visit to Los Angeles last month.

Takarada was a guest at the Son of Monsterpalooza convention in Burbank in October. According to the article, he was last in Los Angeles over fifty years ago and he "made the rounds" in Los Angeles during his stay.

To read the article, go here.

Miyagi Prefecture Recovery

Above, the statue of Date Masamune at the site of Sendai Castle.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Los Angeles-area Japanese newspaper, The Rafu Shimpo,  has posted an article on a meeting held last month in Little Tokyo on the state of the recovery and reconstruction of Miyagi Prefecture in the aftermath of the March 11,  2011 earthquake and tsunami.

According to the article:

Approximately 100 people participated in the Miyagi earthquake recovery and tourism seminar hosted by the Miyagi prefectural government and sponsored by the Nanka Miyagi Kenjinkai on April 22 at the Miyako Hotel in Little Tokyo. Five officials from Miyagi Prefecture gave the presentation.

Above, Matsushima Bay's waterfront with the Godaido Temple in the background.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Miyagi Prefecture includes Sendai and Matsushima, both places I visited in April 2006.  The bay is dotted with tiny islands, which served to buffer Matsushima Bay from the full force of the tsunami.

Matsushima, said to be one of the three most scenic spots in Japan, suffered minimal damage as its 260 small and large islands in the bay helped decrease the power of the tsunami and preserve the beautiful scenery of this area. Even coastal regions that suffered the greatest damage have started recovering and welcoming visitors.

Above, one of the 260 tiny islands that dot Matsushima Bay that blunted the force of the tsunami.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

 The Miyagi Prefectural recovery plan is moving forward in three stages:

The earthquake disaster recovery plan that Miyagi Prefecture developed last October proposes three stages to be implemented over the next 10 years: restoration (2011-2013), reconstruction (2014-2017), and development (2018-2020).

A visit to Miyagi Prefecture is one I can heartily recommend.  Besides the scenic beauty of Matsushima Bay (often compared to Carmel, California), you'd also be helping the local tourism industry with your tourist dollars.

Above, some of the Matsushima seagulls being fed by passeners aboard a Matsushima Bay tour boat.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read the full article, go here.

Hideko Bannai

After posting about my days working as a field representative for Assemblyman Paul T. Bannai, I did some Googling and found this (Source: Rafu Shimpo):

Hideko Bannai, 82 year-old, Burbank, Calif.-born Nisei, passed away on June 14. She is survived by her husband, Paul Bannai; and their children, Kathryn Bannai (Robert Miura), Don Bannai, and Lorraine Bannai (Norman Mar). She is also survived by her grandchildren Jared Nagae, Sean Miura, Akira Bannai, Eliot Mar, and Dana Mar; sister, Alice Yamashiro; and nieces and nephews. A private memorial service was held on June 18, and an interment in July.

The year of the article was 2009. Searching around, I found that she last resided in Seattle, Washington. Paul Bannai will be 91 next month.



Note: In the party photo above, GOP politicals include Mike Curb (who later became California Lt. Governor), Michael Donaldson (later California Republican Party Treasurer), Assemblyman Michael Antonovich (now a L.A. County Supervisor), S. I. Hayakawa and Assemblyman Bannai.

Mrs. Bannai and I served as co-chairmen for a Los Angeles County Young Republicans party (photo above) featuring S. I. Hayakawa (before he became U.S. Senator) at the Beverly Hills home of Mike Curb in 1975. The photo of Mrs. Bannai and I (at top) was used for publicity for the event.

Above, Governor Ronald Reagan lends his support for Paul Bannai during the 1973 special election. From left, Hideko Bannai, Paul Bannai, Gov. Reagan, Kathryn Bannai and Lorraine Bannai.

She was a great lady and I am sorry to learn of her passing.

Digital Broadcasting Opens Door To Japanese TV

One great discovery (for me, at least) now that the transition to digital broadcasting has been completed, I can receive a television station with 24-hour Japanese programming.

UTB (United Television Broadcasting), now has a spot on Channel 18.2 in Los Angeles, where viewers can tune to Japanese or Japanese-related programs, including a large portion of English-language content from Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK.

Although I watch very little television these days, I am finding myself tuning in at UTB to watch some anime and other Japanese programs. Thankfully, many of them are captioned in English.

As I am writing this, an ad for the station came up which included a clip from Gamera 3, indicating the kinds of movies they show. Their website indicates that Gamera, Guardian of the Universe is scheduled to be broadcast on June 25.

If you enjoy Japanese culture, kaiju or get a kick out of Japanese television, you may want to take a good look at UTB.

The Rafu Shimpo, a Japanese newspaper in Los Angeles, has an article on UTB.