Stopping By Toho Studios

Above, standing at the main entrance to Toho Studios, is a man-sized statue of Godzilla.

While I was in Tokyo this month, I headed over to the Setagaya ward to see the new (about three years old new) Godzilla statue and the Seven Samurai mural at the entrance to Toho Studios.

The last time I visited Toho Studios was in November 2001. At the time, Toho was still producing Godzilla movies. Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001) premiered the next day after my studio visit at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

When I was at Toho Studios back then, older sound stages, the giant pool and facilities still existed. After the release of Godzilla Final Wars in 2004, many of those facilities, giant pool and sound stages were torn down and replaced with new sound stages and facilities, which included a new main gate area.

I did not step foot inside the studio on this trip, but I was able to see from the outside some of the changes made within the studio. I took some pictures during this visit. Click on the images to see them larger.

Above, a mural honoring one of Toho's most revered movies, "Seven Samurai."

Above, here I am with the Godzilla statue.

Above, studio workers walk past a mural of Mothra. The mural is located down the driveway from the main gate to the studio.

Above, this is a flood control canal that is alongside of the studio property.

Above, this is a side entrance into the studio. To reach the gate, one has to cross a bridge over the flood control canal.

Above, the Toho Sound Studio is located just outside the side entrance into the main studio lot.

Above, this view through the trees is of the Toho main lot. On the left is an older sound stage. To the right of it is a new soundstage facility, which stands roughly on the former site of the giant pool. The side entrance bridge is to the right.

Above, another view of the Toho Sound Studio, this time from the flood control canal. Note the beer vending machine in front.

Above, another shot with the Godzilla statue with a copy of "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan." Fans can also use the guide to get them to the studios.

Niigata, Japan

Above, a typical ATM machine sign in Niigata which featured Astro Boy (known in Japan as Mighty Atom).

During my trip to Japan last week, I took a few days to go to Niigata to see the Sea of Japan side of Honshu. Niigata is much more laid-back than Tokyo and much less crowded.

While there, I went to a photographic exhibit at the City Performing Arts Center and went to the Niigata City Art Museum. I also took a bus tour around the city. Here are photos of some of what I saw in Niigata:

Above, strange creatures inhabit the JR Niigata Station.


Above, a window display at a Niigata bank. The is a center-left view.


Above, the same bank window display, but a center-right view.


Above, the Shimano River bisects the city of Niigata.


Above, the Bandai Bridge (completed in August 1929) over the Shimano River.


Above, Hakusan Park gardens.


Above, the Niigata City Performing Arts Center. I attended a photographic exhibit here.


Above, a view of the Sea of Japan from the beach near the City Aquarium.


Above, inside a city tour bus.


Above, the Niigata City Art Museum.


Above, Hakusan Park gardens.

Western Pop Stars In Japan

While strolling around Shibuya Saturday night, I spotted this display of posters advertising upcoming concerts in Japan by western pop stars (click image to see a larger version):

George Reeves "Photoplay" Article

Above, Sgt. George Reeves.

Superman/George Reeves historian Chuck Harter sent this article from the March 1945 issue of Photoplay magazine:

Sgt. George Reeves tells an amusing
story on himself. While he was still a
civilian he went over to Fort Roach to
make several training films. The first
week after his induction George was
sent to study some films showing a sol-
dier going through the manual of arms.
To Reeves' amazement he discovered
he was sitiing there watching himself
on the screen teach himself in the
audience.

Sgt. Reeves is a member of the
"Winged Victory" troupe and will soon
be seen in that film.

Interview and Tokyo Banana

Above, a box of Tokyo Banana cakes, minus a few.

The final interview questions on The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan were received last night from Japan Today and I was up until 2:30 a.m. answering them. Sometimes, once you get started on something, it flows like a rushing river.

The interview was started over the phone in Tokyo last week.

I returned to work last evening and pleased our client. Before leaving for Japan, I told him I was headed there and he asked me to pick up a box of banana cakes at the airport. Called Tokyo Banana, they are like Twinkies, only smaller, banana-filled and individually wrapped. I picked up two boxes of them (one for myself and they are delicious) and brought him his yesterday. When he saw the box, he was beaming from ear-to-ear.

I can now easily see why he was beaming, those banana cakes are addicting! I'll have to see if someone in Little Tokyo sells them. They are said to be the number one souvenir from Tokyo.

New Shipment of "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan" Has Arrived!

Above, Ai. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A day after returning from my trip to Japan, I received a new shipment of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

There's plenty of copies available for Christmas gift-giving for those of you who are kaiju fans, or those of you who know a kaiju fan, who wants to visit Japan and see those locations from the movies.

A reminder: orders postmarked on or before December 24 can receive a copy at $12.00 each, and that includes shipping! How's that for helping out Santa?

Besides kaiju locations, the Guide will tell you how to get to:

The Godzilla Statue in Hibiya, Tokyo...



...and the Godzilla Statue at Toho Studios!



To order, send a check or money order to:

Armand Vaquer
18618 Collins Street, #105
Tarzana, CA 91356

Noticable Changes In Tokyo

Above, the Tokyo Sky Tree Tower dominates the city's skyline even while still under construction.

It is amazing to notice changes in Tokyo after being away from Japan for 3 1/2 years. Some changes have been small (like Becker's being replaced by The Beat Diner), while others have been big.

The Sky Tree Tower that is currently under construction to replace Tokyo Tower as the primary broadcast tower is a looming presence in Tokyo. I took the above photo from the window of the Narita Express while en route to the airport for my flight home today.

Above, one of many more shops that have been added to Narita Airport's departure floor.

There also has been changes to Narita International Airport as well. In 2007, the departure floor had lots of wide-open spaces. Not now. Since then, the floor has many, and I do mean many, shops and restaurants added. There's hardly anymore wide-open spaces on the departure floor.

Fortunately, there are some things that don't change. Such as getting a lucky shot of Mount Fuji peeking through the clouds off in the distance (below) as my plane heads away from Japan.



One other thing. It used to be that travelers were urged to spend all their yen in Japan as they'd lose money when they exchanged it back for U.S. dollars. While the exchange rate today gets a traveler fewer yen per dollar, it also worked in reverse as I got around $115 per 10,000 yen when I exchanged my leftover yen. This took the bite off the exchange rate a little.

"Mr. Godzilla - Haruo Nakajima"

by Armand Vaquer


When I finalized my plans for a trip to Japan to promote The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan, I contacted Sonoe Nakajima, the daughter of the original Godzilla suit-actor Haruo Nakajima, and invited them to lunch or dinner while I was in Tokyo.

Sonoe Nakajima wrote back and said that they were going on a vacation trip at the time of my vacation in Japan and wouldn't be available. She did say that she would have a copy of her father's book, Kaiju Life (Kaiju Jinsei) that was published by Yosensha Co., Ltd. for me at my hotel, Hotel Asia Center of Japan.

I arrived late in the afternoon on Sunday, December 5 at the hotel. When I checked in, the clerk went to the back room and brought out a package saying it was from "Nakajima." I knew immediately that it was the book Sonoe said she'd leave for me. After I got settled in my room, I opened the package and there was the book and autographed "To Armand" with his signature and the date "2010.12.3" (December 3, 2010).

The book itself is an attractive softcover edition with a jacket. The book is in Japanese, but it contains many rare photographs of Mr. Nakajima in action as Godzilla and other monsters in Toho's stable as well as his private life and history. Some are in color on slick paper, the rest are in black & white and on non-slick paper. They are all well reproduced regardless. The number of photos Mr. Nakajima included in his book rivals the number contained in August Ragone's book on special effects pioneer Eiji Tsuburaya. There's that many of them!

Although the book is in Japanese, and I don't read Japanese, I would have bought a copy anyway just for the photographs. Fans of Godzilla and Mr. Nakajima would find this book essential to their collections.

In return, I left copies of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan for the Nakajimas.

The Beat Diner: Burgers and Classic Rock 'n Roll

Above, the bartender at The Beat Diner in Hibiya.

On every trip to Japan, I always managed to make a stop at Becker's under the Shinkansen tracks that divide Hibiya and Ginza (and across the street from the Yurikucho Mullion building). Becker's always had great coffee and hamburgers.

This trip, while being taxied to the Tsukiji Fish Market, we passed by Becker's location and they were gone. It was replaced by a new establishment called The Beat Diner. I guess Becker's was a casualty of the state of the world economy.

On Tuesday, December 6, after my interview with the reporter from The Daily Yomiuri and before my screening of Space Battleship Yamato, I stopped in The Beat Diner. On the walls, The Beat Diner had photographs and album covers of classic rock albums including those of Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and Bob Marley. Piped into the restaurant were music from these artists along with Eric Clapton, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Cream (Clapton's old band) and several others. I felt right at home here.

Above, album covers and photos adorn The Beat Diner's walls.

The Beat Diner has a relaxed atmosphere to it, just perfect for a Tokyo salaryman or a visiting tourist (like me) to kick back and unwind.

Their menu offers a wide assortment of burgers along with pizza, teriyaki, salads, fish and chicken sandwiches. They have a full bar and have a large assortment of beers to choose from. I tried out their cheeseburger and when it arrived, it was a tall sandwich held together by a small sword. The cheeseburger is nowhere near what you'd find at McDonalds or Burger King. This baby was thick and juicy! I went through four or five napkins while eating it. Their fries were also very good.

Pretty Japanese girls served as waitresses and bartenders and were quite efficient.

The Beat Diner's hand-out flier/brochure says they were established in 2009. So the place is a year or so old.

Although I'll miss Becker's, at least The Beat Diner is a great replacement. I heartily recommend it to visitors to Tokyo who are hungry for a good hamburger.

Tsukiji Central Wholesale Market

Above, outside of the Tsukiji Fish Market.

Tsukiji Central Wholesale Market

by Armand Vaquer

To categorize the Tsukiji Central Wholesale Market as important to a country where fish is a primary food staple would be a gross understatement. The Tsukiji Central Wholesale Market (or commonly known as the Tsukiji Fish Market) supplies most of the seafood to the restaurants and markets in Tokyo.

Every morning, the latest catch by fishing companies are brought to the Tsukiji Fish Market for sale to buyers from restaurants, food stores and anyone else who wants any particular seafood item. The sellers display their goods and later in the morning, an auction is held with the items sold to the highest bidder.

I heard about the Tsukiji Fish Market years ago and wanted to visit it, but somehow never got around to do so. On December 6, 2010, I set my alarm for 4:00 am to head out to visit. At 3:20, an aftershock from recent major quake off the coast of Japan got me up a little earlier. I got myself dressed and headed out. Unfortunately, the trains and subways don't begin their runs until about 5:00 am. So I hailed a taxi and headed off to Tsukiji.

Above, many merchants in the fish market getting ready to sell.

I got there around 4:30 and wandered around the general area. To say it was busy would be another gross understatement. There were hoards of trucks of every size and description lined up along the streets near the market and hundreds of workers unloading and preparing their displays.

Above, a worker preparing his display.

I made my way into the main facility from a back or side entrance (I couldn't really tell which it was) and entered the many rows of fish and seafood sellers. There were fish of every description (and size, if you really want to get technical) along with shellfish, lobsters, crab, octopusses (octopi?), squid and other oceanic products. Most were encased in styrofoam boxes in ice (the styrofoam industry must be a booming business in Japan). I saw one lobster manage to successfully climb out of a large tank full of his/her relatives, only to be caught and tossed back into the tank.



Occasionally, I would come across a vendor stall selling drinks, cigarettes and snacks to the sellers (and, I presume, buyers) amongst the stalls.

I spent about an hour wandering around the stalls, dodging vehicles while photographing and videotaping the activities. I eventually found myself at the main entrance to the Tsukiji Fish Market. A guard stationed at the entrance jumped out of his office and approached me to tell me (while pointing out a sign on his office window) that due to this being the end of the year, with buying and selling at their peak, there's no visitors allowed in the market from early December to early January. I just smiled and thanked him as I already saw what I wanted to see. Good thing I didn't try to enter from the main entrance. At least the fellow was doing his job.

From there, I headed over to the nearby streets where there were more stores and vendors selling more seafood along with vegetables and other merchandise. This place is a "window shopper's paradise."



From reading many different Japan travel books and guides, I learned that the restaurants near the Tsukiji Fish Market is the place to sit down for an excellent sushi meal. With this in mind, I headed over to the restaurant area wondering where should I partake in a sushi breakfast. That question was settled by a nice gentleman from the Sushizanmai sushi restaurant. As visitors wandered the narrow streets in the restaurant area, it is his job to greet them and entice them to come into his restaurant for a meal. Before going in, he pointed out a board sign of a fisherman with a hole cut out at the face and asked me if I wanted to stick my face through the hole for a photo (above). Why not? So I did. After this, his co-worker came out and we had a brief impromptu photo session (below). Once we finished, I headed in and enjoyed a platter of tuna sushi. The platter had a sampling of tuna prepared in different ways. I enjoyed them all, especially since this was the freshest tuna sushi I ever had in my life. Looks like all the reports that this area had the best sushi in town were accurate!




A few other travelers came in while I was eating and they equally enjoyed their meals. One young couple included a bottle of wine to go along with theirs.

Above, my breakfast all ready to be consumed.

After my meal, I headed out for a little more "window shopping" before making my way to the subway (they were running by then) for my return trip to my hotel.

Above, besides seafood, vendors near the Tsukiji Fish Market sell other goods.

Too bad I didn't visit the Tsukiji Central Wholesale Market during my previous visits to Japan. It was a worthwhile excursion and I highly recommend it to anyone who visits Tokyo, Japan.

My TSA Exprience

Above, the Boeing 777 being readied for my flight to Japan at LAX.

On Saturday, December 4, I arrived at Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) for my flight to Japan on Korean Air. Much talk had been made over the TSA's new passenger screening process (includng here on this blog). The process involves new screening machines that "sees" what's underneath people's clothing in detail, including their private parts (a.k.a. "junk"). If a person declines to be subjected to the screening machine, then a TSA screening officer (one of the same sex) would take that person aside and give them a "pat-down" search. Some called it groping. There have been horror stories in the media on these pat-down searches.

When I went to the bank to get money for the trip, my teller told me that her main concern was not the pat-downs or the x-ray views of her body, she was most concerned about the amount of radiation these machines expose people to. I haven't heard anything concerning the amount of radiation from these machines, but I will look into it upon my return to Los Angeles.

I got to the airport about three hours before my scheduled departure time (I heard it takes longer to go through the screening process) and to have breakfast. When I got to the screening area, there were about ten people ahead of me. I saw some go through the screener, but I didn't see any decline the machine and opt for the pat-down.

When it was my turn to go, I put all my pockets' contents placed in trays and my laptop computer put separately in its own tray. I watched as my belongings moved into the x-ray machine. And walked forward. Instead of being directed into the body scanner, I was directed to go around it. My first thought that maybe the machine was not working, but I saw others go through it. Then I thought they decided to pat me down. They didn't. Instead, I was directed to go to the end of the conveyor belt to retrieve my belongings. There, a Hispanic TSA officer noted the "I remember Reagan" bumper sticker on my laptop cover and started to tell me that if it wasn't for Ronald Reagan, his parents would not have been allowed to migrate to the U.S. and he wouldn't be here working as a TSA officer. It was a very friendly conversation, which almost distracted me from retreiving my wallet and cellphone from the tray.

After getting everything, I headed off to the gate for my flight to Japan.

If you were expected another "horror story" about being mishandled by the TSA, you didn't find it here. All of the TSA officers I encountered were friendly and professional in their demeanor. It was more of a pleasant experience than I ever envisioned. Not bad. At least for me.

Nakamise Avenue In Asakusa

Probably my favorite place to shop (and browse) at while in Tokyo is Nakamise Avenue in Asakusa. I picked up a few items there on this trip. I've bought a few Godzilla toys there on past trips.

Here's some pictures of Nakamise Avenue I took a few days ago:

Christmas In Japan

Christians in Japan amount to about one percent (or less, depending upon the source) of the population, yet Christmas is evident in the country.

Japan is primarily a Buddhist and Shinto nation. According to asahi.com:

According to government statistics, about 82 percent of the Japanese are Shintoists and 74 percent are Buddhists. There are also about 1.7 million Christians in Japan, which is about 1.3 percent of the population.

At both of the hotels I stayed at on this trip (Tokyo and Niigata), a Christmas tree stands in the lobby.

Here's some photos I took with Christmas decorations:

Above, a Tsukiji sushi restaurant.

Above, Christmas banners and Christmas trees line a Ginza boulevard.

Above, the Mitsukoshi Department store in Ginza. The Mitsukoshi in Niigata is similarly adorned.

Above, the Wako Department Store in Ginza.

Above, a Ginza Starbucks.