Tokyo Summer
The decision has been made! Japan 2024 is on! Airfare is paid and hotel reservations are made. I’m ever so grateful to make another trip to my favorite place on earth. During this trip I will be celebrating 30 years of travel to Japan since 1994. Godzilla vs Space Godzilla was released during my first trip and its final song by Date of Birth will be my trip theme. My plan is to go to Wonder Festival on July 28 where Toho will celebrate the 70th anniversary of Godzilla. I’m planning to find some Godzilla Minus One locations and more. Japan here I come! Stay tuned. 5.11.2024
Google Maps & Me
I use Google Maps for everywhere I want to go in Japan. My day begins and ends with Google Maps and everything in between. I plan all my destinations and transportation arrangements with Google first. I rely on its accuracy and updates, especially on long trips I take to Godzilla places. I would have never found Odo Island and Mt Hachiman in their remote filming location in Toba. 5.21.2024
Tokyo Heat
Going to Japan in the summer is not the best idea. It can be brutally hot. I did it once back in 2016 on my way to Indonesia for work. I was there the week of the release of Shin Godzilla. And I thought I was going to pass out. I thought summer in Philadelphia was bad. Getting out early and staying out of the midday sun is important. If I have the strength I will do more in the evening as well as I do during daylight. 5.18.2024
Put that on My List
On your Godzilla trip to Japan, what is on your list to do and to go? There are places I have to go almost on every trip. Such places include the Godzilla Head atop Gracery Hotel in Shinkuku, the Godzilla Store Tokyo, Nakano Broadway, Mandarake Shibuya, Akihabara and Toho Studios. Some trips I’ve spent traveling to special Godzilla places In 2018, I went to over a dozen Shin Godzilla locations. This year I want to visit Godzilla -1.0 film locations. 5.16.2024
Time for the Travel List
Japan is a little over two months away. Enough time to prepare but not to waste. Fortunately, I have most of what I need already since my last trip in November. If I had to leave tomorrow, I could quick pack all I need tonight. 5.13.2024
- Tickets (5.11)
- Passport (5.13)
- Visit Japan Web
- Electronics
- eSIM card (5.21)
- Travel Bag
- Summer Shorts
- Footwear
- Pocket Shaver
- Itinerary
- Packing
Toho Tokusatsu Wonder Festival 2024 Summer
I had the privilege of attending Wonder Fest in 2016 right before the release of Shin Godzilla. My first WonFes was in summer and my second will be this summer. And it will be excruciatingly hot. The summer months are not the ideal time to travel to Japan but this will be special for many reasons which I cannot mention yet. This time I will walk out back to see ZoZo Marine Stadium where Godzilla battled MechaGodzilla in 1993. An aerial view of stadium is in the background of the image above. Check out my clip from 2016! 5.12.2024
Tokusatsu DNA
Over the years I’ve missed many Godzilla events in Japan. Last year this got better. This trip in July I hope not to miss the Tokusatsu DNA Ueda Exhibition celebrating 70 years of special effects movies starting with “Godzilla” at the Santomyuze Ueda City Museum of Art from July 12, 2024 to September 8, 2024. See more 5.12.2024
Finally Activated
I got the iPhone 15 last year just for my trip for Godzilla Day in November. But I bought it for photos only. I haven’t owned a phone since I bought the original iPhone in the summer of 2008. Living in Japan I just didn’t need my phone any longer and it was too expensive. But now, many years in the making, I’ve finally got a phone. I activated my new iPhone today, in time for my next trip to Tokyo. So to celebrate I created some MyKaiju Godzilla toy photography wallpaper (1240×1920) and more on the way. I hope you can use it and enjoy. Godzilla 1954 | Godzilla 1974 | Godzilla 1991 | Godzilla 1999 5.20.2024
I can’t wait
As soon as I go to Japan, I start to crave my favorite Japanese foods. I became a vegetarian almost ten years ago. So I don’t eat what I used to when I lived there. But as soon as my feet hit Japanese ground, I look for the nearest 7-Eleven to get my favorite onigiri. Onigiri is “made from white rice formed into triangular or cylindrical shapes and often wrapped in nori” (Google). 5.22.2024
A Trip Around the World
Back in 2016, my normal flight path to Japan through Chicago was rerouted through London to Japan. When I returned home I had traveled around the world. 5.23.2024
To get ready for Japan I turn on NHK. It gets me all hyped up. Today I saw NHK Anime Sanctuaries that takes pilgrimages around Japan to “Sanctuaries” found in various anime. A cool show! Last year there were over 1 million visitors to see anime locations. My recent trips to Japan are spent going to Godzilla Places. Check out the location of the Odo Island shrine. I wish there was a show for the Big G and tokusatsu. 5.22.2024
Trying Something New
I’ve grown accustomed to purchasing a WiFi Hotspot for my Japan trips. Now that I have a phone I can take advantage of international sim cards. So I got an eSim card today for July. It will be great to travel without the weight, worry and turning off-and-on of the pocket wifi. 5.21.2024
Not Quite Nonstop
To get to Japan I needed relatively inexpensive tickets and they required multiple stops. But in my case I love my flight path returning home. I will pass through Honolulu before heading to L.A. I might not get to Okinawa this summer for MechaGodzilla’s 50th birthday, but this is an island I’m also looking forward to visiting. 5.18.2024
Nonstop to Tokyo
My all-time favorite Japanese groups is Pizzicato Five. An their “Nonstop to Tokyo” captures my energy and excitement before any trip. 5.14.2024
Japan Memories
Passport Renewal
If you are going to Japan, make sure your passport is good to go. Mine expires this year so I had to expedite the passport renewal process. Ughh, it’s expensive and tedious. But my old one has been shipped off with all the necessary renewal documents. 5.13.2024
First Japan Trip Pics
From A Dear Friend
In 1999, I went to Japan twice. During my second trip, I visited my mother’s church friend and English teacher Ms Dorothy. She showed me that living and teaching in Japan was possible. She encouraged me to finish my college degree and trust God. And my dream came true in 2008. She gifted me this wonderful pin from her work and activities in the city of Omiya. 5.20.2024
Akira Nakao Passes
This morning I woke up to the sad news of the passing of Japanese actor Akira Nakao (中尾 彬). Nakao-san appeared in six Godzilla movies from the Heisei to Millennium eras. He played memorable military and government officials. He was 81 years old. He will be missed but not forgotten. We offer our prayers of peace and comfort for his family, loved ones and the Toho community. Rest in Power Commander.
Samples from The Record of G -1.0
Some early design drawings by Director Yamazaki of various types of Godzilla and a rendering of a bloat marine life. The release date for “THE RECORD OF G-1 .0” has been set for May 25th. Source: @godzilla_st 5.15.23.2024
On May 16 in 1947, Godzilla entered Ginza
The Temptation of G -1.0
The price of the Prime 1 Studio Godzilla 2023 diorama has been revealed. Oh I want it badly, but $1999 (plus $500 to $1111 shipping) is a tough hill to climb. It’s worth every dollar. The recurring payments would start in 2025. That would allow time to save and pay the balance in a single payment. Congrats to all who will add this Minus One to their collection. It truly is a centerpiece for any Godzilla collection. Its fine quality is a testament and reflection of the quality of the film it represents. 5.23.2024
Godzilla X Kong:
The New Empire
Growing up I enjoyed Hanna-Barbera’s The Godzilla Power Hour on Saturday mornings but the main event was the rerun of a Showa-era Godzilla movie on Saturday afternoon. Some people live in food deserts where unhealthy diets of high sugar, carbs and cholesterol are the norm. Better food is hard to find and expensive when available. The Godzilla cartoon, although entertaining, was all we had as we waited nine years for our favorite monster to return to the big screen. Before the release of Godzilla X Kong there were many comparisons with the Showa era. But I see GXK from another genre. It might be best understood as a cinematic comic book like The Godzilla Power Hour and The King Kong Show (1966). It is an animated movie with humans inserted to add dialogue and commentary and to connect the plot of an action movie. While enjoyable like candy and a snack but it’s not the main course and entree I’m looking for. It’s good at what it is trying to do. For its budget and spfx, more can be done with less. ★★★☆☆ 5.20.2024 5.20.2024
Meaningful Monster Conversations
Yesterday’s episode of Collect All Monsters (Episode 52) was fun but very important and serious. We discussed the two great kaiju films, Frankenstein vs. Baragon (1965) and its “sequel” Frankenstein’s Monsters: Sanda vs. Gaira (1966) and their U.S. releases. They are very much like Godzilla (1954) and Godzilla -1.0 (2023) in that they deal directly with the tragic, devastating and dangerous outcomes of the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan. Better than any other in their genre, these films show monsters and the monster makers as projections of humanity as our best and worst. On one hand we see the tragic origins and experiences of young Frankenstein and we see the unfortunate mutual destruction of his adulthood when he is compelled to stop his twin. In them we can see ourselves, our struggle with human nature and violence and the consequences of our choices and actions. These films offer the most useful lessons from the genre. When I was a child I didn’t see these things about my favorite monsters and heroes born out of tragedy and complex human experiences. But in the words of Paul, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:11-12). Now that I’m an old adult with more days behind me than in front of me, Godzilla and all those who have appeared in his wake mean more to me today than ever before. They are not just fun but for real. 5.19.2024
I started using my Nishikawa Godzilla icons recovered from an old Mac product. It was a fun process to recreate them but now it’s more fun better to use them. 5.23.2023
Showa Songs
From Mothra’s Shobijin Twins to Princess Nami’s Prayer of MechaGodzilla (1974) Godzilla movies of the Showa era sung, sung and sung again. Songs are one of the great features and memories of these films that we kept humming long after they ended. The films of the Toho Champion Festival had a run of music enchantments from “Return the Sun” at the opening of Hedorah (1971) to the closing of Gigan (1972) with “Beat Gigan” and Jet Jaguar’s “Punch, Punch, Punch” ending Megalon (1973). Showa Godzilla got great sing-along quality. 5.18.2024
Gimme Gold
They won the Oscar and we get the gold, the beautiful golden Ichiban Kuji Yuji Sakai Godzilla -1.0 figure carried by Director Yamazaki and team on Oscar night. It will go up for sale on May 20. This is the best collectible for celebrating Godzilla’s historical achievement. I hope Godzilla.com will post it for sale. Learn More 5.17.2024
Box Daze
X-Plus FSL Godzilla 1984 Cybot
Photo Credit: まい @mai_godzilla
MyKaiju Sighting
It’s always a blessing to see someone share MyKaiju box art on social media. Mai celebrated his acquisition of the limited edition Final Wars Godzilla from Yuji Sakai’s Best Works Selection. This was box art I worked on in 2022. See more Source: @mai_godzilla 5.12.2024
“I got a golden ticket”
You’ve heard the classic Willie Wonka song. Well dreams do come true. Sometimes I need to use Buyee Japan where I found the Minus One golden ticket giveaway at Japanese theaters after Minus One won the Oscar for best vfx. Here’s a little piece of 70 years of Godzilla movie history. “What an amazing thing!” (Lyrics: Jack Albertson and Peter Ostrum) 5.11.2024
A Button from the 1984 Godzilla Boom
I can’t get 1984 out of my head. And now a button for my heart. I just got another piece of Godzilla ’84 memorabilia. Anything with this guy’s face I gotta have it. That was a special year. Weekends were all about going downtown to my favorite toy store Rocketships & Accessories on 4th & South Street, Philadelphia. I steadily built up my Japanese Godzilla collection and acquired the foundation of my 1984 collection. 5.11.2024
Director Yamazaki: 『ゴジラ細胞』です。”It is Godzilla cells.” (Photo: Note.com) | Godzilla cells appear on Noriko’s neck
There be Godzilla Cells
Director Yamazaki confirmed that Godzilla cells appeared on Noriko’s neck at the close of Minus One. The novel only mentions the appearance of a small black bruise. The implication is her recovery from Godzilla’s attack on the Ginza is the result of his cellular regeneration power. I always thought that the shape of the growing black mass looks like his dorsal fin. The connection and explanation should be obvious because the very next and last scene is Godzilla regenerating at the book of the sea. The implications are as numerous as the last scene of Shin Godzilla. Like 2016, I believe there should be no direct sequel to Minus One but rather new films could explore the appearance of new kaiju as a result of the promulgation of Godzilla cells. Source: Note.com 5.10.2024
The Shinden has been sighted
My dear friend and apache pilot Jonathan Hulse spotted Shikishima’s Shinden at the Smithsonian Museum and shared his photo. The placard reads in part: “The Shinden (Magnificent Lightning) is one of the few experimental aircraft with a canard configuration to fly during World War II… Capt. Masaoki Tsuruno of the Japanese Navy Technical Staff proposed the idea of a canard fighter powered by a jet engine. Only two prototypes were complete, both powered by piston engines turning pusher propellers. Tsuruno completed several short flights in the first prototype before the war ended. The second prototype never flew. Its fuselage is displayed here without the wings and the pusher engine and propeller.” (Wingspan: 11.1m, Length: 9.7m, Height: 3.9m) Learn More | Click for Full Photo 5.8.2024
It’s Saturday
What’s on your TV this weekend? Back in the day I would have got up as early for the great Saturday Morning Cartoon lineup across the local UHF and VHF channels. But the main course was in the afternoon with a Godzilla movie. This is what my Saturday looked like back on May 24, 1980. Source: 5.11.2024
Blockbuster Sales
Godzilla-1.0 DVD, which won the Best Visual Effects Award at the 96th Academy Awards, sold 15,000 copies in its first week, and the latest “Oricon Weekly DVD Ranking” announced on May 9th it won first place on its first appearance. Go Godzilla! Source: Yahoo News 5.9.2024
A Cool Super X Worth Getting
I was stoked when the MODEROID Super X and its predecessor the Super X2 model kits were announced. The Super X is an aerial vehicle used by the J.S.D.F., featured prominently in Godzilla (1984). But the Amazon Japan shipping cost was cold water on my enthusiasm. Then this morning when I visited Godzilla.com there they were at a great price not just for the model kit but also shipping. The total was under $50 USD. I only wanted the first Super X. It is about 5.25 inches long with deployable turret, guns and rockets. Get One! | 5.8.2024
Cool Pics
Happy Birthday Ishiro Honda
Born May 7th, 1911, Ishiro Honda would have been 113 today. He is the great director of Godzilla (1954) and so many more that followed. He along with Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka and SPX Director Eiji Tsuburaya form the big three who brought the King of the Monsters to life on the big screen. 5.7.2024
Shall I stay or should I go?
This is in my head this morning. I will answer this question this week. The pressure has intensified this morning with the release of the Toho Wonder Festival 2024 (Summer) flyer celebrating Godzilla’s 70th Anniversary and Kaiyodo’s 60th. Wonder Fes will be held on Sunday, July 28th. With G-Fes on the horizon I need to figure out all my plans and expenses. 5.6.2024
A Morning Melody
After a difficult day of a dental emergency, twitter friend Kawachi (@kaijukyle) answered my prayers pointing me to the soothing acoustic guitar sound I was looking for. That elusive Godzilla -1.0 track has been found. Although unofficial, this short track satisfies. I’ve immediately added it to my playlist and iPad. Thank you Kyle and The Dutch Mark for making it available. 5.7.2024
Photo Credit: @Jupiterkumi
Box Art at the Godzilla Store
I was in Japan yesterday and didn’t know it. I was at the Godzilla Store pop-up at the first Niigata Model Operation, held at AEON Niigata West. Unfortunately I was not there in person, but to my surprise Yuji Sakai model kits featuring my box art were available for sale. There was Godzilla 1954, 1991, 1995 and 2002. Check out the MyKaiju X-Plus Toy Photography. 5.5.2024
Missing track
I love the Minus One soundtrack. It brilliantly portrays each scene creating anticipation and evoking desired emotion responses. With titles like Fear, Confusion, Divine, Elegy, Mission, Hope, Pain, Resolution and Pray, these tracks don’t miss. But there are two missing that I need. The first acoustic guitar BGM playing during the montage of the daily life of Shikishima, Noriko and Akiko. The second is the song playing on the radio while Shikishima cares for Akiko right before the sound alert that Godzilla is approaching Ginza. Apparently Director Yamazaki wanted to use a song by Simon & Garfunkel but it was too expensive (Source: @kihiko89). 5.6.2024
Not Ordinary Wood
I got my copy of Minus One and I hope you did too. There’s so much to love about this film from our favorite monster on the big screen to the smallest detail like the wooden Godzilla prop deployed by Prof Noda during his presentation to stop Godzilla. I’m sure we all love the most famous piece of wood and want some representation of it in our collection. Every instance I’ve seen of it on social media has stopped me in my tracks. And along the way I’ve ordered a t-shirt of it and now a cool rubber figure by Airtwokyo.com. It was irresistible. It’s small but not only coming along for the ride is the Shinseimaru and Godzilla in pursuit. Get Yours 5.3.2024
Minus One is Coming
My 4K Ultra HD Minus One should come today, a day early. And to go with it I gotta have the Ichiban Kuji Godzilla (2023) SOFVICS Gold Color Version sculpted by Yuji Sakai (ゴジラ（2023） SOFVICS ゴールドカラーver.). Here is what we know: Pre-order sales period: May 20, 2024 (Monday) 17:00 to June 3, 2024 (Monday) 23:59. Scheduled after the end of August 2024. It will retail for 14,000 yen (10% tax included). Source: 1kuji.com 5.2.2024
Eric, Jared and John
SciFi Saturday
My Saturday began with a viewing of my dear friend who passed away about a week ago. Rest in Power Jon Jon. Later in the day my friends and I convened for another great SciFi Saturday as we have for two decades. We come together to relax around our favorite movies and TV shows with great food, folks and fun. Yesterday was May the 4th. We began by gathering at King of Prussia’s Lego Store to snatch up the latest Star Wars releases. When we got down to movie watching Godzilla -1.0 was front and center, followed by Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith. The evening was capped off with the first episode on THEM. we had a blast and took great value in being together and not taking our time together for granted. Spend time with your loved ones, tell them how many you love them. And cherish your time together so when those days have passed there will be no regrets but only wonderful memories and gratitude. 5.5.2024
Now Playing
Godzilla -1.0 has arrived and doesn’t disappoint. The Amazon sets comes with a beautiful set of 4 discs with a steel box, behind-the-scenes commemorative program and poster and a miniature Minus One acrylic stand. And on top of that the Blu-ray 4K Ultra HD picture is crystal clear. There is so much to dive into to enjoy: Minus Color, VFX making, special disaster countermeasure materials, event video collection, special features and more. Several months ago in anticipation of its arrival I invested in an all-region Sony Blu-ray 4K Ultra player from Best Buy. It turned out to be the best buy. 5.3.2024
Welcome to MyKaiju Daily, a daily diary and journal. While I’m in between writing articles and doing new toy photography, there’s daily Godzilla news I would like to comment on. This is a space for my quick blurbs, shares, comments and more on the old and new stuff about Godzilla.