Japan 1994

12.26.2020

One of my 2021 projects is to digitize as many VHS tapes as I can. So today, I started by connecting my VCR-TV to my Mac and making my first recordings. To my surprise, I found camcorder footage of my first trip to Japan back in 1994. Wow, the great memories, nostalgia and feels I have seeing this tape for the first time since 1994. The first clip below records my daily walk from my hotel in Ikebukuro to Sunshine City where I saw Godzilla vs Space Godzilla (1994). The second clip is much longer footage of the streets of Ikebukuro, the subway and Shinjuku. You will see Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and Shinjuku Sumitomo Building, where Godzilla slept in his return in 1994. I hope you enjoy them.

Hear the footsteps of the Japanese go to work and the sounds of the crows is so Japan. At that time, seeing Japanese TV in the U.S. was difficult. So I recorded about 30 minutes of Japanese TV while I was on my trip. I excluded those portions and will post them later. I’m so glad to have a record of these moments, especially the theater where I saw my first Godzilla movie in Japan. I cannot wait until I can return to Japan to make more great memories.

In the coming weeks and months, I will upload more clips from my old VHS tape collection. Included will be portions of Godzilla movies broadcasted on local TV along with commercials and more.