6 Must-see Travel Destinations In Japan

Above, the Nagasaki Peace Statue. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Besides the monster movie locations as shown in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan, there are other things to see in The Land of the Rising Sun.

Six of them are spotlighted in a new article.

CNN Go.com posted an article entitled, "Ultimate Japan: 6 Must-see Travel Destinations."

The article begins with:

When in Japan, make like a local and head straight for these 'pure Japan' spots

One of which I visited in 2007 (photo above).

To view the article, go here.

18 Million Visitors To Japan Goal

Above, a streetcar in Nagasaki. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Japan has unveiled a five-year plan to increase in-bound tourism by 2016.

According to an article posted at InsideJapan News Netork:

A five-year tourism plan issued by Japan is aiming to attract 18 million visitors to the country's shores by 2016.

Following the publication of a draft copy of the proposals, the Japan Times reported that the plans are expected to get cabinet approval for implementation at the beginning of the next financial year.

In 2010 a record number of travellers visited Japan, with 8.61 million foreigners entering the country.

However, this number fell by more than a quarter to 6.22 million last year, with Japanese authorities believing that inaccurate information following the tsunami, earthquake and subsequent nuclear problems had discouraged visitors.

To read the full article, go here.

Criterion's "Godzilla" Blu-ray: The Extras

This is the third and final part of my review of the new Criterion Blu-ray edition of the 1954 Godzilla and its Americanized counterpart, the 1956 Godzilla, King of the Monsters!

I started off watching the Special Effects feature with SPFX Director Koichi Kawakita. What I found fascinating with it were the unused effects shots, recently located, as well as a detailed discussion on the matte work and, especially, the composite imaging (more extensive than I thought) used in the movie.

Following that, I watched an interview with Japanese-film critic Tadao Sato. The most interesting parts were the discussion of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 and the occupation of Japan from 1945 to 1952 (including photographs).

Above, the Lucky Dragon No. 5, a big inspiration for Godzilla.* Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I then watched "The Unluckliest Dragon," the documentary of the Lucky Dragon No. 5 (Daigo Fukuryu Maru), the fishing trawler that was showered with nuclear fallout from the "Castle Bravo" hydrogen bomb test at Bikini Atoll. It was interesting that the bomb was three times more powerful than predicted by U.S. authorities. The documentary also touched on the Fukushima nuclear meltdown following the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Before viewing the interviews with Akira Takarada and Haruo Nakajima, I watched the original Japanese trailer.

On Akira Takarada, it was interesting to hear of his experience in making the movie (Godzilla was his third movie). He stated that in 1954, Japan had a population of 88 million. About 11% of the 88 million went to see Godzilla during its initial release, he said. He also calls Godzilla his "classmate."

For me, the most interesting tidbit from Haruo Nakajima was that he'd go to theaters and turn his back to the screen to observe the audience reaction to what's being shown.

These were all the time I had for. There's other goodies to feast your eyes and ears upon: Interviews with special effects technicians Yoshio Irie and Eizo Kaimai and an interview with Godzilla score composer Akira Ifukube. If the ones I did manage to view are an indication, then the remaining extras should be just as good.

There's one extra I wished was included: "The Spirit of Godzilla" documentary that appeared in the Toho deluxe edition of Godzilla Final Wars. A subtitled version of Spirit would have been the icing on the cake!

Kaiju historian David Kalat provided his insights in the commentary tracks for both versions of Godzilla.

My grade for the extras I was able to view: A.

*Information on the Lucky Dragon No. 5 (Daigo Fukuryu Maru) and how to visit it can be found in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

Nagasaki Mayor Iccho Itoh Murder

This evening, I was going through my photographs of my April 2007 trip to Japan. While doing so, my attention was directed to photos of the campaign headquarters of Nagasaki Mayor Iccho Itoh, who was gunned down on April 17, 2007.

Mayor Itoh (left) was campaigning for a fourth term as mayor of Nagasaki when a man approached him from behind in front of the campaign headquarters and shot him at point-blank range in the back.

According to news reports, the assailant, Tetsuya Shiroo, shot Mayor Itoh from behind after he got out of his campaign car and fired another bullet into his back after he had already fallen.

Above, Mayor Itoh being administered first aid by paramedics following the shooting.

Mayor Itoh arrived at Nagasaki University Hospital around 8:00 pm in critical condition. His heart and lungs had ceased functioning. Itoh was placed on a heart-lung machine and doctors proceeded with fours hours of emergency surgery in an attempt to stop internal bleeding. Unfortunately, Itoh died shortly after 2:00 am on April 18.

Police investigators found that Tetsuya Shiroo, age 59, was a senior member of Suishin-kai, a gang organization. Shiroo was allegedly upset that his claims for damages to his car at a public works construction site were denied. Shiroo was tried and sentenced to death, but the Fukuoka High Court tossed out the death sentence in 2008.

This was big news throughout Japan. I was in Kumamoto at the time of the shooting and my next stop was Nagasaki.

Above, the front of Mayor Itoh's campaign headquarters, where the Mayor was shot two days before. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While in Nagasaki, I stopped at Mayor Itoh's campaign headquarters on April 19, two days after the murder. Flowers were beginning to pile up in front of the campaign office when I arrived. After taking a few photographs of the scene from a nearby pedestrian bridge, I went inside and signed the condolence book. The people inside the campaign headquarters were grateful that a foreign tourist would take the time to pay respects.

In a way, it is almost like being a witness to history.