"Pacific Rim" News

Above, the "Big G." No news yet on Legendary's Godzilla project.

The Hollywood Reporter has posted some news on Legendary Pictures' Pacific Rim project:

Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures are so keen on the early special effects from Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim that they're moving up the movie's release from July 12, 2013, to May 10, 2013.

Del Toro begins shooting the Godzilla-meets-Transformers pic begins this fall in Toronto. Thomas Tull's Legendary is taking the lead on the project.

Nothing new yet on Legendary's Godzilla project.

A Word of Thanks!

Right, Yuu Asakura with "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan." Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The 20% autumn discount sale of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan was a big success! Thanks to the press release service I started using a few months ago, more people on the Internet were reached than ever before.

This shows that people still are interested in traveling to Japan, especially those who are fans of Japanese science-fiction and fantasy movies. This is despite the current problems of the poor exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen (hovering around 76-77 yen/dollar exchanged). Hopefully, once there's a new president is elected next year and a changeover in control of the U.S. Senate, the exchange rate will improve and more people will find a trip to Japan more appealing.

L.A. Daily News Hits 100

Above, "you know who" made it to front page of The Daily News in 2001.

The Los Angeles Daily News hit 100 years old today.

In today's editorial marking the milestone, they wrote:

The Daily News has been passing down the San Fernando Valley's stories ever since the company's founding Oct. 13, 1911, as The Van Nuys Call. The history of this city within the city of Los Angeles lives in the archives of its hometown paper. In the paper's own history, too.

Like the communities it covers, the paper changed its name a few times: from the Van Nuys Call to The Van Nuys News, then The Valley News and Green Sheet, then the Valley News and finally (in 1981) the Daily News.

The Daily News put yours truly on their front page in July 2001 in their article on the ceremony at the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors honoring the surviving cast members of the Adventures of Superman on the show's 50th anniversary. I arranged for the ceremony through the offices of L.A. County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich. Imagine my surprise when I saw myself staring out of newsracks.

Congratulations to The Daily News on their 100th anniversary!

Free Japan Airfare To 10,000 Foreigners Coming In 2012?

Above, Nakamise Street in Asakusa, Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Looking to drum up tourism to Japan next year, the Japan Tourism Agency has announced an interesting plan.

According to the Wall Street Journal's online edition:

[The] Japan Tourism Agency has proposed offering free airfare to 10,000 foreigners to visit the country next year.

The project would only cover travelers’ airline fees: visitors would have to pay their own food, lodging and other costs. Still, if implemented, it will cost about ¥1.1 billion ($14.3 million). That’s roughly 10% of the tourism agency’s overall 2012 budget appropriation request, and an indication of how serious the tourism slide may have become. The national budget is expected to be approved in parliament next March.

“Since the earthquake, the number of visitors has dropped drastically, so to make an impact we think it’s necessary to have this many people (10,000) come to Japan,” said Shuichi Kameyama, a Japan Tourism Agency official, on Tuesday.

This sounds great, if implemented, for Japanese monster fans. All they'd need is a "certain travel guide" and some food, lodging and souvenir money.

To read the full WSJ article, go here.

Monster Japan Travel Guide Discount Extended One Day! (Thanks To Christopher Columbus)

Oops! I forgot that today is Columbus Day and there's no mail delivery or pick-up!

So I am extending to tomorrow the 20% autumn travel discount (when mail service resumes) of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

Orders postmarked October 11 will have the discount honored!

Governor Moonbeam's Veto Allows For Warrantless Cellphone Searches

Well, looks like the further erosion of civil liberties is happening in California.

Wired.com is reporting:

California Gov. Jerry Brown is vetoing legislation requiring police to obtain a court warrant to search the mobile phones of suspects at the time of any arrest.

The Sunday veto means that when police arrest anybody in the Golden State, they may search that person’s mobile phone — which in the digital age likely means the contents of persons’ e-mail, call records, text messages, photos, banking activity, cloud-storage services, and even where the phone has traveled.

Police across the country are given wide latitude to search persons incident to an arrest based on the premise of officer safety. Now the nation’s states are beginning to grapple with the warrantless searches of mobile phones done at the time of an arrest.

Remember, elections have consequences!

To read the full article go here.

Tokyo's Odaiba

Text and photos by Armand Vaquer

Above, the Fuji TV building.

Tokyo has many landmarks and places to see for the giant monster movie fan.

One of them is the Odaiba section. Odaiba was built on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay. It was prominently shown in the 2000 feature, Godzilla x Megaguirus. It was also seen in the background in Godzilla x Mothra x MechaGodzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003).

Odaiba can be reached by foot (across the Rainbow Bridge), car, water taxi and train.
Above, the Statue of Liberty and Rainbow Bridge from Aqua City.

The kaiju places of interest in Odaiba include the Aqua City shopping mall (they have a replica Statue of Liberty outside), the Fuji TV Building and the Rainbow Bridge that spans across Tokyo Bay.

Above, Rainbow Bridge and Odaiba from a Tokyo Bay water taxi.

There are many other attractions to see in Odaiba. The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan will provide the details!