Matsuchiyo- Life of a Geisha to World Premiere at 2018 Raindance Film Festival London!

The line-up for the 2018 Raindance Film Festival in London has been announced! Raindance Film Festival is the premiere independent film festival in the entire world. Wonderslist shows Raindance at the "10 Most Prestigious Film Festivals Around The World." https://www.wonderslist.com/10-prestigious-film-festivals/ 

I am very happy to announce that a movie I helped produce and did some small parts for has been selected at the 2018 Raindance Film Festival. It is especially thrilling because this makes two years in a row, that a movie I helped write and produce was selected at Raindance.

This year, 2018, 'Matsuchiyo - Life of a Geisha' was selected. last year, "Ghostroads - A Rock n Roll Ghost Story" was selected. 

Here is the teaser:

Want to see more?

This years' 'Matsuchiyo - Life of a Geisha' will have two screenings at Raindance. 

1st: Wed 3rd Oct 15:00 at VUE Theater in Piccadilly London

Main: Fri 5th Oct 17:30 at VUE Theater in Piccadilly London

For more information and tickets check out the Raindance Matsuchiyo information page: 
http://calendar.raindancefestival.org/films/matsuchiyo-life-of-a-geisha

BIG NEWS!!! There will be presents from Japan that can be won by drawing for guests at both screenings! Matsuchiyo folding Japanese fans will be given out by drawing to at least 50 lucky fans each night! So be there for the "trip" to the real Japan you've always wanted!

The Movie:

'Matsuchiyo - Life of a Geisha' is a documentary about one of the last surviving true geisha in Japan. The story begins with Matsuchiyo's wartime childhood in the Imperial Japanese puppet-state of Manchuria and, consequently, a narrow escape from the Soviet Army onslaught at the end of World War II. She only just escapes with her mother, the only two surviving members of the family. They drift across post-war Japan and finally settle down in a spa-resort town named Atami where Matsuchiyo joins an “Okiya” (a traditional geisha agency), to pay the family debts and support her aging mother. During her apprenticeship years, Matsuchiyo practices, works, and plays hard, to become a true geisha. 

In her adulthood, Matsuchiyo becomes one of the top geisha in the city of Atami, which was booming during 'Japan's post-war economic miracle' era. Living with strict geisha traditions, Matsuchiyo experiences romance, tearful farewells, being a mistress of married men, motherhood and tragic deaths. In her maturity, she acquires a somewhat zen-like attitude and wisdom towards life. 

Today, in her 80's, Matsuchiyo the geisha, is as motivated and inspiring as ever. She still delivers a mesmerizing performance on stage as she actively joins a relief effort for the victims of Japan’s 2011 earthquake, tsunami and following the nuclear disaster. And, like a true artist, Matsuchiyo genuinely enjoys every moment of her life. 

'Matsuchiyo - Life of a Geisha' is narrated by her own son and film director, Ken Nishikawa, and it is adorned with hundreds of beautiful photos from Japan's bygone era. This film illustrates the trials and tribulations of the ultimate Japanese cultural enigma that is - The Life of a Geisha.

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This years' 'Matsuchiyo - Life of a Geisha' will have two screenings at Raindance. 

1st: Wed 3rd Oct 15:00 at VUE Theater in Piccadilly London

Main: Fri 5th Oct 17:30 at VUE Theater in Piccadilly London

For more information and tickets check out the Raindance Matsuchiyo information page: 
http://calendar.raindancefestival.org/films/matsuchiyo-life-of-a-geisha

Japan? Samurai, Ninja, Geisha and Benshi...

In the old days (1908 ~ the 1930s)、during the heyday of Silent Films, there was no such thing as subtitling of movies in countries like Japan (that loved western culture). 

Also, as in the west, pianists or string quartets would accompany the Silent Films (Until the music started recording those soundtracks in 1923). So, how did, say, Charles Chaplin or Rudolph Valentino, become worldwide stars when people couldn't understand the silent movies? Or the cards that were inserted into the films to explain situation or dialogue? 

There's no way the average Japanese could read this back then... 

Heck, it would be troublesome today!... Wait a sec... You guys all read English...

Imagine if the cards said this:

Get it? They could be on the screen for 2 minutes and it wouldn't matter! Chuckle!

Outside of English speaking countries, the films were narrated and explained by what is called, "rhetorician." The Merriam Webster dictionary defines, "rhetorician," as a: "master or teacher of rhetoric; an orator." Or "an eloquent or grandiloquent writer or speaker."

In Japan, these orators were called, "Benshi." 

Benshi (stage left)

The Benshi would stand on the stage to the side of the screen and explain the situations in the movies and even add in character dialogue... 

Some of these benshi were incredible at what they did; many became superstars in their own right. In fact, these benshi were responsible for people like Chaplin or Valentino becoming famous in Japan. Many fans came to see the Benshi, not so much to see the Hollywood stars! Chaplin or Valentino or the rest were the side acts... Many people came to be entertained by the oratory of the legendary Benshi...

For many people in Japan, it was the Benshi, not the Hollywood stars in the movie that was the main reason for attending the theaters back in old Japan in those days. 

I believe, as far as cinema and the mass media, the rhetoricians, the Benshi, were the very first in the evolution of today's voice actors. 

Thirty years ago, in Tokyo's Asakusa district, there was a theater called, "Kaminari Theater" (Lightning Theater) and they used to have performances just as they were held during of the heyday of silent films: They would have evenings set up to recreate the exact experience and event of Benshi and Silent Films from the 1920s. 

In the old days, in Japan, going to the cinema and seeing a Benshi was a premium experience for the high-class; people would have dinner and champagne or sake while watching the Silent Films.

I went often to those recreations in the 1980s.

Kaminari Theater used to show these Silent Films with quartet & Benshi. When the films were over, I was so impressed, moved and inspired, I had tears in my eyes. 

Benshi: Sawato Midori

If this is difficult for you to comprehend, about the Benshi, here's an example: It might be difficult to understand because it's in Japanese, but watch this lady, Sawato Midori, she is awesome. At the very start, she does the voices, of the daughter, mother, sister; then she goes on to do the voices of the samurai men who are fighting... And then flawlessly back to the narrator.

Here is Sawato Midori who is probably Japan's top Benshi.... Even today! She's an incredible talent, : https://youtu.be/nAdtP6Y01bs?t

I met some executives at a silent movie company in Tokyo the other day and am attempting to arrange a showing of, perhaps, a Chaplin movie (and an old samurai movie) with a string quartet accompaniment and a Benshi for our Mt. Fuji - Atami Film & VR Festival and other Japan film festivals planned. 

Mt. Fuji - Atami Film & VR Festival

The events will be promoted just like the above explanation. They will be promoted as something like, "A time trip back to Japan of the 1920s." 

The shows might include a dinner (like the food they ate back in those days) and drinks.. Drinks from the 1920s: Salty Dog, champagne, rice wine.

After everyone is served, the main event starts: A Harold Lloyd, Chaplin or Samurai Silent film with quartet and Benshi... 

Everyone can experience the past and even foreigners will like it as the Samurai movies even have English subtitles in most cases movies and the Chaplin films have the dialogue and situation card inserted. 

I think this would be the most fantastic theatrical experience! 

Time trip back to the days of the Silent Movie stars, dinner, the show featuring a string quartet and the Benshi!

A once in a lifetime trip to a better time and an age long gone by.

Form more information about the Mt. Fuji - Atami Film Festival see: http://atamifilmfestival.org/

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For more information about Mt. Fuji Atami Film & VR Festival

Please, come and "Follow" our Twitter page: https://twitter.com/FujiAtamiFilm

And, we have a Facebook page too! https://www.facebook.com/MFAFFcinema/

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This post is dedicated to Stephen David Brooks, Koji Kamibayashi, Sawato Midori, My wife, Candice Anne Marshall, Scott Hillier, Giedre Bumbulyte and Elliot Grove.

Edward G Robinson, the Sexy Geisha and Me - A True Story!

Whenever I put some famous person's name in the title of my articles, the hits and access to those articles literally explodes. I like to think that my readership is skyrocketing because of my prose and penmanship (on a PC?) but I suspect it is really because of how vain I am and how I like to name-drop famous people. It doesn't matter how tenuous that relationship between that famous person and me is either because this stuff is all true. 

Swear to god! Strike me dead if I lie!.....

See? I'm still here!

Just the other day I wrote about my close "working relationship" with Charles Bukowski. That article was quite popular, thank you. Looking back, though, I kind of screwed that one up because I should have added the name of U2's Bono to that article's title; "Charles Bukowski, Bono and Me."  

Also, a while back, I wrote about the time I met "God" in person and even sort of had lunch with him at a restaurant in Los Angeles!...  And who could forget the time I met former president H.W. Bush and the hijinks surrounding Daddy Bush, Diana Ross and me? 

Yes, folks. These stories are all true too! 

Matsuchiyo

So, here we go again with another titillating tale of my chequered past! (Well, not so past, I'm just talking about what happened yesterday...) Hence the title: "Edward G Robinson, the Sexy Geisha and Me - A True Story!"

Yesterday, I spent the day down in Atami. Atami is a famous sea-side resort town just south of Tokyo. It used to be called the "Venice of Japan." It is famous for the ocean, mountains, Mt. Fuji and it is one of two seats of true geisha culture in Japan (the other being Kyoto).

Atami and Mt. Fuji in the background

Anyway, before I tell you about the sexy geisha, Edward G. Robinson and myself, let me give you some background on Atami...

Atami is celebrating their 80th year of becoming a city and they are aiming to change their nickname from the "Venice of Japan" to the "Hollywood of Japan." The reason being is that there seems to be some sort of boom going on there for locations for TV shows and movies... (A government representative told me that there were, on average more than 300 location shoots a year in Atami! Wow!)

So, I was down in beautiful Atami to meet some folks from the government and the national travel bureau because we are arranging a fancy hootenanny shindig next year. Besides meeting the government and travel bureau folks, I was also going to meet a very famous, legendary geisha named Matsuchiyo and her geisha house publicity manager. 

I was looking forward to a sort of "Teahouse of the August Moon" meeting (except I hate sitting on the floor. My knees and my butt starts to hurt!)

Marlon Brando trying to act and look Japanese in this classic!

Anyhow, Matsuchiyo is a very famous and high class geisha and has been doing that for years. She has been on TV and is well known in the entertainment business. I even worked on a documentary about her a while back. Here's that trailer:

  
Matsuchiyo has been a geisha since about the end of World War II. During the war, as a young girl, she and her family moved to then Japan-occupied Manchuria to seek their fame and fortune. Well, as you may have heard, the war didn't quite go as the Japanese Imperial Army planned and when the Soviets invaded Manchuria right before the dropping of the atomic bomb, all hell broke loose and the Japanese in Manchuria had to beg, borrow or steal to get the hell out of Manchuria before the Russians got to them.

A young Matsuchiyo and her mother were the only ones from their family who survived and were able to escape the onslaught of the Soviets and return to Japan. 

Beautiful Matsuchiyo in the 1950s?

Back in Japan, her family had incurred such huge financial losses that the only way out for them was for Matsuchiyo to be literally sold to become a geisha. So a proper and professional geisha she became.

After the war, in the 1950s, many famous American actors and actresses came to Japan. They would often go to Atami as Atami is only about 2.5 hours from Tokyo (there was no Shinkansen Bullet Train until 1964 so going to Kyoto was a major endeavour back in those days - Now we can get to Atami from Tokyo in 40 minutes or so by Bullet Train). And this is where Edward G. Robinson comes in. I was talking to Matsuchiyo's son (my friend Ken) and he was showing me photos of his mom. He said to me, "Here's one of my mom and some famous American actor." 

I looked at the photo and couldn't believe it. There, in the photo, is Matsuchiyo and my mom and dad's favorite gangster actor: Edward G. Robinson! My jaw dropped to the floor!

"Your mom performed as a geisha for Edward G. Robinson in the 1950s!? Holy shit! That's unbelievable!!!!" I exclaimed. In his always understated and subdued manner, Ken quietly responded, "Yes. It would appear to be so..."

Matsuchiyo in white and standing behind her with his hand on her shoulder is Academy Award winning actor Edward G. Robinson (I'll bet they called him "Ed-san.")

I was even told a story about the time Matsuchiyo went to the British embassy to entertain some royalty and other big shots who were visiting Japan. You know, if you or I go to the embassy whether there are "important people" there or not, they always treat us like criminals and rifle through our shit and give us full body cavity searches and check our ID and everything? Well, to a geisha? No. They don't do that. So when Matsuchiyo showed up to the embassy they didn't even check her ID or her belongings or anything. She, as a geisha, just walks right past security, no questions asked. No one bats an eye.

What the hell? That's right. No checks. No nothing. Why? Because everyone in Japan knows that geisha do not carry ID (I am not kidding here either)....Isn't that wild?

Anyhow, where was I? Oh, yeah, I was meeting with these government people and the travel agency people and Matsuchiyo. Matsuchiyo told us that the publicity manager for the geisha house was to attend today's meeting, so we were sitting at the government office waiting. 

Of course since she told us it was the "publicity manager" we were expecting some dude in a suit to show up... But no!.... Oh my god! It wasn't a dude, but a beautiful girl!... I mean, a really beautiful geisha arrived! Her name was Miho. I think my jaw dropped to the floor when she walked into the room. Everyone was so surprised!

Miho and Matsuchiyo at Atami Government City Office - May 24, 2017

Well, we all sat in a conference room (in chairs, thank you very much) and had a nice meeting. Matsuchiyo and Miho didn't say two words the entire meeting; they didn't have to, the mere eloquence of their presence was quite extraordinary and had a profound effect on everybody. I mean, imagine having a business meeting and legendary people are sitting right next to you! Wow!

The meeting went well and we all came to a mutually agreeable deal. We all said our "goodbyes" and I left and headed home. The end of a satisfying day!

But there is an epilogue and one last "joke" for people who are into Japan and geisha and pop culture. This last tidbit blew my mind too.

At the meeting, the representative from the national travel bureau handed me her card. I looked at her name and was quite surprised. Her name is "Tomoe Kimura." Why was I so surprised? Let me explain.... (My twisted way of thinking...)

Here I am in a room at Atami (The Hollywood of Japan) meeting with high ranking government officials and there are two famous geisha sitting right next to me. The girl we meet from the government travel bureau hands me her card and her name is the same name as one of the most famous Enka singers of all time! Imagine if you sat down at a meeting and someone handed you a card and her name was, say, "Petula Clark" or "Nancy Sinatra"? Get it?

I'm with geisha at a meeting and the person I am talking to is named Kimura Tomoe???? WTF?????? Kimura Tomoe sang one of the most famous Enka songs in history! You can't make this stuff up!!!!! 

 Tomoe Kimura - "Naniwa Bushidayo Jinsei Wa"
If video doesn't play, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTwZs8895zc

I asked the Ms. Tomoe Kimura we were having a pleasant meeting with if she would sing her monster hit song, "Naniwa Bushidayo Jinsei Wa" at our event opening ceremony.... 

When everyone realized the connection and the joke about her name and that famous song, they all burst out laughing... Especially the two geisha! 

I was happy. 

You know, geisha usually entertain you and make you laugh... it's not everyday that I get to entertain the geishas and make them laugh!

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If you got a kick out of this article, you might like yesterday's: The Spirit of Ecstasy https://modernmarketingjapan.blogspot.jp/2017/05/the-spirit-of-ecstasy.html

Burlesque Booming in Tokyo!

In these last ten ~ twenty years, there’s been a boom in younger Japanese girls getting into Geisha. They aren’t “TRUE” geisha, of course. Long ago, many of the "true" geisha were sold like slaves into geisha agencies usually to pay off massive family debts. Today’s young geisha likes the fashion and costume and make up of old Japan and the world of the geisha. To today’s geisha it is fun and an art form more than it is a lifestyle or a life’s work as it was to traditional geisha in a feudalistic society.

Miwa Rock

But, along with the art of geisha, today’s young Japanese Tokyoite woman has fallen into love with another sort of dancing and art form that was popular in the west from the late 1890s until the late 1950s and that is Burlesque.

Burlesque has found a great comeback in the west, and now in Japan too due to recent Hollywood movies like Burlesque from 2010. Burlesque starred Cher, Christina Aguilera, Alan Cumming, Eric Dane. It was about a small-town girl who ventured to Los Angeles and finds her place in a neo-burlesque club run by a former dancer.

Movies like this, is it said, have been inspired by modern burlesque superstars like Dita Von Tease. Dita is the Michael Jackson Superstar of Burlesque dancing! Maybe some of you haven’t heard of her, but look her up. She has to be one of the most beautiful women in the entire world today! (Photos of Dita Von Teese here Va-Va-Va Voom!) 

Oh, and a funny note is that she was married to Marilyn Manson!

Anyway, because of Dita and the movie “Burlesque” this kind of art form has a revival boom going on in Tokyo today.

One of the Top dancers is a girl who goes by the name of Miwa Rock. Miwa tells me that there are 14 Burlesque dancers in Tokyo today but only five (and she’s one of them) who gets paid for her efforts.

I saw her dancing once and the guys and girls were going crazy and giving her 1000 yen (about $10) tips!

It really blew my mind to see younger Japanese people today mimicking these sorts of western styles and dance fashions that were so popular 70 years ago.

It just goes to show that these trends come and go in cycles and one must always keep and eye open for them to catch them while they are going and see them real time.

(Here's a video that I made with my best friend Ken Nishikawa of a Psychobilly rock band named Bobby's Bar that Miwa Rock appeared in for us. The entire atmosphere of the entire event was breath-taking.!)

Here's Miwa Rock's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/miwa.rock.5?fref=ts

Here's her blog (Japanese only): http://ameblo.jp/miwa-rock1025/

The Making of a "Geisha" in Photos

Several years ago my friend, Ken Nishikawa (you can see his Youtube channel here), and I shot a commercial for an anniversary for the Fiat 500cc.

This is the making of that commercial:

Here are some of the stills from that commercial... This is the process that most people never see: The making of a "Geisha." 

All photos by Ayumi Maeno. Thanks to Matsuchiyo and Koichi for the costume and dressing. (Who is Matsuchiyo? Watch this....) As I recall, the entire make up and dressing for the "Geisha" took about 4.5 hours.

This is like a religious experience..... Enjoy!