It is a testament to Japanese director Takashi Miike’s influence around the world that American horror maven Eli Roth gave him a speaking cameo in Hostel (wearing his trademark sunglasses), despite the fact that he speaks no English.

A legend in the world of extreme cinema and a professed fan of Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers, Takashi is known for filling his movies with graphic violence, perverse sex, and a nostalgia for childhood.

Some of Takashi’s best-known films are the ultra-violent Ichi The Killer, Audition, and Visitor Q.

But Mr. Skin’s favorite is his 1996 crime thriller Fudoh: The New Generation, with its kinky lesbian scene between a nude Miho Nomoto and equally undressed Marie Jinno.

In gratitude, Mr. Skin bows and says, “Happy Birthday, Takashi-san.”