AKIHABARA × SHRINE Fes.

Akihabara girls carry portable shirine(Mikoshi)!
Last weekend, I happened to see this weird collaboration between

Akihabara Meid Girls and Japanese Portable shirine.

This event is carried out to focus on regional developments of

Akihabara city. in few days, there will be the KANDA Festival,

which is one of the biggest festivals in Japan.

During this period, lots of events will be held.

Especially, lots of Mikoshi will be carried with people and paraded

throghout Kanda district(Metro Ginza line or JR line).

Right before this major event, local volunteer group planed this

Akihabara Mikoshi project, called "Lets carry AKIBA".

On the day, some girls dressed in Meid costumes carried special

miniture shirine, which is decorated with lots of Akihabara goods

such as Anime or Manga figures(dolls) and electric products

like colorful mobile phones.

They walked carrying Mikoshi through Akihabara city to Kanda Shrine.

Now, Akihabara truely forms an alliance with traditional Shintoism...!(?)

REFLEXION

listen to breath of TOKYO greenery
view from the bridge of Ochanomizu

(JR Chuo/Sobu line)

DRESS in IVY FLOWER

a barbar in KASUGA

the pole with three color ( white, red and blue) used to be

a mark of barbar shops. I 'm not sure whether it's originated in Japan or not.
Anyway, we rarely see them today except for old shops like the one above.

THE HOUSE OF ANTIQUE

"PLEASE feel free to look around. there are lots of interesting

things here. We can make them cheaper, if you find favorite ones."
- The old couple welcomed me with smile.

This is an antiqueshop in Hongo.

The shop is totally jammed with various antique goods from different time.
The elderly couple are from Okayama pref.(next to Hiroshima), have established this Tokyo Branch 15 years ago. In addition to main store in Okayama, they have also Kyoto, Kobe Branch. Besides, they had also

London branch before. The shop is family run.
Look! This charming shop owner is 92-year-old!

It feels like traveling to another time to be surrounded by so many old things.
It brings a kind of nostalgia.

" You really like taking pictures, dont' you!? it is enough! "

A GOLDFISH VENDOR

Here is KASUGA.
Kasuga is the traditional residential district near Hongo area,
where Tokyo Univ. is located.
This shop - "Kingyozaka"(a slope of goldfish), is a goldfish seller established nearly 350 years ago.In the site, there are lots of aquariums filled with tons of beautiful goldfish! You can enjoy goldfish scooping and the fishing pond is also there. the shop has cafe,too.

People often keep goldfish in Japan.
One of our symbol of summer, I think.
It says that, originally it has been enjoyed by the aristocracy not by common people. Goldfish was too expensive and far from people's reach. Because it was really difficult to be bred. But after Showa era has come, it has become popular to all social classes. Viewing goldfish gives us peace and coolness. It really feels summer.

OUR FISH-SHAPED PANCAKES

THEY smell sooooooooo good!

In front of this neighborhood Japanese cake shop, there is always a long line waiting for these baked fish-shaped pancakes. This unique dessert is called "TAIYAKI"(Tai means sea bream, Yaki means to bake). Our popular dessert. I don't know whether young people often eat this now,though. Usually, bean-paste is filled inside pancakes. with cream or cheese is also tasty.

But please think deeply.., why are they fish-formed? they look really weird but cool.. Also there is an iron pan especially for baking them.
Maybe, because Tai(=sea bream) is a mascot of good luck in Japan. So people eat and enjoy them for good luck.

we often tend to walk without much attention on the street.
BUt there is always something new and interesting even in the
daily, familiar sight. what a beautiful thing..!

WELCOME TO A HIDDEN GALLERY

In Harajuku, there is a hidden gallery.
the DESIGN FESTA GALLERY.
it looks odd, but very colorful and unique place.

every single room here is open to creators whoever wants to hold own exbitions. They can just rent a room for couple of weeks and get opportunities to introduce their works to visitors.

Tokyo is too big.
sometimes, this hugeness makes it characterless.
it consists of fragments of various colors.
just like the design of this entire apartment.
But it makes Tokyo really inspirational.

DAIKANYAMA

they live together in our day-to-day world.

all too common scene.

but they also have their own day-to-day world.

in the alley in Daikanyama.

IT WAS IN RIGA, LATVIA

It was almost my first time to feel that I have come right to the end.

calmness, nostalgia and bit deserted scene.

really lovely experience.

IT WAS IN RIGA, LATVIA

IN Dec.2007.

OUTSTANDING

HE suddenly appears in Shinjuku.

He is outstanding, but really alone.

sometimes being in tunes is really important here.

you have to see how people feel, think and react at what you do.

but if you keep your own pace, being out of line, then it brings a balance and another harmony.

so you never have to feel that you are lonely.

PROTECT YOURSELF

In Tokyo Metro, there are several lines which have double-door platforms.
In rush hour, tons of people walk on the platform, and it really makes me scary. So please set double-doors at all subway stations! it really protects us and prevents people from falling down from platforms.

DRIFTING

In the Yoyogi-Park, open air live space.

Everybody 's singing, dancing, and drifting with the music.

good way to spend beautiful spring evening.

daily trifling matter should be put aside for the moment.

THE SQUARE

I' ve been thinking of..where is the "centre" of Tokyo.

Could be Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku or area inside the belt line railway, JR Yamanote-line?

Anyway, there is no exact place where can be called the centre.

We have no square in Tokyo.

but the district around Otemachi or Kasumiga-seki, where

the parliament house, all the ministries and office bldgs are located

could be the area, kind of.
lots of foreign tourists visit this place, to see the very Japanese style

Imperial Palace which is situated very next to this office complex.
also, the Palace has huge ground surrounding itself. Sakura spot is

also located near by, so these days on weekdays, many business-men

have break here and enjoy the sun.

WHAT YOU 'RE GOING TO BE

I AM a street performer, traveling all around the world, now in Tokyo, Japan.

It is really sunny today, there are lots of people on the street.
Actually, I'm just surprised at number of people in Tokyo!
where are they going to?

BY the way, let me tell you what I'm trying to do by the performance.

Usually in the place like metro, people walk so fast, they don't pay any attention to me. they look busy at job, studies, or other own business.

They may walk having something on their mind.
I understand, life is troublesome, anyway.

But I like pleasing people.
some might say how it benefits to society concretely.
well, but this is not so important.

If people get even slight happiness and cheerful mood by my performance,

then I get contented with it. It gives enormous energy to me.
My performance might make people forget their worries, then get light mind.

I'm just doing what I can do. What I believe.
That is the point.

SPRING

WHERE TO BREATHE IN

KYOTO - our old capital.

here are the photos taken in Nov, 2008 when I've been there last time.

lots of people come to this town every year to see and feel old Japanese Culture which has been kept just like as ancient time.

I always feel that, time goes so slowly in Kyoto, not that fast, rush in Tokyo.

Where to breathe in - many people face with this common question.
could be in your hometown, city, or somewhere in overseas.

One of my Russian friends told me,
" St.Petersburg is a very beautiful city where you can feel old Russian day, which is like Kyoto in your country."
Then she continues,
" Compared with it, I don't like Moscow that much. It is something like a huge village. people of all sorts and conditions are gathering. Sometime not comfortable to be there...it makes me tired. "

it was a really interesting contrast.
Compared with calm Kyoto, TOKYO is something like
"concrete jungle", -often said so.

People work, work , work, then always run onto the train. then again get jammed in the car, but still try reading books or typing on their mobile phones.. Tokyo is described in this way frequently.
but I want to say it is only small fraction of the city.

Still, we find place to enjoy cherry blossom, greenery, and even beautiful shrines/temples just in centre of the capital...it is kind of, own oasis.

where you breathe in-
is the place you can always make it more interesting and comfortable to live by yourself.

REPLICA FOOD

HOW do you decide the restaurant to have delicious dishes?
By internet, guidebooks, ....or your friends' reccomendation?
Usualy, restaurants and cafe have own menu put at the entrance.
But, do you think it's pretty good if you could check how dishes look like before you entre the restaurant?

then REPLICA FOOD fulfills your demand!

the photo below is one of them, often found on the streets in Japan.

it is said that this culture is very unique and originated in Japan. almost impossible to find anywhere around the world.

they are so close replica, almost similar to the real dishes.

the reason why this idea has been born, maybe because it is hard to put the real dishes outside at the entrance for a long time. They get worse and doesn't look tasty.

However, in this way, restaurants' managers can always try to attract guests passing by.

Because FOOD MODEL never get spoiled!

SAVING SAKURA in MOBILES

All SAKURA in FULL BLOOM at this weekend.
watching SAKURA is always popular in this season.
It can be said, that we don't just enjoy them, but almost admire the beauty of SAKURA.
they are short-lived, so it really pushes us to go for watching them.

by the way, on my way home, I've found very interesting scene. Almost everybody tried shooting beautiful SAKURA with their mobile and saving them. like this, they've got "portable spring"!