Dog day afternoon..

These three mutts, being towed around the Tokyo Doken Festa looked to be enjoying all the attention that was being lavished upon them- almost as much as the grandpa-bloke that was doing the towing!

The Christmas lights of Shibuya..

Shibuya is quite beautiful in the holiday season, the lights that adorn the trees on Dogenzaka for example..







Koen dori is not too shabby either..

Open mic at the Ruby..

Every Tuesday night for as long as I can remember, the Ruby Room in Shibuya has held Tokyo's premier Open Mic night. When I started going it was still around the corner, at the old Sugar High building, and while it has gone through various mutations throughout the years, essentially it's still basically the same: a great place for both wanna-be and established artists to go and develop their craft in a smoke filled room full of drinking music lovers.

I don't hit it so much these days, but whenever I do I find it difficult to leave. Here's a selection of what was going on Tuesday night..

A cool little Quartet (that didn't play any WSQ):



Dan sitting in with some of the guys from Sunset Drive:





Pat, who had more pedals than I've seen anyone slinging since Magic Dirt at Meredith in '96:



And finally, Dan and me doing some songs, both of the old and new variety, just for the hell of it:









Thanks to Tosh from Sunset Drive for taking this last set of pics..

The end of the rainbow..

Trees weren't the only things that were full of colour at Yoyogi park on the weekend, as the mist from the fountain also lit up with all the colours of.. a rainbow!

Tokyo Doken Festa '08

This was a first to me, the Doken Festa is one that celebrates the efforts of the various construction companies around Tokyo, and it was fairly kicking! Well.. it was full of families, kids and Ojisan drinking sake, but it was a great vibe nonetheless.

Amongst other regular Yoyogi festival staples (ie. loads of food and drink stalls), there was the requisite helium balloon girl:



And the upside down-tiger jumping castle:





And the construction team working on their sleeping skills:



And the same team pleasing the crowds with their post-snooze construction excellence:

A walk in the park..

Today was a gorgeous day for a walk in the park, and while autumn is pretty much done, some of the trees in Yoyogi park are still exploding with color..

People of the night.. 03

Another return to the night time fun that is The Treasure Chest..

Shyojo Skip: live at the Ruby

Shyojo Skip manage to pull off the grindcore thing quite well, with long and lazy progressions that generally pick up pace and power as the progressions repeat, and repeat, and repeat. Soundwise, they remind me of early Sonic Youth, with maybe a twist of Tortoise, and remain a mostly vocal-less rock combo that like to both play and drink hard. Well worth a look..

Random cuteness: the baby and the bicycle..

Sadly the sunny afternoons at Yoyogi park will have to remain a memory for the moment, as the dreary days of yet another winter become an inescapable reality. Not but a month ago it was all sunshine and happiness at the park for one and all. The bicycle baby, for me, certainly represented all that is Yoyogi happiness and wonder, and with a shared enthusiasm for all things shiny, the kid made my day..

Hachiko: from a different perspective..

Hachiko is famous for being the busiest crossing in the world, but after years of living near it and taking pictures of it, I'd never really seen it from this side. These pics were taken from an Italian restaurant directly across from the Q Front building, early afternoon on a weekday. There's something about this intersection, it's certainly never dull..

Halloween in Shibuya '08.. part 2

Some more pics from the crazy night that was Halloween. These ones were taken at parties at the Ruby Room and Coins Bar 300, and in the depths of the club/love hotel area off Dogenzaka. Needless to say. everyone was pretty crazy by this stage of the night..