Oktoberfest '09..

Yep: Oktoberfest in Tokyo, in May..

Headed over to Hibiya park on Saturday for my first ever Oktoberfest experience and right from the first tall Munchner Weisse I knew I'd made the right choice. Beer and sausage enthusiasts have been swarming down here all month, and while it was certainly packed, and difficult to find a table, the lines for the beer and food weren't too bad at all. We sat for a while while sampling the said brew, and then headed over to the stage area for what turned out to be truly one of the most entertaining and interactive performances I've seen. The lederhosen-clad, croth-grabbing German natives plowed through their set, partaking in the amber where they could and generally sending the crowd into an ever escalating state of feverish excitement. In short, Oktoberfest was awesome..

The Mississippi Cookout..

As the flyer said: Grilled meats and beats by the river. I'd actually never made it out to a party on the Tamagawa, the lure and convenience of Yoyogi always having had won over any temptation to head out there, but this time I was very glad I did. A small but dedicated group of party goers were well into their day by the time I arrived, and despite a couple of visits by the boys in (dark) blue, the party went on until mid-evening. Will definitely be hitting the next one..

Shibuya de Ohara..

I have to admit, sometimes I walk around this place and run into something that I have no idea about, (actually make that often) and Sunday was one of those days. My first thought as walking down a closed off Dogenzaka was that this was some kind of an Awa Odori, which it very well may have been. But anyway I was walking down to get some lunch and didn't really bother finding out, I mean it's just walking down the street on a Sunday, you don't have to know everything! What I did know was that these dancers, that seemed to come from far and wide, were having a great time spinning and singing their way up and down Bunkamura and Dogenzaka, that and.. I was hungry!

Postscript: Thanks to Elmimmo for filling me in, this was actually the Shibuya de Ohara Festival, inspired by the Ohara Matsuri in Kagoshima. As I said, sometimes I have no idea, fml.. >_<

Thai Festival '09..

The Thai Festival was as great as ever, and crowded, really crowded. The lines for food were ridiculously long, but the food of course is fantastic and that's I guess why people are prepared to wait. The atmosphere of the Thai Festival is different to that of say the Jamaican or the Brazilian Festivals, in that it's perhaps more culture than party orientated, but it's fun nonetheless. I didn't go too crazy with the camera this time, but I did manage to shoot a bit..

Japan Times Blogroll Interview..

A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of being featured in the blogroll section of the Japan Times. It was an interesting enough process to go through, and gave me a chance to look back at IRYB and work out what it is I've been doing these past couple of years. Beyond the obvious I don't think there were any major new realizations, but it was fun nonetheless, and I somehow wound up on the front page for a day! Thanks to Mark and Ken at JT, and to Basak for having the patience to shoot me. You can read the full interview here..

The shot we used was the last of many, taken in the doorway of one of Maruyamacho's many Love Hotels. The Mama-san had just emerged to let us know that our presence wasn't appreciated..



A screen shot of the front page of the Japan Times Online, featuring the infamous Spyderman and the link to our interview..

One Love: Day two..

The second day of the One Love Festival was much the same as the first: beautiful sunshine, great music, and loads of people having a fantastic time. I manage to get some more pics of the action happening on the main stage, here are a few highlights..

One Love Jamaica Festival '09..

Oh how I love the festivals at Yoyogi park, and this weekend served to remind me exactly why. The One Love festival is a little more party oriented than say the Thai or India fests, but basically has the same kind of art, music and food vibe going on. There seemed to be a little more dub going on this year, so not as many acts on the big stage, but when the bands played, needless to say, everyone was jumping. These pics may be a little random, but should give you some idea of just what an awesome time everyone had at One Love..



A quick walk around the shopping booths..













Party guy was grooving again..



The Gaurdian Angels were on hand to keep everyone honest..





Dancing Ojisan was also grooving to the syncopated beats..











The house band rocked the main stage, and afforded the various singers the necessary backup to perform the mostly popular Reggae hits..













Spyderman was as afflicted as ever, stealing didgeridoos and small children all over the place..











The rest is history..