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..

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!

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:

The Sri Lankan Festival

Wherever you look at the moment there seems to be some kind of celebration of culture happening, and if you wandered down to Yoyogi this weekend that would most certainly have been the case. The Sri Lankan festival is a little more quiet than say the Jamaican, Thai, or Brazillian festivals, but what's lacking in traffic is certainly made up for in the quality of food and entertainment.

Make mine the bbq chicken and gotamba roti..

Random gorgeousness.. 03

Promotion girls at the Brazil festival, Yoyogi park '08. We were sitting beside these girls all day, still not sure what they were promoting as we were kind of distracted..

Super Yosakoi Festival

Yes.. more festival pics, but hey, Summer aint done yet! The Super Yosakoi Festival was held a couple of weeks ago at Yoyogi. An amazingly vibrant and energetic festival that was originally started in Kochi Prefecture after the war as an attempt to revitalize the region’s economy. It seemed to comprise of local area clans and families, both young and old, coming together to revel in the culmination of what must have been months of dedication and preparation. The Daikon group were particularly compelling as their often over the top energy levels saw daikon flying through the air, only to be picked up by the the radish patrol bringing up the rear..

Honda stunt team..

These guys were awesome! Though slightly cut short by (yet) another rainy afternoon, the Honda stunt team put on a great show for a small crowd of people enjoying the Harajuku/Omotesando summer festival on Sunday at Yoyogi.

Needless to say, they certainly know their way around a bike..

Bubble bloke..

Someone once said a man should have a skill with his hands, and on Sunday I was wondering if this guy would get a pass. Bubble bloke occasionally entertains at festivals down at Yoyogi, creating massive bubbles by dragging soapy water laden thread through the air. The results are often quite amazing in a zen kind of way, with the bubbles drifting peacefully through the air until they unceremoniously come into contact with a tree, or maybe even an inquisitive child that just can't resist..

J-babe and friends live cross from Koen Dori..

Wandering past NHK this fine evening I chanced upon a BS TV crew filming a live spot for some concert they were broadcasting. As the live cross drew nearer and the talent rehearsed her lines, passers by were dragged in to join in on the song. By the time the final group of people that joined had hastily put down their Donkihote bags and stood with the group, there was about 10 seconds to go..

Flea Market city..

Allegedly, Flea Markets earned their name from the flea infested clothes and rags sold at an outdoor bazaar held in the northern suburbs of Paris in the late 17th century. Today, the tradition continues, hopefully minus the fleas of course, most weekends at the events part of Yoyogi park. These pics were taken last Monday, which was a public holiday here in Japan, and as you can see the market was very well attended despite the searing heat and humidity..