Kyushu Festival '08

On a much smaller scale than any of the international summer festivals held here at Yoyogi park, the Hokkaido and Kyushu festivals over the last couple of weeks did nothing if not hold their own. Okay so enka is definitely not my thing, and I must admit to being a bit taiko'd out by this stage of each year, but I really enjoyed both of these weekends, eating and drinking my way through the days.

As I looked at these pictures again last night, I remembered a couple that I spoke to on the Sunday sitting at one of the many tables provided. They were an older couple from Fukushima, had had a few, and in our conversation disclosed that I was the first foreigner they had ever spoken to..

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 night shot.. 09

Shopping in Maruyamacho, sex and vegetables..

ばさし： Horse..

Horses at home are generally for either riding or betting on, I guess since I've been in Japan so long it was only a matter of time before I'd start eating them..

Standing Sushi

There's a bit of a boom with standing bars (both for food and drink) these days in Tokyo, not so difficult to surmise why I guess. Anyways, this is definitely our favorite sushi restaurant in Shibuya, the "Standing Sushi Bar" on centergai. We always go for the aburi ebi and toro-salmon. Yum!

Fugu...

Fugu (pufferfish) is a delicacy here in Japan, even though it contains lethal amounts of the poison tetrodotoxin in the liver, the ovaries, and also the skin. Only specially licensed chefs are allowed to prepare and sell it to the public, and the consumption of the liver and ovaries is forbidden. Some sources claim that about 150 people still die each year from fugu poisoning, while others say it's only about ten to twenty..



This cool looking Fuguya-san was found while waiting for D-man in Umegaouka last week..

Juban Matsuri

It was the Azabu-Juban festival on the weekend, always fun but soooo crowded..