Watch Russians pound eachothers’ stomachs on cold playground

No idea what’s going on. But why not watch?

Late season shorts in Omotesando

The streets are much sadder when it’s too cold for shorts. The husband disagrees on this with me. He believes no men should ever wear shorts. I agree to disagree.

Why are the people running the world so fugly?!

This photo has *nothing* to do with Tokyo Moe. But a simple question seems crystallized in this meeting between US Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates met with President Hu Jintao of China. One super power’s banker is meeting with the other’s gun pusher.

Why are the people running the world so fugly? Jowl to jowl, they might frighten small children with their cold hearts. The flowers are horrid. The only redeeming figure is the handsome Chinese translator. Goddess, save us now!

Praying- or just showing off- in cold waterfall on last day of 2010

Asahi newspaper explains that this young man is enduring a cold waterfall at Osaka’s Shoukouji temple (勝光寺) on the last day of 2010 to ask for spiritual intervention to secure a job. I wonder if he’s not just flaunting his body with “training” a euphemism for exhibitionist masochism. (Thanks to husband for providing this important news image and story).

Whatever the story is, I can imagine no better image to start off the new year.

Happy 2011 everyone!

Metallic tunnel into the future

The Suntory beer factory was designed and built for the public to observe just how they make that canned beer so “tasty.” This architectural excess is oddly cold and sexual. Please take me to the future!

New Year’s Fortunes at Shrine

On New Year’s day, beginning just after midnight, many Japanese visit shrines, provide a small contribution, pray for less than 30 seconds, and buy a fortune. My friend took me to Adachi in northern Tokyo to a famous shrine the evening of January 1. You can see above that if you don’t like the fortune you receive, you can fold it up and tie it on a special stand that contains all the bad and just mediocre fortunes.

I left my fortune. And, under the guise of being a foreigner observing local customs, I couldn’t help but take this image of a Tokyo yankii leaving his fortune at the shrine. His mane of distressed hair, the fake fur sweatshirt color, the glitter, lack of warm clothes on a cold evening, and exposed backside somehow all added up to a good omen for the new year and new decade.

Oh, and inside my fortune, I found a (fake) gold plated trinket. Mine is considered especially lucky, a rake that symbolizes I will be “raking in” the money this year. I hope so!

Winter nudity

In this winter chill, it’s lovely to see men engage in religous rituals in their fundoshis. I like how the headbands (cloths? towels?) are as large as the loincloths. Ah, Japan, you warm up a cold winter day.

Cycads wrapped up for winter in Kyoto

Visiting my favorite gardens in Kyoto, my eye was caught by the elaborate wrapping of cycad palms for winter. These plants were chosen because of their tropical look and exotic origins. I think they probably look better wrapped than unwrapped.

Fall chill

It’s been cold this week as fall deepens. We’ve turned on our new gas heater, made plans to put up curtains to better insulate the apartment, and bundle up when going outside. It’s hat, gloves and scarf weather.

This being Tokyo, it’s also a wonderful opportunity to wear my favorite passive-aggressive “health” product, the face mask. It can be seen as a sign of courtesy since you don’t want others to catch your cold or flu. It can also be a way to ward off others’ contagions. Wearing it requires some adjustment, especially on a bike, when the mask tends to fog up your glasses.

The other strange cold weather accessory is the kairo (カイロ), an often disposable heat pack you put in your coat. My baby friend Akachan at the ceramics studio has a cute woven cozy, shaped like a turtle, for his plastic warmer. I will have to try this out soon.