Big girl in ponytails walking fast at Rainbow matsuri

Fan is best for summer heat. So is wearing yukata.

What a cute and stylish couple at the Nichome summer Rainbow matsuri.

 

Why is this big bear covered in foam?

Maybe there is no answer : /

Grabbing the tiger by the tail

I like how the guy in the blue t-shirt and glasses is leading the muscle tiger by the tail. Fur must be hot in the summer. Fortunately, there’s not so much of it.

 

Sweaty shrine carrying at gay festival in Nichome

 

The shrine looks suspiciously light, but in the August heat the guys were still sweating.

Roger Federer is, gasp, the other man in my marriage

Yes, I feel a bit Lady Di. There were three of us in our marriage. Roger, stop beguiling my husband!

 

Pink girl power at Nichome Rainbow matsuri

My favorite photo from this summer’s Nichome Rainbow matsuri. Because of thunder storms, the normally 3 hour festival was shorted. Still, plenty of beautiful people out in the street. I love this girl’s costume and attitude.

 

Hamasaki Ayumi fan car sparks doubt about gender identity and desire

I heard that singer Hamasaki Ayumi is a gay-rights supporter, so I don’t mean to be harsh on her. But this image, plastered on a car hood outside Yoyogi Park, alternately fascinates and haunts me. I am amazed that such a pornographic look can circulate in public with no friction. Is this a day look? Should children see this?

I understand that the male gaze prizes artifice over reality, and that simple drag tactics are very effective in attracting male attention (big hair, heavy make-up, scary long nails, and a blank look). I am not shocked that these images are popular, but I am surprised to see them in the daylight and on the street.

Shinjuku woman, by the late Fuji Keiko

I like the mix of enka singing and jazzy brass. Fuji-san, mother of singer Hikaru Utada committed suicide in Nishi Shinjuku this week.

Like a crash, it’s hard not to stare at these weekend rockers

There’s a decades long tradition of mostly male rockers dancing at the entrance to Yoyogi Park. They are sporting nearly identical 1950s greaser big hair and outfit. Maybe they were young when they started, but now they’re getting a bit older and drunker. I’ve heard warnings that they do not like it when non-members join the dance. On the plus side, are the tattoos and the sheer love of dance.