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This month I have some photos from two local festivals but only one miscellaneous photo. I blame the heat. 今月は二枚の地元の祭りの写真があります。でも雑多な写真は一枚です。暑さのせいにしておきます。 Asagaya Tanabata I had not been back to this nearby festival since before Covid. The papier-mâché suspended from the roof of the shopping arcade did not disappoint. コロナパンデミックの前を最後に、この近くの祭りにはずっと行っていませんでした。商店街のアーケードの天井から吊り下げられた張り子飾りは、まだ面白かったです。 Koenji Awa Odori The end of August… Continue reading August 2026 – Tanabata and Awaodori →

This month’s biggest event was the summer Wonder Festival. But I still have some garden and temple photos for those who like their culture with less pop. 今月の一番大きいイベントは夏のワンダーフェスティバルでした。でも、ポップ文化より伝統文化のほうが好きな人には、まだ庭園とお寺の写真があります。 Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens Created in the Edo era in the heart of Tokyo, this garden features beautifully designed greenery surrounded by skyscrapers. 江戸時代に作られたこの庭園には、周囲のそびえ立つ高層ビルとデザインされたきれいな緑の景色があります。 Yushima Seido Dedicated to… Continue reading July 2026 – Wonderfestival Summer 2026 →

This month I have a bunch of photos from three Tokyo shrines. 今月、東京の3つの神社の写真がたくさんあります。 Toyokawa Inari Betsuin Although a bit cramped and crowded, this shrine displays 100’s of fox statues in the shadows of neighboring skyscrapers. 少し狭くて混んでいても、この神社には周囲の高層ビルの影の中に狐の像が何百もあります。 Nogi Shrine This shrine is the site where a famous general and his wife killed themselves in the early… Continue reading June 2026 – Shrines to the Left of Me… →

To make up for last month’s pitiful entry, this post has a report on my trip to Osaka, the latest from Tokyo Design Festa and more! 先月あまり書かなかったので、この投稿は大阪の旅行のレポートとか東京デザインフェスタのニュースとかで償います。 Meiji Shrine Spring Grand Festival The large shrine inside the even larger Yoyogi Park held a festival that featured traditional Japanese arts. I caught a hogaku and hobu… Continue reading May 2026 – Osaka 2026 and Tokyo Design Festa Spring 2026 →

April was a pretty quiet month. The hayfever and rain did not help. I only have one disappointing festival to talk about. 四月はとても静かな月でした。花粉症と雨は有益じゃなかったです。残念な祭りについてしか話しません。 Akabane Baka Festival The Akabane “Fool” Festival consists mostly of a parade route with various processions throughout the day. The most famous is the fool parade, where groups dress in “crazy” costumes… Continue reading April 2026 – Akabane Baka Festival →

The only thing I have to share this month is a mess of photos of cherry blossoms, tulips, and bonsai trees. Oh, and a dog. 今月は、桜とチューリップと盆栽の写真があります。あ、犬のもあります。 Sumida Park Sumida park lies along both banks of the Sumida river. Tokyo Skytree looms high above and appears in many of my shots. 隅田公園は両方の墨田川側にあります。東京スカイツリーは高いところにそびえ立っていて写真 にたくさん現れます。 Showakinnen Park A… Continue reading March 2026 – Just a Whole Bunch of Plants →

This month, Wonder Festival provided lots of amazing figures. I also toured a couple of nearby temples. 今月は、ワンダーフェスティバルに素敵なフィギュアがたくさんありました。近いお寺にも行きました。 Wonder Festival As usual, I enjoyed checking out thousands of hand-made or short run plastic models and figures. The snowy weather prevented many cosplayers from attending, so that portion of the show still lags behind its glorious… Continue reading February 2026 – Wonder Festival Winter 2026 and Temples →

This month I spent some time at Tokyo Comic Con and flew home for Christmas. 今月、東京コミコンで過ごしてから、アメリカにクリスマスのために飛行機で帰りました。 Tokyo Comic Con 2025 Tokyo Comic Con continues to be a mediocre affair. The bulk of people wearing costumes stay away from the photography areas and booths totally unrelated to comic books take up a lot of floor space.… Continue reading December 2025 – Tokyo Comic Con →

After Tokyo Design Festa’s typical insanity, this month you can see a bunch of photos from Kyoto. 東京デザインフェスタの典型的の狂騒の後、今月は京都の写真がたくさん見られます。 Tokyo Design Festa Some Festas are better than others and this autumn’s event was not the best. But I managed to get some cool live-art shots. 時々フェスタはあまり面白くなくて、この秋のは一番良くなかったです。でもかっこいいライブアートの写真を撮ることができました。 Kyoto 2025 Kyoto Manga Museum I began my trip at… Continue reading November 2025 – Tokyo Design Festa and Kyoto →

During this unusually cold and rainy October, I attended a few end-of-season festivals, including the Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Festival. この異常に寒くて雨が多い十月中、池袋ハロウィン・コスフェスとかシーズン終了の祭りに行きました。 Final Festivals of 2025 Here are a few photos from the Tachikawa Yokai festival, which was cute but on the small side for the distance I traveled to attend it. 立川の妖怪祭の写真です。可愛かったのですが、わざわざ行った距離のわりには、規模が小さかったです。 And here is a… Continue reading October 2025 – Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Festival →