Geisha Dance as Snow Falls

Maiko (geisha apprentice) dance while snowflakes fall at Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto accompanied with Japanese poetry on snow and winter.

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Tokyo Decadance at Fbar Roppongi

On June 25th I went to the Tokyo Youtube Gathering at the Sports Cafe in Roppongi. Got there late but got my butt kicked by a couple of Oolong Hi’s (or was it 4 or 5?) Tokyo Decadance that eclectic hodge-podge of Japanese underground subculture happened to be going on the same night a few blocks away so I donned my samurai armor (which got me a discount at the door) and took a couple of Youtubers over there after the Youtube meet-up.

We had a good time and saw some wild stuff which some of it can’t be shown here for the obvious reasons but take out word for it – it was wild! Youtubers in attendance: http://www.youtube.com/edtomorrow
http://www.youtube.com/StreetEnglishTV

Bean-Throwing Geisha Celebrate Setsubun in Kyoto

February 2nd, while Americans watch groundhogs and their shadows, Japanese, or at least those in Kyoto, watch Geisha perform the Japanese version of Groundhog Day known as Setsubun. Setsubun is a sp…
February 2nd, while Americans watch groundhogs and their shdows, Japanese, or at least those in Kyoto, watch Geisha perform the Japanese version of Groundhog Day known as Setsubun. Setsubun is a spring ritual in which Japanese throw beans to ward off invisible evils and hasten the end of winter. At many temples and shrines they do a bean throwing ceremony known as mami-maki.

At Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto some of the bean throwers are geisha or rather maiko – geisha apprentices. Geisha are known as geiko in the Kansai dialect.

I got a packet of beans and ate them (also a Setsubun tradtion) washed down with Kirin Beer (a Samurai Dave tradition)

Tokyo Decadance Halloween 2009

Tokyo Decadance Halloween 2009

Decadant particpants at Tokyo Decadance Halloween

Another fun-filled Tokyo Decadance event with sexy sirens, wickedly wild witches, ghoulish goblins, devious devils, rollicking robots, newhalf ninja, vicious violinists, plundering pirates, alliterating *ssholes, and god knows what else for Halloween.

Also in attendance was Rolly Teranishi who performed at last year’s Halloween event. Here he sang two songs from the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show in Japanese with a bit of English.

Rolly Teranishi was a member of the Japanese rock band Scanch before going solo. He’s a big fan of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and has played Dr. Frank-N-Furter in Japanese stage versions.

Hoichi the Earless(?) and Pretty Devil enjoy Tokyo Decadance

One of my favorite costumes at the event was the girl dressed up as Hoichi the Earless even though she still had her ears. This is from an old ghost story where a blind biwa player unknowingly played for the ghosts of a defeated samurai clan. In order to save him from eventual destruction, Buddhist priests covered his body in sacred texts but they forget to cover his ears. When a ghost came to fetch Hoichi, the sacred writing prevented him from seeing the biwa player save for his two ears which he ripped from Hoichi’s head.

wickedly sweet witch

Transformer chick – wearing less than meets the eye

rollicking robot

Christon Cafe – a church-themed restaurant and club

Adrien le Danois – Founder of Tokyo Decadance

Cap’n Blackjack Dave on the prowl for booty

pirate with fetish poster

Is Tokyo Decadance a Biohazard?

Cutie devil makes going to hell seem fun

Goth Geisha girl with coffin handbag

Spooky DJ

pink petite maid

french maid

sleepy devil

A cake with endowments for Tokyo Decadance’s 4th Anniversary

Cap’n Blackjack Dave bemused and bewigged

Cute Cop ready to lay down the law

The stuff of nightmares…

Ditto

Naughty Nurse, Sultry Wednesday, Zombie Bride, and Goth Geisha Vampire

Welcome to Tokyo Design Festa!

This is a montage of the last Design Festa vol 29.

Design Festa is one wild weird weeked of an eclectic gathering of artistic chaos of artists, musicians, craftsmen, performance artists.

Nishimonai Bon Odori – Japanese Dance for the Dead Video

In the small town of Nishimonai in the northern prefecture of Akita, the locals perform a Bon Odori – a special dance for Obon which is a time for honoring the ancestors.

The Nishimonai Bon Odori is unique in that some of the dancers were a black hood to represents the spirits of the deceased. Other dancers wear a patchwork kimono of silk fabric known as hanui and a woven straw hat called a amigasa.

You can’t see the faces of the dancers which gives the whole dance a kind of surreal quality.

For those practicing Japanese, take the challenge in seeing if you can comprehend the Akita-ben (dialect) of the singers.

Nishimonai Bon Odori – Japanese Dance for the Dead

Japanese Town Dances to Remember the Dead
Nishimonai Bon Odori

Nishimonai Bon Odori – Japanese Dance for the Dead

Obon is the time in Japan to pay respect to ancestral spirits. Japanese will travel to their home towns in order to pray at their ancestors’ graves. It’s believed the spirits of the departed return during the 3-day holiday – mainly in mid-August. These returning spirits are not to be feared like the ones that come with Halloween. In fact, they are welcomed and many communities put on a variety of celebrations.

Some dancers wear a black hood to represent deceased spirits

One of the most common features of Obon is the Bon Odori, a special dance for Obon. Bon Odori dances vary from region to region each having their own particular form.

Some of the dancers wear a straw hat known as amigasa

In the small town of Nishimonai in the northern prefecture of Akita, the locals perform a Bon Odori which is a mixture of an old harvest dance and a memorial to a fallen samurai lord.

The Nishimonai Bon Odori is unique in that some of the dancers were a black hood to represents the spirits of the deceased. Other dancers wear a patchwork kimono of silk fabric known as hanui and a woven straw hat called a amigasa.

Some dancers wear hanui a patchwork kimono of silk fabric

The dancers’ faces are obscured by the hoods and straw hats giving the dance a surreal ghostly-like quality.

The singers sing in the old Akita dialect which many Japanese outside of Akita have difficulty understanding.

The Nishimonai Bon Odori takes place just after the traditional dates for Obon from August 16-18, the big day being the 18th where the dance lasts for several hours in the evening.

Japanese Samba Carnival in Tokyo 2009 Photos

Japanese Samba Carnival in Tokyo 2009 Photos

The summer ended in Tokyo with its usual steaminess of humidity and sexy samba. Alright calendarally-speaking, summer’s not over till Sept 21st but many Japanese view the end of August as the end of summer as most school kids in the States do as well. Anyway, in the Asakusa district of Tokyo they held their annual samba carnival with their usual array of scantily-clad girls samba-ing away to the delight and lust of photographers.

A Samba Dancer and an appreciative old timer admiring the view

A leaking walking water faucet

Dancing Water Drops

The Plucky Piranha Make a Splash at the Carnival

Goth Samba

I have “Thriller” playing thru my head for some reason

Marie Antoinette meets Bride of Frankenstein?

Samba Vikings Taking a Break

I almost didn’t go BUT something made me change my mind

Modern Deadly Arts of the Samurai – JPOP

The samurai were Japan’s elite warrior class of long ago – masters of many deadly weapons and stern possessors of martial fighting skills.

In Tokyo’s modern mecca of electronics and anime, Akihabara, the samurai have re-emerged as masters of a new deadly art.

Also check out my earlier video on the secret desire of the ninja:

These stealthy assassins of yore…what lurks deep in their hearts? 

Their whole lives are dedicated to their craft…to stealth, to sabotage, to espionage, to theft, and to assassination. 

But what do they dream of when they allow themselves to succumb to sleep’s gentle embrace? 

What is it that they secretly yearn to do? 

Watch this video and learn “The Secret Desire of the Ninja”

Decadent XXXMAS with Tokyo Decadance

Decadent XXXMAS with Tokyo Decadance
The Naughty List Gets Longer

Here are some photos from Tokyo Decadance’s Christmas Bash. Santa, Elfs, Angels, Snow Spirits, and what-nots made the Yule-Tide warm and gay this past holiday season!

Santa Having a Jolly Good Time at Tokyo Decadance

A couple of Santa’s Helpers who help the old fellow rise to the occasion

Santa goes in for giving pain instead of presents this year

Mrs. Claus lets it all hang loose

A Elfin Vixen brazenly breaks the North Pole Smoking Ban

Christmas always come early with these two

Whoa, Elf look like a Lady!

Santa in Black

Generous partiers had given their clothing to the needy

On the Naughty List since ’95

Christmas on Mars

A Crossdressing Mexican Japanese Santa

A Santa for the 21st Century

A Vampire Gets Into the Holiday Spirit

Yuki Onna (Japanese Snow Woman) enjoying the party

Unwrapping these presents will be a tad bit difficult

This Angel will shove the Christmas Tree up your *** instead

Post Apocalyptic Santa

A Snow Sprite Taken by Surprise

This Nun uses more than rulers to dish out punishment

Elf Pirate

Two Xmas Vixens demonstrate the Spirit of Giving and Receiving as a Barechested Man looks on

Imagine finding this wrapped up under your Christmas Tree?

Jedi Santa

Santa was busy stuffing stockings this night