Looking east at Shinjuku Square Tower, Nishi-Shinjuku. Seth Rosenblatt (c) 2005
There's not much that you can do in Tokyo without encountering some noticeable contradiction of modern life, and the street that my apartment was on was no expection.
Boy and his plastic katana. Seth Rosenblatt (c) 2005
Another picture from the 2005 Asakusa Sanja Matsuri, we learn here the inherent danger of getting between a boy and his sword, and the propensity of both to rise from the dead.
Young girl celebrating during the Sanja festival. Seth Rosenblatt (c) 2005
The Sanja matsuri is a festival held in Asakusa that celebrates the men who founded the Senso-ji temple, and is celebrated by getting a lot of guys drunk on sake while they carry extremely heavy "portable" shrines around the neighborhood.
It's also a festival for the community's children to get in on the party, and so they all come decked out in traditional clothes, as well. This girl doesn't seem to mind one bit, despite not getting any sake.
I wasn't planning on writing anything here until the trip to India, China and Southeast Asia was over, but one of my former students from Nova found an entry I wrote about working at that wonderful little company with the mutant pink bunny mascot.
I meant to do something about this much earlier, but I left Japan at the end of July with a fair amount of credit at one of my favorite used English bookstores, Kichijoji's Bondi Books.
So, I've decided to leave a bit of a parting gift. Head on over to Bondi, mention the "Big in Japan free book ad" or something equally to the point, and you get a free book worth up to 700 yen.
Hello all, welcome back to Big in Japan.
The new server is functioning correctly, because I'm writing this and you're reading it. And loving it. Lovin' it, baby, lovin' it.
As you should know by now, I've moved on from Japan. There will be a batch of entries from my last days in Japan, but unfortunately my notes and photos from that fiery final fortnight are in a closet in San Francisco - yes, how apropos. When I finish travelling around Southeast Asia, China, Australia and India, I'll get those online.
For now, may I direct your attention to my blog on my current journeys outside of the Floating Kingdom, Big in Japan on Tour. Unfortunately, you won't be able to see any photos from this current trip until I get back sometime in mid-2006.
Until then, thanks for coming back and please excuse things as I tidy up the place. Yoroshiku!
It's Dawn and Scott Week here at Big in Japan central, and all is well. Well and drunk, that is.
