There are few areas in Tokyo retain their old world charm, but the Yanesenneighborhood is one of them. They have actually succeeded in establishing Yanesenas a “brand” where visitors can experience the atmosphere of an unspoilt, traditional urban quarter. Yanaka has not changed in its essence. Many things are changing rapidly in Tokyo; however, Yanaka is one of the constant factors in the changing environment.
The name Yanesen refers to the 3 connected areas of Sendagi, Â Nezu and Yanaka, which can best be reached by JR yamanote-line, nippori-station. The area is rather huge and you can get lost easily. The streets are small and consistent of many back alley shops and cafes. This is the real Tokyo! While you are walking around Yanesen, you will see old temples (over a 100), traditional wooden houses, cozy, small old-styled pubs (Izakaya) with the locals enjoying a meal and a drink, kids playing in the narrow road and many people paying their respects at the temples. Yanesen is also a great place to shop for traditional souvenirs. I picked a tea pot on my last visit.
All I know about tea is that it is good for you, especially green tea. So I decided to check out the Tokyo Grand Tea Ceremony.  At first glance a Japanese tea ceremony looks like a quite simple proceeding, but in fact it’s an incredibly complex ritual evoking themes with a deep cultural resonance.  Said to have been introduced to Japan in the 9th century from China, the tea ceremony eventually evolved into a distinctively Japanese rite. The Tokyo Grand Tea Ceremony traces its origins to the late 16th century and feudal warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi who held large tea ceremonies to promote and encourage interest in the activity.
The Tokyo Grand Tea Ceremony, held at the Hama Rikyu Gardens, provided participants with the opportunity to casually participate in a cha-kai (tea ceremony). You could choose to either take part in a Cha-seki indoor tea ceremony or the Nodate outdoors Tea Ceremony under the autumn sky (referred to as a Nodate tea ceremony).
If you like candles placed in colorful paper lanterns, fireworks, beautiful girls in traditional dress, parade floats, lots of food, and parties, then go see the Loy Krathong festival.  Loy Krathong has an unequalled charm and mystique, whether it is celebrated on a grand scale in a major city or quietly in a small village of just a few rude huts, but for a truly cultural experience, one of the best places in Thailand to spend Loy Krathong is easily the ancient former capital Sukhothai.
The Sukhothai Loy Krathongis a three-day celebration includes Thai performing arts, music, Muay Thai demonstrations and parades. There’s a display of traditional Thai fireworks and the whole thing ends with Krathong floats being set adrift in the pools and ponds within the Sukhothai Historical Park.
Loy Krathong is conceived as a renowned festival in Thailand. The word “Loy” means to float and “Krathong” is a banana leaf cup made of natural materials such as a banana trunk, banana leaves and lotus petals. It is laden with a candle, incense sticks, flowers and coins to ensure an auspicious life. People will flock to the river and then make a wish before drifting their Krathong onto the river. The floating of Krathong is intended to banish all sufferings and ask for apologies to the Goddess of the River in contaminating her waters. Some believe that the ritual is meant to worship the Buddha’s footprint on the bank of the Narmada River whilst others say that it is to pay respect to Phra Uppakhut, one of the Lord Buddha’s great disciples.
Loy Krathong is as always commemorated nationwide during 31 October – 6 November in a different manner especially in Sukhothai, Ayudhya, Chiang Mai, Tak and Bangkok. I found the most interesting aspect of the festival to be the light and sound show, called the “Dawn of Happinessâ€, and the Miss Sukhothai Loy Krathong beauty contest.  Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, also celebrates Loy Krathong and is bigger and louder than other cities. Come to think of it I want to visit all these places in the future.
More images from the Loy Krathong Festival of Lights can be found on my Photoshelter site here.
Tokyo is an urban jungle that reflects it’s past and present.  It’s not uncommon to find a Geishagirl shopping in Ginzaor Japanese business men tucked away in a small yakitori joint. I saw some things that reminded me how modern Tokyo is.  The first was Roppongi Hillsthru a glass enclosure looking towards a bank of escalators.  I liked the reflections the camera caught in the back ground. The second photo was taken in the lobby of the Tokyo International forum. The mirrors created a very futuristic look.
The modern Tokyo is a gallery of mirrors, buildings and windows reflect each other creating a virtual city, what is real, what is a reflection what is digital. People appear and disappear between buildings, life become a game in a maze of images. Within the complexity and craze of Tokyo, a subtle harmony exist, a combination of tradition and futuristic simplicity.
Soul stirring, graceful, gorgeous – every region in Japan celebrates its own festivals and events in response to the transition of the four seasons. Called matsuri, festivals can be found almost everyday somewhere in Japan. Many festivals have their origin in Shinto and Buddhism, while other events, such as snow festivals and fireworks displays are held for pleasure.
One of the best Shinto festivals is the Grand Festival of Toshogu Shrine.  Toshogu shrines can be found throughout Japan. The most famous Toshouguis located in Nikko in Tochigi Prefecture, one of Japan’s most popular destinations. Nikko is unbelievably magnificent. One of the best areas in Japan that I’ve been to. The Toshogu Shrine is the main attraction of Nikko. The Shinto shrine is dedicated to the kami (spirit) of Ieyasu (d. 1616), who founded the Tokugawa Shogunate, a military dynasty that ruled Japan from 1603 to 1867.  To create a worthy shrine for the shogun, 15,000 craftsman worked for two years, using 2.5 million sheets of gold leaf. The enshrinement of Ieyasu’s spirit is reenacted twice each year, once in May and again in October, in theProcession of the Thousand Samurai Warriors. Nikko is also famous for the carving of the three wise monkey’s, hear no evil, speak no evil and see no evil.
So what’s so special about the the event?  Three portable shrines are carried from the ornate main shrine to the sacred place among the cedars called Otabisho.  They are escorted by the 1,000 samurai procession, made up of cavalry, warriors carrying guns with spear, and archers with bows and arrows. The scene is quite spectacular and almost epic.  It’s hard to imagine that this re-creation has been going on since the 17th century.
More events like these, such as the Kanda Matsuri, can be found on my Photoshelter site.
For some, the plaintive wail of theshakuhachi (Japanese Flute) typifies the sound of Japan. For others it may be the ethereal pluckings of the koto, but nothing sounds more like Japan than the thunder of the taiko drums.  ”Taiko” in general is often used to mean the relatively modern art of Japanese drum ensembles (kumi-daiko), but the word actually refers to the taiko drums themselves. Literally, taiko means “fat drum,” although there is a vast array of shapes and sizes of taiko. Within the last fifty years since kumi-daiko was created, it has seen phenomenal growth to the point where there are over 8,000 taiko groups in Japan by some counts.  I shoot many festival and cultural events here in Japan. At many of them you can always find a taiko or some other kind of drumming performance.  I’ve seen a few good performances at the Hachioji Matsuri, Fukuro Matsuri, and the Tachikawa Suwa Shrine Summer Festival along with many other images on my Photoshelter site.
Taiko drumming goes back to the earliest Japanese communities where it was a part of daily life and rituals. Its roots stem from the drums that priests played to banish evil spirits and farmers played to celebrate bountiful harvests. Samurai used to carry taiko into battle to bolster their courage while instilling fear in the hearts of their enemies. Taiko were also used to carry the prayers of the people to their gods.
Today, taiko has become a dynamic performance art form of musical drumming and choreographed movement based upon traditional Japanese styles and techniques. It’s loud, strenuous, and pulsating with adrenaline. Rooted in the heart and spirit of Japan, taiko lives today as an evolving art form that is permeating the world.
Kodo is probably the most famous elitetaiko drumming troupe based on Sado Island, Japan. They regularly tour Japan, Europe, and the United States. Many foreigners are learning taiko drumming these days.  Maybe it’s time to learn how to play the drums, except it must be taiko!
YakitoriAlley, also known as Omoide Yokocho, or as the locals delightfully call it “Shonben Yokocho†is one of those hidden treasures that you accidently stumble upon. It’s what you expect when you go to Japan, small eateries in tiny alleys. Yakitori Alley, is just that, a winding alley filled with small yakitori stalls, where most can only accomodate about 5 to 6 people at most. There are other Yakitori streets in Tokyo and most are clustered near major train stations, but this one is tucked away in Tokyo’s busy Shinjuku district, a district of bars, electronic shops, massive department stores and the luxury Park Hyatt (the hotel featured in the movie “Lost in Translationâ€).  What a great find!
In Tokyo, at the end of August, is an amazing festival call the Awaodorifestival which takes place in Koenji. I’ve attend the event before and it never fails to amaze me. If you can tolerate the large crowds you will see thousands of dancers perform the Awa dance to lively music and parade through nine routes setup along the shopping promenades in Koenji. All the groups seem similar but if you watch enough you can see the various flavors and the personalities of each group. The more “professional†groups tend to stick very closely to the dance conventions while other groups just seem like they are there to have fun.
I got there early on the first night and decide to take some pictures inside the promenade instead of on the street. I lucked out because the second night it rained. Most spectators cheer on their favorite team and the event gets quite loud. Maybe it was due to all the alcohol everyone was drinking. What I find interesting about the festival is the costumes worn by ladies.  Women dress in special style kimono and wear a straw hat or “kasa†and dance on the tip of their toes wearing “getaâ€, while men dress in a happi coat and tabi. I can’t wait till next year.
One of the cool things about Photoshlter is that it allows you to embed one’s gallery into a blog. Here is my Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival gallery. If you click on any image it takes you to my Photoshelter web page where you can view and purchase any image. You can also embed this gallery into your web site or blog. Just click the little triangle at the bottom right of the gallery and copy and paste the embed URL. Click away!
The candle festival at Thung Sri Muang Park in Ubon Ratchathani provence Thailand is spectacular.  It marks the beginning of Buddhist Lent where all monks must remain confined to their temples or place of residence for a period of 3 months during the rainy season.  The candle symbolizes offerings from the community for appreciation of their sacrifice.  These  pictures from the night viewing of some of the candle floats, the Candle Festival procession and the Miss Candle beauty contest.
