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Yurakucho Street Night Scene

Jeff Henig — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:54:18 +0000

During the Yurakucho is a business center brimming with suited salarymen and quite a few foreign businesses. At night the traditional old restaurants and street vendors come out and offer yakitori, grilled chicken, ramen (noodles) and anything else that goes well with beer and sake. A city where history and future all comes together in one street is how I describe Yurakucho.

In the Street…Omotesando, Tokyo

Jeff Henig — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:49:36 +0000

Omotesando is to Tokyo as 57th street is to New York. Those that have been to NYC know what I mean. Wide streets, designer stores, models and plenty of fashion conscious Tokyoites shop Japan’s best street for high end fashion. The Omotesando area is good to walk around. The expensive brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Prada all have stores there. So do many international brands like The Body Shop and Zara. There are many so-trendy-that-it-hurts coffee shops and cafes dotted along the street. As a result, it’s sometimes known as “Tokyo’s Champs-Élysées”. There is affordable shopping on Omotesando, but you’d be better off darting down the side streets and lanes looking for little boutiques and shops where the locals go. The main Omotesando drag (particularly Omotesando Hills) is for those with plenty of cash to throw around.

Every week there are new photos categorised by the fashion hotspots and stores around Tokyo of Shibuya, Harajuku, Ginza, Omotesando and Daikanyama.

Shichi-Go-San: Rite of Passage Ceremony

Jeff Henig — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:20:36 +0000

Last month while strolling around Omotesando I decided to check out Meiji Shrine and by accident walked into a beautiful Japanese cultural ceremony. The shrine was crowded with people, but mostly with young children. The girlâ€™s were dressed in beautiful kimonos with dangling decorations and flowers. Some boyâ€™s wore traditional Japanese clothes while some wore suits. What was going on? The children stayed close to their families. Many of them took pictures, both with the child alone and together with different family members.

I later found out that Mid-November marks a very special time for children all over Japan: Shichigosan, which means â€œSeven Five and Threeâ€ which is a coming-of-age ceremony for children everywhere, when they dress up in kimono or haori jackets and go visit a Shinto shrine with their families.

On this day, prayers are offered for the healthy and happy futures of the children with large-scale coming-of-age ceremonies being held in all parts of Japan. These ages in particular are celebrated both because these years are seen as important age markers in the stages of a child’s growth and because odd numbers are seen as signs of good luck in Japan.

I spent the better part the afternoon photographing the children who were more than happy to pose. It was their day to shine in their best dress. Â More photos of the Shichi-Go-San festival can be found on Flickr here.

Sounds of the Real Japan

Jeff Henig — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:51:17 +0000

For some, the plaintive wail of the shakuhachi (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. Â ”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. Â I shoot many festival and cultural events here in Japan.Â At many of them you can always find a taiko or some other kind of drumming performance. Â 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. Itâ€™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 elite taiko drumming troupe based onÂ Sado Island, Japan. They regularly tour Japan, Europe, and the United States.Â Many foreigners are learning taiko drumming these days. Â Maybe it’s time to learn how to play the drums, except it must be taiko!

Yakitori Alley in Shinjuku Tokyo

Jeff Henig — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 03:03:29 +0000

Yakitori Alley, also known as Omoide Yokocho, or as the locals delightfully call it â€œShonben Yokochoâ€ is one of those hidden treasures that you accidently stumble upon.Â Itâ€™s what you expect when you go to Japan, small eateries in tiny alleys.Â 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.Â There are other Yakitori streets in Tokyo and most are clustered near major train stations, but this one is tucked away in Tokyoâ€™s busy Shinjuku district, a district of bars, electronic shops, massive department stores and the luxury Park Hyatt (the hotel featured in the movie â€œLost in Translationâ€).Â Â What a great find!

Koenji Awaodori Festival in Japan

Jeff Henig — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 09:26:30 +0000

In Tokyo, at the end of August, is an amazing festival call the Awaodori festival which takes place in Koenji.Â Iâ€™ve attend the event before and it never fails to amaze me.Â 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.Â All the groups seem similar but if you watch enough you can see the various flavors and the personalities of each group. The more â€œprofessionalâ€ 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.Â I lucked out because the second night it rained.Â Most spectators cheer on their favorite team and the event gets quite loud.Â Maybe it was due to all the alcohol everyone was drinking.Â What I find interesting about the festival is the costumes worn by ladies.Â Â Women dress in special style kimono and wear a straw hat or â€œkasaâ€ and dance on the tip of their toes wearing â€œgetaâ€, while men dress in a happi coat and tabi.Â I canâ€™t wait till next year.

Buddhist Lent in Thailand

Jeff Henig — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 10:42:33 +0000

The candle festival at Thung Sri Muang Park in Ubon Ratchathani provence Thailand is spectacular. Â 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. Â The candle symbolizes offerings from the community for appreciation of their sacrifice. Â These Â pictures from the night viewing of some of the candle floats, the Candle Festival procession and the Miss Candle beauty contest.