The Elephant Round-up in Thailand’sSurinprovince in November was hard to pass up. I’m a self professed collector of elephant souvenirs….wood, metal, lacquer….I have them all. When I heard 250 Elephants would be part of the festival I jumped on the next bus leaving from Bangkok.
Surin is a rarely visited province in the northeast of Thailand. But once a year, on the third weekend of November, the spotlight is directed at the province as the venue for one of the most exciting spectacles of the year-the annual Elephant Round-Up. Surin has long been associated with elephants. Walking around town you can see dozens of elephants, statues of elephants and even shrines devoted to the elephant. The locals are well recognized for their skill in capturing and rounding up wild elephants as well as training and taming them. Surin is often known as the ‘province of elephants’.
The majestic Thai elephant has long been a central element in Thai culture and has held a respected place in Thai history. A symbol of power and grace, the elephant was revered by the ancient kings. Elephants have been prominently featured in Thai legend, literature, art and architecture, and during the reign of King Rama II, an image of the auspicious elephant, symbolic of the King, was featured on the flag.
The majority of elephant owners and mahouts in Thailand today are descendants of the “Kui” tribe (or “Suay” in Thai). They are thought to have migrated from Cambodia to settle largely in the northeastern provinces near the Cambodian border. Known for their expertise in capturing, domesticating and training wild elephants, the life-long relationship of the mahout with his elephant is an integral element of Kui culture, tradition and the way of life. The elephant is his companion and a family member.
A tug of war between 100 people and one mighty bull elephant was naturally won by the bull elephant.
In daily life, as man and elephant depend on each other, the elephant is treated as part of the ‘family’. The everyday life of the Thai elephant and its keeper, the mahout, is the central theme of the world-famous Surin elephant round-up held annually. The majority of elephant owners and mahouts in Thailand today are descendants of the “Kui” tribe (or “Suay” in Thai). They are thought to have migrated from Cambodia to settle largely in the northeastern provinces near the Cambodian border. Known for their expertise in capturing, domesticating and training wild elephants, the life-long relationship of the mahout with his elephant is an integral element of Kui culture, tradition and the way of life. The elephant is his companion and a family member.
Part of the 8 act program included a reenactment of a Royal elephant battle between Ayotaya troop and Hong Sawadee troop.
Last month while strolling around OmotesandoI decided to check out Meiji Shrineand by accident walked into a beautiful Japanese cultural ceremony. The shrine was crowded with people, but mostly with young children. The girl’s were dressed in beautiful kimonos with dangling decorations and flowers. Some boy’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 “Seven Five and Three†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 Flickrhere.
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.
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.
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.
