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.
