Casual Japanese Bystander

Roll and Roar

2009-12-26T15:13:00.004+09:00

At IKEA Funabashi, a slot-machine like toy for the kids to play with while their parents shop. Such amusements were set up on every floor, but are they even necessary? The entire store is one huge doll's house for kids and adults to play make-believe in.

For the Birds

2009-12-24T23:03:00.004+09:00

(In front of a house in Tsukishima.)

A mikan orange half poked through a tree branch, in hopes of attracting the shrike birds that have flown down to Japan for the winter.

Made Up of All That's Nice

2009-12-24T00:24:00.003+09:00

A new kind of Christmas tree, on display at Tokyo International Forum. Teddy bears and pink + Japanese women= just market this thing already.

How Much Can You Hate a Cat?

2009-12-23T00:40:00.004+09:00

(In Tsukishima.)

Lining up water bottles to keep away cats is a common tactic; using umbrellas, less so. (This was not taken after a rainy day.)

Round the corner from where the photo of the bike was taken. Clearly, the water bottles' effectiveness does not extend beyond a three-foot radius.

This is also the only instance that I have ever seen cacti growing wild in Japan.

Dandelion Clock Lamp

2009-12-21T23:28:00.009+09:00

At IKEA Funbashi, a lamp clearly inspired by dandelions, or more specifically, a dandelion clock.

The dandelion fluff are made out of paper. I fear for their flammability.

Fish Eye Lens

2009-12-20T23:26:00.002+09:00

Believing that an approaching human figure meant it was meal time, the goldfish closed in, perfectly filling the frame. All but the slightly dopey-looking pop-eyed goldfish, which swam in the other direction. Bless him.

(Someone's house in Tsukishima.)

Cotton Bud, Take a Bow

2009-12-19T21:24:00.003+09:00

Smelt or Capelin?

2009-12-15T23:48:00.001+09:00

Shishamo (smelt) in a Shizuoka supermarket, suffering the indignity of having a wooden stick shoved through their mouths. But perhaps the greater insult lies in the naming: they are only nominally smelt; most shishamo sold in supermarkets are actually capelin.

Making a Break for It

2009-12-14T23:16:00.002+09:00

A Photo Op with Santa and Ultraman

2009-12-13T22:36:00.003+09:00

(A photo shop on Waseda-dori.)

One of these days, the Ultraman statue is going to be worth more than the photo shop it belongs to.

Notice the Godzilla on the bottom left of the photo.

Skeletons in Your Closet, Fish in Your Garage

2009-12-10T22:32:00.005+09:00

(Someone's house in Yoyogi.)

Large, seemingly expensive, seemingly rare-looking fish kept in a huge tank behind a garage door that is very rarely opened. Something about the setup screams unlawful activity.

On a Clear Day

2009-12-07T23:29:00.001+09:00

The view from Kachidoki bridge, with Tokyo Tower (on the left) and buildings of various important companies (everywhere else).

A Huff and a Puff

2009-12-06T21:52:00.003+09:00

The Hermès store in Ginza. Three cheers for their steady output of deliciously strange window installations.

Cute from Every Side

2009-12-05T21:42:00.008+09:00

Miffy hiragana biscuits.

The cutout hiragana chart on the inside of the box. Thoroughly adorable, but the idea of Miffy using a saw (nokogiri) for の (no) is misguided, to say the least.

Recycling/Decorating

2009-12-03T23:42:00.003+09:00

(A restaurant in Tomigaya.)

Though the empty bottles lined up in the side window are a perpetual feature, depending on the day, the wine bottles on the barrel and under the front window of this restaurant are nowhere to be seen. Could that be recycling day?

Got the Memo?

2009-12-03T00:10:00.003+09:00

"Illegal dumping"
"Inconveniences the neighbors"

Your Heads of State in Sushi

2009-11-29T21:21:00.005+09:00

At the Shimizu Sushi Museum in Shizuoka, various heads of state are rendered in rice and nori (dried seaweed), circling around a volcanic mountain made of sushi and topped by a pool of soy sauce that, if provoked, could flow like lava. Have mercy on us.

A sushi version of President Obama.

I'd like to see this served at a UN dinner.

Shrivelling Before Our Very Eyes

2009-11-28T23:58:00.001+09:00

Persimmons hung out to dry in front of an izakaya in Kusanagi, Shizuoka.

Biding Time

2009-11-27T23:09:00.005+09:00

In fish shops, clams are usually kept in large Styrofoam boxes filled half-heartedly with water. The clams spend hours quietly sucking in water and spitting out sand through their gradually extending necks, after which they are scooped into plastic baggies by shoppers and eventually become someone's dinner. This Shizuoka supermarket, with its individualized red plastic trays, has brightened up the proceedings a bit. (Though it's all the same for the clams.) And their clams are much cheaper than in Tokyo.

Sugar Graffiti

2009-11-27T22:58:00.003+09:00

(At Spago, a restaurant about 5 minutes' walk from Shizuoka Station.)

Street Festival in Shizuoka, Part 2

2009-11-26T23:22:00.002+09:00

More photos from the Street Festival in Shizuoka that took place 11/21-23. Visitors showed their appreciation for an artist's work through the one-yen voting system. On the final day, the coins were tallied up, and those who had earned the most won prizes.

A selling space/working space/dining space/relaxing space, albeit in full view of passers-by.

A stamp-maker who could carve out rubber stamps on the spot. Her Prime Minister Hatoyama stamp is dead-on.

Skillful use of the small space allotted to each artist.

Street Festival in Shizuoka, Part 1

2009-11-25T23:14:00.003+09:00

(A graffiti artist shows off his work.)

Street Festival in Shizuoka, a yearly event that gathers artists from all over Japan for the opportunity to showcase their talents and sell their wares. An admirable collection of performers, peddlers, painters, carpenters, and calligraphers set up makeshift stands, lining a wide pedestrian street about 10 minutes' walk from Shizuoka Station. The level of artistry was all over the map, but the mix of professional sheen and amateur spirit contributed to a laid-back vibe that was well representative of Shizuoka.

Fully Clothed Dogs

2009-11-24T22:42:00.003+09:00

(In Shimizu Port, Shizuoka.)

Despite being needlessly dressed in human-like clothing, the dog in the blue plaid shirt and chaps was shivering like crazy. Poor things. Next thing you know, they'll be needing therapy.

Paper Predators

2009-11-23T23:39:00.003+09:00

In Kusanagi, Shizuoka, a bookstore specializing in children's books. Paper praying mantes (and dragonflies and cicadas) painstakingly cut out of origami paper adorn the shelves and doors. The crease that runs vertically along the body makes me wonder if the entire thing is symmetrical.

Color Fuel

2009-11-23T23:27:00.003+09:00

(In Shimizu Port, Shizuoka.)

A rainbow of artificially colored/flavored syrup to be used as a topping on shaved ice. The warm tones can be easily associated with a flavor (from left, strawberry, orange, lemon, mango) and the initially confusing light blue is clearly labeled as Ramune, but I'm drawing a blank with the blue syrup to its left.

Only a kid would want shaved ice in this cold.