Tokyo Metblogs » Weird

Odd sighting: Christmas crusader in Tokyo

astrorainfall — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:28:35 +0000

I used think everyone in Tokyo dressed like the kids in Harajuku, but when I arrived, it was obviously not the case. The media does like to portray Japan as another dimension where weird stuff happens and people dress like freaks.

When I taught English, my Japanese students used to protest that the Western media is not portraying their culture and lifestyle as accurately as they would like.

Waves of salarymen in identical black suits and OLs (office ladies) in generic skirts and cardigans in the train stations actually make you think again if Japan has really that many people with a unique sense of style. They do, but in pockets of the city, and they orbit in a totally different atmosphere.

Yesterday, I spotted this flamboyant old dude standing up with both hands up in front of his car. He didn’t move for a whole five minutes. There were people and cars streaming past him but he just didn’t budge.

I chuckled and wondered what on earth he was up to. Was he a right-winger? Or was he anti-Christmas? Who knows. He had a pretty nice sedan with two Santa Claus dolls and a miniature Christmas tree. Maybe he was trying to promote Christmas in his own way?

He zoomed off in his car after I took a picture of him. Very odd, indeed.

Fake Priests

tok_jimmy — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 15:27:46 +0000

Be careful. They may look like Priests and talk like Priests, but they aren’t!
Westerners in Japan are masquerading as Christian Priests for White Weddings, according to the BBC.

Actually I know a couple of guys who do this as a part-time weekend job and they make decent money from it.
The “Church” is fake, the Priest is fake, actually the whole Wedding is fake (they have to have a separate legal ceremony), so I guess there is no problem, as long as the love is for real…

This previous report from Captain Japan has more on the phenomenon.

Wacky Invention of the day

tok_jimmy — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 22:23:48 +0000

Spotted in Harajuku, Tokyo

Via BoingBoing

We are going to start featuring weird, wonderful and wacky things that we see around Tokyo.
If you see something you’d like to submit, just click on the Suggest a Story link!

Heavy Lifting.

tok_derek — Sun, 09 Jul 2006 14:35:05 +0000

Caption Contest. (There is no Prize)

Leave your caption for the following picture in the comments:

The original photo is here.

Technorati Tags: cars

Bento.

tok_derek — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 05:41:41 +0000

Art Gone Mad.

I am not sure of the details, but it seems that someone’s mom got a bit carried away with sprucing up her child’s bento. It is scary. You have been warned. [ link ]

Black cottonbuds

tok_coco — Sun, 29 Jan 2006 21:09:48 +0000

Caught my eyes at 100yen shop. I guarantee these will drive you crazy once you start picking ears. it is embarassing to say but I spent two picks at one time.