Kentucky Fried Maid

All the KFCs in Japan have life-size statues of the Colonel in front of them, and at Christmas he often gets dressed up as Santa. The Akihabara branch, however, dresses there’s up as a maid to take advantage of the popular maid cafe boom.

Great Buddha of Kamakura

The Great Buddha of Kamakura.

Egg Vending Machine

I wonder how many chickens live in that machine.

Showa Kinen Koen

It’s a bit out of the way so I didn’t see many other non-Japanese people there, but Showa Kinen Koen is well worth the trip out to Tachikawa. There are huge fields of poppies and rape blossoms, a lovely tulip garden, a Japanese garden, a bonsai area, and an incredible children’s playground. The children’s playground has giant, climbable dragon sculptures, rubber mountains for bouncing on, a water park, unicycle training area, and a “sea of mist”. The best time to see the flowers is late-April to early-May, so if you if you’re going to be in the Tokyo area around Golden Week, it’s well worth a visit. It’s on the Chuo Line about 30 minutes from Shinjuku. Click here for the park’s website.

Foreign Costume Players

Foreign costume players in Harajuku, Tokyo.

Kujo Brothels

Old-fashioned brothels in the Kujo area of Osaka. These cheap brothels are a dying institution in Japan, and only exist in a few areas, such as Tennoji and Kujo. Each brothel has a woman sitting on display in the entrance.

Kawaii Nostalgica

Kawaii Nostalgika is the photoblog of a Swiss guy named Aldo who takes wonderful (and sometimes a bit creepy) retro-style photos of Tokyo. Click here for the main page or here for thumbnails of all the photos.

Locked Temple

Locked temple in Kamakura.

Space Dolphins

Space dolphins! This is at once the best and worst painting I have ever seen in my life. Artistically bad, but great because no matter how many times I see it, it still makes me laugh out loud.

Geidai Flower Boxes

Flower boxes at Tokyo University of the Arts. Every year they have a fantastic festival in September.

Tokyo Detention Center

This is the Tokyo Detention Center near my home in Katsushika-ku. The building always reminds me of the Immigration Bureau in Shinagawa. Click here to read an interesting account of a foreigner’s experience here, or visit this National Police Agency page with photos of the inside.

Urban Fishing

Urban fishing in Tokyo

Foot Massage

Outdoor foot massage booth

Artist at Work

Artist at work painting Gokoku-ji temple near Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district.

Ramen Truck

Ramen truck

Showa Kinen Koen

Showa Kinen Koen. This is one of the nicest parks in the Tokyo area, and in late-April and early-May the huge tulip and poppy fields are spectacular.

Sumo Wrestler

Sumo wrestler outside the Kokugikan sumo stadium in Ryogoku, Tokyo.

New Recruits Under the Cherry Blossoms

Aftermath of a salary man massacre? No. These are first year employees sent out early in the day to reserve a spot in the park for a corporate cherry blossom viewing party in the evening.

Harajuku Cosplayer

The kids you see hanging out in front of Harajuku station in Tokyo every Sunday are famous for their outlandish fashion and extreme cuteness, but some of them have a real dark side. If you look at this girl’s left forearm, you’ll notice that it’s covered with razorblade cuts.

Beetle Building

This building is in the Kappa-bashi shopping district near Asakusa. The bug is called a kabutomushi (rhinoceros beetle) and beetle collecting is a popular hobby in Japan.