The Roving Ronin Report

Tokyo Design Festa May 2008 The Tokyo Design Festa is a semi-annual event where artists, craftsmen, performers, musicians, film-makers, and what-not gather from all over the world to exhibit their creations. It's a weekend of artistic chaos! Ghostly Lady from Tokyo Design Festa Here's a little avant-garde weirdness from Tokyo Design Festa. She's from Taiwan and was one of the performers at the Design Festa Drumming Rabbits - Usagi Taiko Group This footage is from the Tokyo Design Festa of the female Taiko Drum Group known as Usagi. Usagi means rabbit in Japanese. http://usagi-8.com Crazy Angel Company Here's a bit of a big band I caught at Tokyo Design Festa called Crazy Angel Company. They have a lot of energy and it shows in their performance. http://www.crazy-angel.com Scenes from Three Bands from Tokyo Design Festa Here's a small slice of the music scene in Tokyo. This vid is brief snippets of three bands I caught at Tokyo Design Festa. Mimi-Unagi http://mimiuna...

This is a quick shout-out to all Tokyo dwellers and visitors to check out the Tokyo Design Festa this coming weekend: May 16-17 from 11:00-19:00. The Design Festa is a weekend of artistic chaos - wild performances, musicians, painters, sculptors, etc... Design Festa For those who can't make it you can follow the madness semi-live on the blog at: Design Festa Blog Thru-out the weekend, photos, videos, and interviews will be uploaded within minutes more or less of all the craziness. Tokyo Design Festa May 2008 Check out my vids from last year's event at this playlist: Design Festa Vids For artists out there if you feel like coming to Japan and exhibiting your work check out the site and watch the fun!

Artistic Chaos!!! The Tokyo Design Festa – a chaotic ensemble of art The Tokyo Design Festa Anime fan wearing an all handmade costume As I entered the futuristic-looking Tokyo Big Site building on Odaiba Island, I was greeted by a person with the head of fish. Beyond him/her/it and all about the place wandered a colorful assortment of strange characters which appeared to have been born in fertile imaginations bred on Japanese Anime, Gothic Horror, and Salvador Dali. It was then that I knew I had reached my destination: the Tokyo Design Festa. F ishhead man advertising Getting a leg up or two at Tokyo Design Festa Usagi – Drumming Rabbits – Female Taiko Group Design Festa is a chaotic showcase of artists, musicians, craftsmen, designers, dancers, and performers – the sublime mixed with the avant garde. The Design Festa takes place twice a year in Tokyo and has been going on for 14 years. A Wild Wall Artists come from all over the world to participate. Booths are set up to showcase their...

Here are a few short clips of Japanese Macaque or Snow Monkey taken at Jigokudani Park in Nagano Prefecture. Japanese Snow Monkeys at Jigokudani Park in Nagano Japanese snow monkeys get excited as feeding time approaches. Dignified Snow Monkey Enjoying his Bath This scene reminds of the art film Baraka which had a scene of a snow monkey (might even be the same one) staring contently from his hot springs bath. Japanese Snow Monkey enjoys a hot springs massage Just like humans, Japanese Snow Monkeys like to unwind and relax at hot springs. Baby Snow Monkey with Mother A Baby Snow Monkey with its mother. Another baby monkey darts by on the left.

Japanese Snow Monkeys Enjoy a Warm Dip to fight Winter’s Chill Generally when one thinks of monkeys and their environment, one imagines tropical jungles, not snowy hills. This is what makes the native Japanese monkey, the macaque or “snow monkey,” so unique. The Japanese macaque is the only species of monkey that lives as far north as it does. Macaques can be found in several places in Japan in environments raging from subtropical to sub-alpine. The northernmost group of Japanese macaque grow thick furry coats in winter. Japanese Macaques have thick winter coats In the 1970s Life magazine first featured the Japanese macaque monkey enjoying a wintry dip in a hot springs near Nagano. Thus was born the international fame of the so-called “snow monkeys” of Japan. With their thick fur coats, almost human-like faces, and their deep, soulful eyes, the snow monkeys quickly won the hearts of people worldwide. Playing in the snow Macaques grow to 79 to 95 cm (2 to 4 feet) and weigh 10 to 14 kg (...

In Aomori Prefecture, the city of Hirosaki puts on a simple but elegant snow lantern festival early-mid February. They construct japanese garden-style lanterns out of snow and place small portraits on them which are illuminated at night. The portraits depict Japanese women, samurai, and legendary Chinese heroes particularly from the epics - Three Kingdoms and the Outlaws of the Marsh. The music they play in the background however leaves a tad to be desired but it makes for a bit of surrealness. Music by: The Secret Commonwealth

Japanese Snow Lantern Festival Brightening up the Winter Sky Snow Lantern Festival of Hirosaki Winters are long in Tohoku, the northern region of mainland Japan. Snow and ice are common fare there. A skier’s boon but a common man’s burden. In ages past before sports skiing and winter fashion, winter was something to be dreaded and suffered through. It is no wonder that a multitude of snow festivals dot the Tohoku region. These festivals are the locals’ way of making Winter seem little less unfriendly and little less bleak. Hirosaki Castle One such festival takes place in the city of Hirosaki in the Aomori Prefecture which is the northernmost area of the Japanese mainland. Capitalizing on the beauty of winter, residents of Hirosaki create lanterns made completely made of snow in early February. The lanterns for the most part resemble the type of lantern found in Japanese gardens and shrines. There are hundreds of these spread through the grounds of Hirosaki Castle. Some of the snow lant...