The Roving Ronin Report

A couple of weeks ago I went to see my friend Sachika sing at an outdoor event and later went to karaoke with her and her friend. Sachika is not a professional singer but she has done a lot of singing over the years since age 6. She likes to sing R&B, pop, enka, and her own original songs. http://www.youtube.com/user/SingerSachika Some other videos of her singing: Singing "If Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keyes Singing the Theme Song to Mito Komon TV Show Singing Enka Classic Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyugeshiki (津軽海峡・冬景色) Singing Norah Jones "Don't Know Why"

This video is from a year or two ago when I caught the tailend of a fire festival out near Odawara an hour or so to the southwest of Tokyo. Buddhist Priests dressed as Yamabushi - mountain hermits - walked over hot coals. Later, participants were allowed to do the same so I kicked off my shoes, waited in the freezing dirt till I got my chance to walk over by-then-not-so-hot coals. The festival is called Akibasan Gongen Hibuse Matsuri and it's held in mid-December at Ryokaku-in Temple. TORCH DANCING This footage was taken slightly in slo-mo (hence the out-of-focus look) of a torch dance at the fire festival. It's accompanied by a rather catchy Buddhist chant.

Happy New Years from Tokyo! Here are a few scenes of me celebrating the new year in a couple of places from one of my old watering holes when I used to live in Otsuka the Black Sheep in Ikebukuro where I did the countdown. Then I moved on to Shinjuku to Decadance Bar which is like a mini-Tokyo Decadance event every weekend. At the end of the night I ended up in Roppongi fairly hammered before stumbling back home and missing my connection stop. All in all, a good time! Happy New Years! Previous New Years in Tokyo videos: New Years Eve at Zojo-ji Temple: New Years Day at Yasukuni Shrine: