The Roving Ronin Report

Tokyo Decadance 2010 Halloween Bash Sexy Ghouls, Ghosts, Vampires, and Whatnots claim the night Tokyo Decadance is Tokyo's melting pot of Japanese subcultures from lolita, goth, cyber, anime, to anything else. Halloween is one of Tokyo Decadance's favorite times as every style comes out for a bit of madcap fun. This was Tokyo Decadance's 5th Anniversary.

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!

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.

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

Festival in Chiba, Japan where participants in loinclothes fling mud about in a cold pond for the sake of good harvests and good fortune.

Yabusame is a Japanese Shinto ritual involving mounted archery. Archers ride at a full gallop and shoot at three targets set up at certain intervals. To hit all three, an archer is considered to be very skillful. The ritual's purpose is to bring prosperity and peace. This video is a complilation of Yabusame events I have been to over the last two years. There are two different schools of Yabusame - Ogasawara Ryu who perform at Asakusa (here 2007&2008) and Takeda Ryu who perform at Meiji Shrine (2006), Miura (2007), and Kamakura (Spring 2007 & Fall 2008) The song is called " Gunslinger Man " and it fits with the old tradition of samurai on horseback using bows rather than spears and swords as they did in later times. The Yabusame costume looks rather cowboy-ish. The music is by the Exotic Ones: The Exotic Ones This is a short clip of Yabusame being performed at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo

On Seijin-no-Hi (Coming of Age Day) in early January in Japan, an archery ritual known as Momote Shiki is held at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo for all those turning 20 for that year. 10 Archers at a time shoot two arrows at a central target. At Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, a Shinto Priest fires a whistling arrow signfying the start of an archery ritual to commemorate Coming of Age Day.