Homeless Japanese in Japan, People You Should See

I sometimes wonder how well a foreigner, such as I, can really SEE and photograph the people of Japan. As this example shows, sometimes the foreigner sees what others don't notice or choose to ignore. Please see www.icpress.com/Gallery/Kama/ I'm in...
To continue reading this entry click here

The Family in Japan

Average number of children in a Japanese family: 1.2 Average number of hours father's work per day: 11 Japan has a huge problem with it's declining birth rate, but like most people with self destructive tendencies they don't or can't...
To continue reading this entry click here

Unseen in Japan

I was talking with a friend the other day and found out that at his job it's his responsibility to pay off the yakuza. Yakuza are Japanese organized crime syndicates. He meets regularly with one of the yakuza gang...
To continue reading this entry click here

DesignFesta 2005 - Seeing the Tokyo Art Scene

I had a great time this past weekend at Design Festa, a semi-annual gathering of artists, illustrators and, well, anyone who can get a group of friends to rent a space and "do" something suggestive of "art." That amounts...
To continue reading this entry click here

Japan, China, Apology, Textbooks - Simple Right?

China and Japan are in conflict. Not again, and not just recently. It's more like an Asian version of the cold war. Japan and China have been rivals in Asia since the modern era dawned in this part of...
To continue reading this entry click here

Girls in Kimonos at Meiji Jingu, Seijin No Hi

January 10 was Seijin No Hi, or Coming of Age Day. All over Japan 20 year olds attend various ceremonies recognizing them as adult members of society. Many of the girls dress in kimonos and form moving displays of...
To continue reading this entry click here

Otaku Shoot Japanese Girls Giving Low Blows to Evil Genius

Upon entering an amusement park in Tokyo we saw a large crowd waiting with a row of photographers in back. What motivates photographers to line up and stand for hours with tens of thousands of dollars worth of cameras and...
To continue reading this entry click here

Beyond the Shame

Someone posted this response to my last post: "That is sick and disgusting! The family should not be able to heal; they should live with what they've done for the rest of their life. Also, a society that encourages...
To continue reading this entry click here

Disability, Shame and Japan

The pictures above aren't related to what I'm about to write. A couple of girls taking a shotgun blast at being fashionable in Harajuku, and the nearby entrance to Meiji Jingu. The Starbucks where I hang out has hired...
To continue reading this entry click here

Bathing at the Sento in Japan

A few days ago I went with a group to the "super sento." A sento is a Japanese bath house. In the past, many homes didn't have baths, so the family walked to a community sento to get clean....
To continue reading this entry click here

Sempai Troubles in the Land of Harmony

The two pictures above make me wonder how often people pass each other on the street while trading text messages on their cell phones. I'll tell you about the guy in yellow (see my previous post) very soon. In...
To continue reading this entry click here

Japan Trends: Marriage, Gas, Suicide, Remains

A friend sent me a list of Japanese trends and stats that I wanted to pass on. I don't know the source (or sources), so take everything with a grain of salt. Japan regularly shows you something old, something...
To continue reading this entry click here

What's a Little Giri Between Friends?

We're back in Japan after 2 1/2 months away. No new pictures, but here are a couple I've been saving. The first one I'll call "Koi Rush Hour." I shot the twins, my daughters, one day as I headed...
To continue reading this entry click here

Discarded Heads, Fruity Coffee in Japan

Some things about Japan and Japanese culture will elude my understanding and/or appreciation for a long time. A bin overflowing with discarded heads and a poster advertising "fruity coffee" are not on that list. These things are easy to...
To continue reading this entry click here

On Marketing Squash Malt and Some Poppy Pictures

Here's a sight you don't often see. A lady was handing out free samples of beer in the grocery store today. Only it wasn't beer. When I got close enough to read the cans, it said: "Squash Malt." She...
To continue reading this entry click here

Japan and Singapore Thoughts and Pictures

I just got back from a trip to Indonesia and Singapore. The last few days (in Singapore) were a family vacation for us. Maybe our kids are still too young to call it a vacation, though, if that means...
To continue reading this entry click here

Postmodern Youth in Japan

I hope you enjoy these pictures. I think they speak for themselves. I saw this couple in Ikebukuro. They seem to capture at least a stereotypical glimpse of what being "postmodern" in Japan is all about. The "PM" word...
To continue reading this entry click here

Youth in the Flow of Culture Change in Japan

Some time ago I was watching NHK and they had a special about a guy who sits on a stool in Shibuya and listens to people. He has a crate in front of him, on it's side, with a...
To continue reading this entry click here