Other Galleries

Dance! : Nippon Domannaka Matsuri (Domatsuri for short) is the largest dance festival in central Japan (Chubu region). Held at the end of August, this year's festival featured 200 dance teams and 23,000 performers from all across Japan (as well as a few from abroad).

Dance!

Nippon Domannaka Matsuri (Domatsuri for short) is the largest dance festival in central Japan (Chubu region). Held at the end of August, this year's festival featured 200 dance teams and 23,000 performers from all across Japan (as well as a few from abroad).

Updated: Sep 28, 2009 8:38pm PST

Minami Alps : These are shots from an 8-day trek across the southern range of the Japan Alps, which contains Kita-dake (Japan's second-highest mountain) several peaks over 3000m.

Minami Alps

These are shots from an 8-day trek across the southern range of the Japan Alps, which contains Kita-dake (Japan's second-highest mountain) several peaks over 3000m.

Updated: Sep 28, 2009 7:32pm PST

Cosplay! : Cosplay (short for "costume play") is a widely-documented Japanese pop-culture phenomenon wherein fans dress up as anime and manga characters, complete with makeup and accessories. Some treat it as a casual hobby; for many it's more of a lifestyle. The movement has been gaining popularity among young people outside of Japan as well, with the result that TV Aichi now sponsors an annual World Cosplay Summit with the idea of "promoting cultural exchange". The two day affair, held every August, culminates in a contest in which judges select a World Champion. The shots in this gallery were taken on the first day, during and around the cosplay parade held in Nagoya's Osu Kannon district.

Cosplay!

Cosplay (short for "costume play") is a widely-documented Japanese pop-culture phenomenon wherein fans dress up as anime and manga characters, complete with makeup and accessories. Some treat it as a casual hobby; for many it's more of a lifestyle. The movement has been gaining popularity among young people outside of Japan as well, wit ...

Updated: Sep 28, 2009 6:59pm PST

Sumo! : The life of a sumo wrestler is a highly structured affair. Aside from the strict diet and workout regimen, wrestlers are expected to adhere to a strict code of conduct in private and in public. Their workouts are held at the stables (which also serve as living quarters) and are generally closed to public viewing. However, in the week leading up to an out-of-town tournament, the stables practice in guest facilities and lift the viewing restrictions, providing a great opportunity for fans to get a close glimpse of these great athletes. This particular stable held their Nagoya Basho workouts outdoors in a park, which allowed me to get these shots.

Sumo!

The life of a sumo wrestler is a highly structured affair. Aside from the strict diet and workout regimen, wrestlers are expected to adhere to a strict code of conduct in private and in public. Their workouts are held at the stables (which also serve as living quarters) and are generally closed to public viewing. However, in the week l ...

Updated: Sep 28, 2009 5:03pm PST

Hounen-sai : Perhaps better known to foreigners as "Penis Festival", this annual celebration of fertility takes place at Tagata Shrine in Komaki (north of Nagoya) on March 15th. The focus of the festival is a procession where teams of 12 local men (aged 42) carry a 13 foot, 620lb. phallus, hand-carved every year by a master craftsman from a cypress cut down in the dead of winter, from Kumano Shrine to Tagata Shrine 1.5km away. The procession is symbolic of a local warlord's conjugal visits to his wife. The festival features free booze, obnoxious foreigners, and interesting, um, souvenirs and candy.

Hounen-sai

Perhaps better known to foreigners as "Penis Festival", this annual celebration of fertility takes place at Tagata Shrine in Komaki (north of Nagoya) on March 15th. The focus of the festival is a procession where teams of 12 local men (aged 42) carry a 13 foot, 620lb. phallus, hand-carved every year by a master craftsman from a cypress c ...

Updated: Mar 18, 2009 5:47am PST