Archives: 2010 August


Japan – 2010 Asakusa Samba Carnival – Sexy

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I don’t normally think about Japan and a Brazilian Samba Carnival together, but that’s what happens every summer in Japan’s version of the Rio Carnival in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. Almost 5000 participants paraded through the streets of Asakusa in wild, sexy and sometimes strange costumes. This year was the 30th anniversary of the Asakusa Samba Carnival.

One of the reasons for a Japanese Samba Carnival is that Japan and Brazil have had a long connection, with Brazil having the largest population of Japanese outside of Japan because of the over 200,000 Japanese farmers who moved to Brazil to work on the coffee plantations in the early 1900′s.

When I think of Samba, the first thing that comes to mind is women is elaborate, sexy outfits that don’t hide a whole lot and the Asakusa Samba Carnival was no different. Here’s some of the sexier photos I shot.

2010 Asakusa Samba Carnival Parade Japan Tokyo Sexy

2010 Asakusa Samba Carnival Parade Japan Tokyo Sexy

2010 Asakusa Samba Carnival Parade Japan Tokyo Sexy

2010 Asakusa Samba Carnival Parade Japan Tokyo Sexy

Her outfit really is not hiding much

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Japan – 2010 Asakusa Samba Carnival – Strange

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The Asakusa Samba Carnival is made up of almost 20 different groups of performers. With local groups from Japan and also groups from Brazil. Some of the bigger groups had several hundred people in them made up of marching bands, dancers, singers, other performers and usually also a parade float. Each of the groups had a different theme that everyone in that group was coordinated to. Many of the themes seemed pretty normal, but as the parade when on, the themes seemed to get stranger and stranger, with themes like Egypt, Mexico, Food, Space, The Zodiac, and some that were so strange that I wasn’t sure what the theme was other then to maybe see how strange they could be.

2010 Asakusa Samba Carnival Parade Japan Tokyo Sexy Costume Strange Festival

Hairy chested men in dresses is always a bit strange

2010 Asakusa Samba Carnival Parade Japan Tokyo Sexy Costume Strange Festival

2010 Asakusa Samba Carnival Parade Japan Tokyo Sexy Costume Strange Festival

Egyptian Theme. This guy was really getting into his role.

2010 Asakusa Samba Carnival Parade Japan Tokyo Sexy Costume Strange Festival

This group had a food theme

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Japan – 2010 Asakusa Samba Carnival – Fancy

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Tokyo, Japan, Samba Festival, Parade

Tokyo, Japan, Samba Festival, Parade

Tokyo, Japan, Samba Festival, Parade

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Japan – 2010 Asakusa Samba Carnival – Extra

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Here’s a few more photos from the Asakusa Samba Carnival that didn’t really fit into the other categories.

Tokyo, Japan, Samba Festival

Sometimes you need to make adjustments.

Tokyo, Japan, Samba Festival

One of the store owners along the parade route had a couple of step ladders set up in front of their store and were selling time on them.

Tokyo, Japan, Samba Festival

It looks like she had a wardrobe malfunction.

Tokyo, Japan, Samba Festival

All of the Samba groups had people walking along side with coolers full of drinks. This poor girl looked like she was really overloaded.

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Japan – Awa Odori

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2010 Awa Odori Dance Festival in Koenji Tokyo.

2010 Awa Odori Dance Festival in Koenji Tokyo

2010 Awa Odori Dance Festival in Koenji Tokyo.

2010 Awa Odori Dance Festival in Koenji Tokyo.

2010 Awa Odori Dance Festival in Koenji Tokyo

2010 Awa Odori Dance Festival in Koenji Tokyo

2010 Awa Odori Dance Festival in Koenji Tokyo

2010 Awa Odori Dance Festival in Koenji Tokyo

2010 Awa Odori Dance Festival in Koenji Tokyo

2010 Awa Odori Dance Festival in Koenji Tokyo


Japan – Onsen

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One of the things that many foreigners think is strange about Japan when they first hear about it is the Onsen (Public Baths). In Japan onsen are incredibly popular and they’re everywhere, especially vacation and resort areas, but they can also be found in the middle of Tokyo.

Basically an onsen is a public bath where the water is supplied by natural hot springs. Since Japan is a volcanic island, there’s thousands of hot springs all over Japan. Legally for a public bath to be called an onsen it has to have water that contains a certain minimum amount of dissolved minerals in it, like the water that comes from natural hot springs. Because of the dissolved minerals in the water many people feel that soaking in an onsen is good for their health. I actually read an article about an onsen that was slightly radioactive because of the minerals in the water. It seems to me like a really bad idea to go soaking in a radioactive onsen, but it was popular with people who said that it soaking in it gave them great health benefits.

Onsen come in a wide variety of types and sizes, both indoor and outdoor. Some of the most interesting onsen I went to were in Hokkaido during the winter, it was amazing to go to an outdoor onsen and be soaking in the hot water while the snow falls all around.

Most onsen are pretty similar in many ways. Usually there is a changing area, a washing area, and then the actual onsen. The onsen is not actually used for washing, it’s just for soaking in after you have completely washed yourself in the washing area. In the past, both men and women used the onsen together, but now days almost all onsen are separated by sex. Some of the larger hotels and spas also have family onsen, smaller onsen that can be reserve so that your family could soak together.

While I was in Japan I probably went to 10 different onsen and I always wanted to take photos, but the tricky part of taking photos in an onsen is that they are usually full of naked guys who most likely don’t want me taking photos of their naked bottoms and posting them on the internet. But when I was at the Fuji Rock Festival I stayed at a friend’s ski condo where the condo building had a public onsen. One morning I was using the onsen and no one else was there, so I thought I would take take the opportunity to shoot some photos.

This is definitely not the most picturesque onsen I’ve been to, but it gives you an idea about what an onsen is like.

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Japanese Onsen (Public Bath)

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When you first walk into an onsen there'll be a place to take off and leave your shoes Then you walk a little farther in and you'll be in the changing area. Most times there's baskets to put your clothes into, but sometime there's lockers. If it's an onsen spa, there is probably two changing rooms. The first changing room is to change out of your street clothes into a Japanese robe. And then a second changing area before you go into the bath area.

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Changing area

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Toilet

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Since you're not wearing shoes, there's toilet slippers to wear if you go into the toilet. These are always about 4 sizes too small for my feet.

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Before actually using the onsen, you need to be clean. It sounds strange at first and it's something that foreigners sometimes don't realize, but it makes sense when you realize that the onsen is just for soaking and relaxing. Most Japanese sit down when that wash, so in the washing area there's a bunch of little sit-down shower areas.

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Panorama of the washing area.

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Most onsen have liquid soap and shampoo dispensers next to each shower area. But since this is in a condo complex, it's expected that you'll bring your own. You need a little basket to carry everything in.

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Once you've washed yourself, you can go to the actual onsen to soak and relax. This onsen has four different pools to soak in. Each pool is slightly different. I once stayed in a big resort hotel that had twelve different soaking pools.

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There is one pool of cold water, two hot pools and this back pool felt like the water had come straight out of a volcano. I was a wuss and couldn't even put my foot in it because it was so hot. Japanese like really hot bathes.

After soaking in the onsen, I usually rinse off in the washing area because sometime the minerals in the onsen water can make you itchy.


Japan – Devil Ramen

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I was walking down the street near my serviced apartment in Tokyo and saw a sign for Devil Ramen in the window of a ramen restaurant. I figured I should try it and see what it was like.

The ramen had a ton of garlic and was extra greasy. It was actually pretty good and I’m pretty sure that I didn’t have to give up my soul (but everything was in Japanese, so maybe the fine print was saying that I was trading my soul for some yummy raman).

Devil ramen in a Tokyo ramen restaurant

Devil Ramen in a Tokyo ramen restaurant

The sign for Devil Ramen in a Tokyo ramen restaurant

The sign for Devil Ramen

Devil ramen in a Tokyo ramen restaurant

Pepsi to go along with the Devil Ramen


Japan – Beer Vending Machine

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Beer Vending Machine in Tokyo.

Beere, Vending Machine, Tokyo, Japan

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I thought it was cool that one of the cans of beer was actually a can full of crackers and nuts


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