Forrest Brown » Festival

Japan – 2010 Asakusa Samba Carnival – Sexy

Forrest — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 05:59:56 +0000

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.

Her outfit really is not hiding much

Buzzzzzzzz...

This group had an Egyptian theme

She's blowing kisses to me!

Japan – 2010 Asakusa Samba Carnival – Strange

Forrest — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 04:49:24 +0000

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.

Hairy chested men in dresses is always a bit strange

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

This group had a food theme

Food

If you can't tell, he's a squid with soy sauce

This guy's not happy. He only joined the samba group because he thought it would be a good way to meet sexy chicks, but instead he's parading down the street in front of a hundred thousand people dressed as a bowl of rice with natto (rotten soy beans) on it.

I have no idea

He's actually part of a samba group and hadn't just wandered out into the parade route.

Space Theme

Space Theme. Rocket powered bicycles.

Space Theme. It turns out that space can be sexy.

Space Theme

A Boob Theme?

Heart Theme. This was one of the stranger groups. The giant heart was made out of some kind of soft plastic and was actually beating in time with the drums.

Heart Theme. I have no idea what's up with this costume. He's carrying a heart and has a triceratops skull mounted to his shoulder.

Heart Theme. She's a love bomb? If someone were to wear a costume like that here in the US, someone would call the bomb squad to come disarm them.

Heart Theme. Sexy nurses with backpack defibrillators. I wonder which could get someone's heart going faster, the sexy nurse or the defibrillator.

Heart Theme. I really have no idea.

Zodiac Theme. So I guess this is Scorpio.

Zodiac Theme. Aquarius.

Japan – 2010 Asakusa Samba Carnival – Fancy

Forrest — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 04:30:42 +0000

Japan – 2010 Asakusa Samba Carnival – Extra

Forrest — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 04:30:31 +0000

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

Sometimes you need to make adjustments.

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.

It looks like she had a wardrobe malfunction.

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

This guy didn't want to miss anything, he had mounted a video camera to his DSLR

Japan – Awa Odori

Forrest — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 04:12:18 +0000

2010 Awa Odori Dance Festival in Koenji Tokyo.

Japan – Tokyo Bay Fireworks

Forrest — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 03:02:23 +0000

Japan has some amazing summer fireworks festivals. When I first when to one I was shocked at the crazy huge crowds of people going to see them and how big the fireworks display was. In the US, most fireworks displays I’ve seen last less then half and hour. But in Japan an hour to two hours seems to be pretty normal.

One of the bigger festivals is the Tokyo Bay Fireworks. For this festival the fireworks are launched from barges floating in the middle of Tokyo Bay and people pack the edges of the bay and nearby building to watch.

Tokyo Bay Fireworks Festival seen from Odaiba

Barges of fireworks out in the middle of Tokyo Bay prepared for that evening's firework display

Huge crowds of people came earlier in the day to claim their prime viewing spot for the Tokyo Bay fireworks

Tokyo Bay Fireworks Festival seen from Odaiba

Japan – Fireworks

Forrest — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:38:00 +0000

Japan – Kanamara Matsuri (Festival of the Steel Phallus)

Forrest — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:46:00 +0000

Japan has many interesting and amazing things to see and do, some are even a bit strange…this is the strangest thing I’ve seen so far. This past weekend I went to the annual Shinto fertility festival held in Kawasaki called Kanamara Matsuri (Festival of the Steel Phallus).

The festival dates back to the Edo period (1603-1867) when prostitutes prayed for good business and protection from disease.

Somewhere behind all of the guys with cameras is a lady sitting on a giant wooden penis.

Unfortunately this is the best photo I have of someone riding the giant penis.

She’s feeling the power of a giant penis.

Yes, that’s a gianormous pink penis sticking up out of the crowd. What’s even stranger is that the pink penis’s name is Elizabeth.

This kid is going to need lots of consoling when he grows up. He’ll have strange nightmares about giant black penises and he won’t understand why.

The penises head out of the shrine for a parade around town.

The penis parade heading down the main street of town.

These guys were carving penises out of vegetables. The vegi-penises were later auctioned off to raise money for AIDS research.

These two are obviously impressed by the skilled carving.

This guy is just a little bit too weird.