At this time of year, there are few things that can avert people’s eyes from the cherry blossom or their booze, but a fella in a frilly frock would appear to be one of them.
Cherry blossom sights and transvestites
Cherry blossom family fun
Tokyo’s cherry blossoms may well be associated with large amounts of booze, but they are a yearly pleasure enjoyed by people of all ages. From pensioners like the ones posted last week. To the young families photographed below. A simple social event that more than anything brings lots of people together. And, in doing so, for a few hours at least forces the far less pleasant aspects of life to fade away.
Early or late hanami?
After the curtailment of cherry blossom-related festivities last year, there’ll be no holding back whatsoever this time. In fact, so keen are revellers to get sat down and sink a beverage or two, that many areas are already busy, despite there being very little in the way of blooms, let alone a beautiful blanket of them.
However, for this elderly hanami gathering, it’s hard to decide whether it was an early, or late visit.
A little old lady with a ludicrously large bag
What on earth this little old lady was carrying in her bag will forever remain a mystery, but considering its obvious weight and substantial size, my guess is it was another little old lady.
Japanese fertility festival costumes and conversations
Japanese fertility festivals aren’t necessarily for the faint of heart, but what they definitely are is fun; good-natured bawdiness that remarkably never seems to slip into sleaziness.
What these events also do is effortlessly mix the traditional, with the not so traditional, such as the standard happi coat and a rather less conventional penis costume. A contrast that is clear to see, although what kind of conversations it conjures up is pure — and possibly puerile — conjecture.
