Culture

Despite the joys of seeing a horse in full flow, the soporific sport of Banei has remarkably managed to make watching these majestic beasts mundane — mind-numbing even. However, as luck would have it, the plodding pace of the aforementioned pastime is conveniently countered by the breakneck bravery of Yabusame. This latest instalment held at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine in Kamakura.

A sport where men are men,

their mounts are magnificent,

and the crowds, as is common, are congested.

Not that it affects the composure of the contestants of course.

And, as an added bonus of sorts, even the officials are fascinating to look at.

Fetching even.

(click images for higher-res heroics)

Just like everywhere else in the world, weddings in Japan are both pleasurable and pricey, regardless of whether they are traditional Shinto ceremonies, or less formal, foreigner officiated affairs.

In fact, the main difference from weddings in the West used to be the rather low divorce rate — but not anymore. Separations are now nowhere near as scarce, and, due to a recent change in the law regarding a partner’s pension payments, the numbers look set to soar.

However, when a marriage goes into meltdown, it obviously makes no difference where the couple met, or made their home. And the way this man (or indeed woman) recklessly dumped the big day bouquet and album by the roadside,

the partnership presumably hit rock bottom at a rapid, and utterly irreconcilable, rate.