Photographs from a small group of islands
Video games and trains are all well and good, but arguably neither of them can light up a little lad’s imagination like an igloo. Especially so when one least expects to see one. Such as on a side street. In Tokyo. In spring.
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.
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 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.
It’s not all that unusual for farmers to fashion scarecrows from mannequin heads and a few old clothes — a look that can be both surprisingly convincing as well as suitably scary.
Others, however, are either not so creative or simply can’t be bothered, and instead just make do by shoving a head on a stick.
