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Jul 08 2013 23 Comments

Pole dancing in a Tokyo park

Particularly over the weekend, the likes of musicians, jugglers, entertainers etc. are common sights in Tokyo’s parks. Pole dancers, on the other hand, aren’t.

Or at least they weren’t.

Japanese pole dancer

Categorized: Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Steebu says

    7/8/2013 at 3:20 pm

    I’m guessing that she didn’t transport the pole by train. The base looks pretty solid.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/8/2013 at 6:37 pm

      It was. It easily supported her even when she was swinging from the top of it. But how she got it there I have no idea…

      Reply
  2. Cynthia says

    7/8/2013 at 6:54 pm

    wow… public daylight pole o_o

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/8/2013 at 9:59 pm

      Yeah, quite a surprise eh?

      Reply
  3. An Expat says

    7/8/2013 at 9:09 pm

    Surprised some male didn’t take it upon himself to garb or pinch; perhaps it was so over the top that kept the pervs at bay?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/8/2013 at 10:02 pm

      There was a large bank of dSLR wielding men to the left (of which I was a member!), but that was about it. Surprisingly civilised really, with polite applause after each move. All of which only added to the unusual nature of the whole thing.

      Reply
      • Jeffrey says

        7/9/2013 at 2:30 am

        “Civilized”? Hardly. Where are all the folded 1,000 yen note “tips”?

        Reply
      • An Expat says

        7/9/2013 at 5:28 am

        Another though; think she’s got abs a male body builder would look at with some envy.

        Reply
        • Lee says

          7/9/2013 at 8:53 am

          She has. Very impressive. An awful to of work went into them, that’s for sure.

          Haha, very true! But Japan is a non-tipping country. It would have been seen as vulgar!

          Reply
  4. Dash says

    7/8/2013 at 10:27 pm

    Japan never stops impressing me.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/9/2013 at 8:53 am

      And long may it stay that way.

      Reply
  5. winnie says

    7/9/2013 at 12:22 am

    She is so COOL!!!! I wish I am there to watch her too!! Amazing!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/9/2013 at 8:54 am

      Got to say, it was quite a surprise. Not at all what I was expecting.

      Reply
  6. Jeffrey says

    7/9/2013 at 2:28 am

    Good lord! The bad “rock ‘n roll” bands of Yoyogi in black leather and gravity defying pomps are entertaining (“yes, we are laughing at you, not with you”). This sort of exhibitionism seems a bit desperate.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/9/2013 at 8:59 am

      It was a weird one. Despite the outfit (and the pole) it was somehow all very innocent. She was clearly enjoying herself, and most onlookers seemed happy to spend a bit of time watching something they clearly hadn’t expected to see.. Apart, of course, from the fellas with their powerful zoom lenses.

      Reply
  7. Lizzy says

    7/9/2013 at 6:20 am

    She could be advertising for a pole dance exercise class of some kind. I know they’re pretty popular over here, perhaps the trend is spreading?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/9/2013 at 9:01 am

      She could have been. It would at least explain the effort she had gone to to get the pole there.

      Reply
  8. Hans ter Horst says

    7/10/2013 at 2:16 pm

    Wow, I’m actually surprised there are so few spectators; having seen erotic manga read on public transport many times, I would expect the young salarimen to queue up to get a glimpse 🙂

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/10/2013 at 4:21 pm

      The photo is a bit deceptive — there were a good number of fellas to my left. 15 or so I reckon. All equipped with decent zoom lenses!

      Reply
  9. zoglog says

    7/24/2013 at 3:04 pm

    Exciting stuff. All I see at parks are people and dogs 🙁

    Reply
    • Lee says

      9/28/2013 at 11:29 am

      Likewise most of the time. This was a real exception.

      Reply
  10. Alex says

    9/28/2013 at 9:08 am

    I’m guessing from many of the comments here that people do not know that pole dancing has seen a rise in legitimacy lately with dancers treating them as simply another form of artistic expression. There are even pole-dancing competitions that most do in a risque style, but that in itself is not the point. Also they are not about nudity, or stripping, or tips, or even arousal.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      9/28/2013 at 11:30 am

      That’s interesting. I had no idea.

      This performance was certainly along those lines. No money or anything being handed over, and much more artistic than racy.

      Reply

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