temple cats




Top Left: “I threw my cigarette butt into the drain. That is to say, I hid it in the drain.” (Smoking manners poster)
Top Right: Kara Walker-esque train safety poster
Second Left: Adventures in non-PC advertising. “Blacky: Hyper Tanning Studio of Japan Islands”
Second Right: Everything is cute. Is that a bus or a flying ladybug-lamb?
Third Left: If you look closely, you can see that classes at the Chinese Language Center are taught by a Panda (wearing a mortarboard cap– at least he seems qualified).
Third Right: “Let’s hear your seventies Shinjuku memories!” I wish I had seventies Shinjuku memories.
Bottom Left: In Yokohama Chinatown, Pandas have gone to eat dim sam and stuffed themselves! But wait– isn’t that Jumbo Seafood Floating Restaurant behind them? They’re actually in Hong Kong!
Bottom Right: Tadanobu, my supercrush, shilling for a coffee called “FIRE” at the bottom of almost every vending machine in Japan (which at least meant I got to see him four or five times every block).
at the asakusa jinja matsuri in late may:


lanterns and busy streets

big men carrying mikoshi

old men carrying their cellphones

sarah buying food at one of the teeming street stalls, and…

a float filled with babies playing a taiko. click on the picture to see a video so cute you may need to sit down.

some amazing game i really wanted called “nintendogs”– i think like tamagotchi only better because it’s your own little digital puppy you can play with on your gameboy… assorted cute animal posters… and that rabbit is CRAZY.