Aya and I happened to be in the Nihonbashi area for a festival, so only by chance did we come across Candle Night at Kandagawa.  This was 700 candles floating in cut off 2-liter plastic bottles all put on display by university students to promote environmental awareness (the irony of using so much plastic is not lost on me).  We passed by while it was still a bit light out and they were setting up.  We were given a flyer and told to be sure and come back after dark.

When we returned not all the candles were lit.  There were not that many students performing the lighting, and I felt like I almost wanted to help them get the job done!  There were not that many onlookers, so maybe that’s why they appreciated me taking the time to take so many photographs of the candles.  

There was a video being projected on a street wall showing the surprisingly complicated apparatus they designed for housing the candles.  The 2-liter bottles were filled with water so the candles would float prettily, but also in case the bottles fell over the water would douse the flame.  

Candle Night in Kanagawa was the cap to one of my best days in Tokyo actually, mostly due to the amazing festival we had witnessed earlier.

CANDLE NIGHT AT KANDAGAWA PHOTO GALLERY:  

Totally by accident, Aya and I were able to witness one of the most special New Year’s Eve traditions in Japan–the ringing in of the new year by 17 monks at Kyoto’s Choin-in Temple.  This was one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen.  The bell the monks were ringing is the largest in Japan, weighing in at nearly 80 tons and having a diameter of some 2.7 meters.  It’s also very old, being cast way back in 1633 C.E.

Of course there was a huge crowd wanting to see this.  It was like a rock concert really, the pushing was constant and at times you were even swept off your feet and had no choice but to flow where the tide of people took you.  Luckily, at the very end I was able to get to the barrier fence and get a few unobstructed shots.  Aya managed to get some steady video with the Xacti HD700 as well.

The monks chanted while ringing the bell.  First they would all chant at a barely audible level, then the main monk, the one with his back to the bell, would give out a cry and the other monks would chant louder and pull quicker (although they seemed to be making little real effort), then they would all in unison say sorei and the main monk would literally fall over backwards pulling the fulcrum rope and the ram would thud into the bell bringing forth a lingering ringing resonance.  

CHOIN-IN MONK’S BELL RINGING PHOTO GALLERY: 

CHOIN-IN MONK’S BELL RINGING HD VIDEO:

I was excited to explore the small back alleys of Kyoto.  Before going I had no idea of the fame of Pontocho Alley.  Once there though I learned that this street is home to geisha and maiko (see photo) who display their talents in places no mere tourist can simply wander into.  This photo was taken on New Year’s Eve, Eve when Pontocho was no doubt much quieter than it normally is.  The view is down one of the very small side alleys leading off of Pontocho proper.

KIT USED:

• Nikon D80
• Nikkor 50mm 1.8D lens
• handheld shot

EXIF DATA:

I love Ford Mustangs.  I love them in a unique way that is only possible by American dudes.  My first ever car was a white 1979 Ford Mustang.  The love an American teenager has for his first car is one of the deepest loves in the whole world.  I loved that car.  It was never referred to as a “Ford” or even as a “Mustang.”  No, it was always reverentially referred to by myself, and even my friends, as “the Pony.”

As I left a restaurant with Aya after a late dinner in Omotesando after a brief rain shower, I was taken aback to see a totally badass red Mustang staring right at me right in my grill with its grill.  I of course had my trusty Nikon D80 with me and thus snapped the above shot.  There is nothing more American than the Ford Mustang.  

EQUIPMENT USED:

• Nikon D80
• Nikkor 50mm 1.8D lens

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