Category: Traditional

Antonio sent me a while ago these pics of a traditional festival that is celebrated every year in Saidaiji. In the festival men go out on the streets dressed in some sort of gigantic thong, with their butts hanging out and all. I don’t know why, but this festival somehow reminds me of the Festival of the Steel Phallus 😉

The climax of the festival is at midnight, when the goal of all participants is to get sacred sticks that are thrown from a temple. To catch one of those sticks is a sign of good luck. In this video you can see the moment when everybody fights to catch one of those sacred sticks:

On this occasion, instead of Sailor Moon make-up, I came across this cool video showing the whole process that a Geisha goes through when putting on make-up. Geishas and maikos have been putting on make-up the same way for over four hundred years. However not only geishas take make-up so seriously; the make-up culture is really instilled into Japanese society. In fact, it is very difficult to see a woman without make-up on the streets of Japanese cities. Make-up is also present in many Japanese historic novels, like for example Mushashi Miyamoto (which takes place at the end of XVI century), where I can recall many passages that illustrate woman putting on make-up.

The video gets interesting at about 3:30

Geisha without make-up.

The same woman after putting on make-up!

Which one do you prefer? the first version before putting on make-up or the second one after doing it?

I find this collection of “3D” photos amazing (Stereoscopies were made by T-emani between 1859 and 1929). In them you can appreciate everyday lifestyle in Japan during the Meiji Era.

The 2 original pictures.

Animated version with a certain 3D sensation…

Glasses version.

The great Buddha in Kamakura has barely changed.

Animated version by Pinktentacle.

Animated version by Pinktentacle.