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Meteorologically speaking (try saying that one pissed), Japan has been throwing a bit of a hissy fit of late. I was woken by quake rumblings last night, and extreme changes in weather fronts are causing storms that are blacking out parts of the co…

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Last Sunday I spent a pleasant afternoon in the company of hundreds, if not thousands, of old men’s bare asses. This, however, wasn’t some twisted fetish club down the backstreets of Shibuya, but rather Sanja Matsuri: Asakusa’s biggest and most bo…

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It’s funny how a lengthy stint in Japan can desensitise you to the most messed-up shit. Just today a 50-year-old man dressed as a 14-year-old girl cycled past me and I barely registered. Vending machines talk to me on a daily basis, and last weeke…

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Spring is a good time to be living in Japan. First there’s Hanami when the whole country appears to be stinking drunk for seven days straight. Then there’s Golden Week, a bunch of public holidays all squashed together to give the overworked popula…

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I like weird stuff. The weirder the better, actually. So when I read about a random festival up in Koenji featuring surrealist stilt walkers, huge winged beasts and other oddball shit I knew I had to check it out. Koenji’s a bit like my neighbourh…

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During the day, my neighbourhood is a maze of vintage clothes stores, independent record dealers and quaint boutiques. It’s a vibrant little town that has been described as being “exactly like a toy box.” It’s a strange description, but one that f…

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