SHINJUKU GYOEN NATIONAL GARDEN, TOKYO, JAPAN

We found out the hard way that it is closed on Mondays. (It is open seven days a week only during the cherry blossom and chrysanthemum seasons). And since the 58.3 hectare park is just a four-minute walk from the Shinjuku-sanchome train station, we didn't mind going back to it.

traditional japanese garden

french garden

english garden

a child picking up seeds

school kids pick seeds

anton in the english garden

birding

araki-inspired photo

TSUKIJI FISH MARKET, TOKYO

Tsukiji fish market is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world and is also one of the largest wholesale food markets of any kind.  The whole complex will be moved to another place in November 2016.  In its stead will rise the site for Olympics 2020.

SANJA MATSURI, take 2 (film photos)

SANJA MATSURI, festival of the three shrines, Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan.

tokyo skytree, the highest tower in the world
 is situated on sumida, tokyo just across
 the bridge from asakusa.

a view of the city and sumida river from the tokyo skytree

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leica mp, summicron 35/2, efke 100, D76 at 1+1.

SANJA MATSURI (festival of the three shrines) IN ASAKUSA, TOKYO, take 1 (digital photos)

The Sanja Matsuri festival is considered one of the wildest and largest Shinto festivals in Japan. Processions, traditional music playing and dancing in the streets mark the festival as they commemorate the building of the shrines by three Japanese Shinto devotees.  It is held in Asakusa, Tokyo for four days on the third weekend of May.  We arrived in Tokyo just in time for us to join the last day of the festival.  

(this is part one of the photo-documentation. it's on digital.  part two consists of black and white film photographs).  

local gentry in hakama

girls bearing the mikoshi in a procession

up to 2 million people flock to attend the festival that honors
the three Japanese men who built the shrines. 

the worshippers chant as they carry the heavy replica of one of the temples in Asakusa. 

a float for traditional japanese music

men in kimonos

a long queue of shinto worshippers infront of Senso-ji

women carrying the mikoshi

men carrying the mikoshi in a wild procession

children with their own miniature mikoshi

worshippers of different ages and gender
participate in carrying the mikoshi

(photo of my wife and me in front of senso ji, by anton concepcion)