Weill in Japan Jason Weill Web Productions
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Greater Tokyo Festival 2002

The annual Greater Tokyo Festival takes place at a variety of venues around the Tokyo metropolitan area. On Friday, August 2, our class commemorated the fact that we had finished the final exam by taking the day off and going to Harajuku together. Harajuku features a tribute to the Edo period, and includes traditional games and some more modern festival-type foods. These pictures show my classmates and I at play.

Joyce and Suki play a badminton-like game with a little birdie-like piece and two wooden paddles. A showman spins a ball on top of a traditional umbrella. A showman spins a ball on top of a traditional umbrella. A showman spins a ball on top of a traditional umbrella. A showman spins a ball on top of a traditional umbrella. Bonnie tries her luck at the bamboo stilts with little success. A vendor makes custom crafts for a couple of hundred-yen tickets. Endo-sensei successfully completes the ball game. A showman juggles two balls using an intricate device with lots of holes and tubes. A showman juggles knives for our amusement. A showman balances his juggling device on his nose. A showman spins a ball on top of a traditional umbrella. A showman spins a ball on top of a traditional umbrella. A showman spins a ball on top of a traditional umbrella. A showman balances a chair on top of his nose. A showman balances a chair upside-down on top of his nose. A showman balances his juggling apparatus on his nose. A showman balances a chair on top of a small pole atop his nose. The class enjoys their shaved ice on a hot day. Me, trying in vain to balance myself on bamboo stilts. Me, trying in vain to balance myself on bamboo stilts. Me, trying in vain to balance myself on bamboo stilts. Joyce balances herself on bamboo stilts. Kaipo tries to understand how to wind up and launch a top. Lisa tries to balance herself on bamboo stilts. A shaved ice cup, also known as a Sno-Cone. A vendor shaves large blocks of ice to be mixed with flavorings of strawberry, melon, and "Blue Hawaii." Atachi-sensei plays a traditional card game where the object is hit a card with another card, flipping the original card over to earn points. Špela tries to play the card game. A performer does dangerous stunts with traditional swords. A performer sheathes his sword. A worker demonstrates the bamboo stilts to Lisa. Yamamoto-san tries to flip a ball up into a small recess.