Wednesday, April 19, 2023

56: So on this Day I will wake up early to do a zoom guest lecture at 8:00 AM (Japan time)...

"Introduction to Visual Anthropology: Focus on Photo-ethnography."

The first half of the lecture will be about Visual Anthropology in general; the second half will be about my Tachinomiya Visual Ethnography Project. I will discuss the setting of a standing drink bar in Japan, my photographic fieldwork, photo exhibition and post-fieldwork encounters.

頑張ります!

Monday, April 17, 2023

"11 injured as ‘danjiri’ float topples over at Sakai event"

Photo and text from the Asahi Shimbun, 4/16/23. Thanks to L.D. for forwarding it to me.

Eleven men were injured, three seriously, when a “danjiri” float toppled over in this southern Osaka Prefecture city early April 16.

The float was being hauled in Sakai’s Minami Ward when it lost balance after making a right turn at an intersection, according to prefectural police and the municipal fire bureau.

The upper left part of the float brushed a roadside sign, causing it to fall on its right side.

Three men aged between 44 and 49 suffered broken legs and other serious injuries. The other eight are aged between 16 and 46.

Many of the injured were apparently trapped under the float. Some were riding on the structure when it toppled over.

Around 140 people were pulling the float or riding on it, according to Takashi Kubo, head of the neighborhood community association in the Hinoo district, who was among the latter.

The float, which had undergone repairs, was consecrated by a priest at a ceremony in a nearby shrine and on its way to the Hinoo district to be shown off to residents.

Accidents often occur at danjiri-pulling festivals, sometimes resulting in fatalities.

Police mounted an investigation into the incident.


Source: https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14886906?fbclid=IwAR3KMV_cDLIrI_LL6DPMdq5qSXG14-NRh2o7iPhKvAgBmAL1qRxygT62iRU

Saturday, April 15, 2023

"The LGBTQ+ coming-out photo project "OUT IN JAPAN" will hold a 2023 Spring photo exhibition at Shibuya Cat Street "X8 Gallery" for a month from Saturday, April 15th!"

Photo and text from PR Times, 4/15/23.

The certified NPO Good Aging Yells has been working with world-famous photographer Leslie Kee since 2015 with the aim of positively visualizing LGBTQ+ and other sexual minorities (LGBTQ+) in Japan. We have been promoting the project "OUT IN JAPAN", in which we photograph and widely publish on websites, photo exhibitions, photo books, etc.

So far, we have held a total of 21 photo sessions in 10 cities, including Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Sapporo, Tohoku, Hiroshima, Setouchi, Okinawa, and Kanazawa. parties are participating. Various celebrities such as talent Kayo Sato, IVAN, artist Chu Nakamura, voice actor Yuji Mitsuya, former athlete Nanae Takizawa, and couples using the local government's partnership oath system. It is a project that has been created with participants of various ages, occupations, and genders.

With the cooperation of "X8 GALLERY" in Shibuya Cat Street, we have decided to hold the "OUT IN JAPAN 2023 Spring Photo Exhibition". Japan's largest LGBTQ+ related event "Tokyo Rainbow Pride 2023" will be held for about a month from April 15th (Sat) to May 12th (Fri), 2023. Many of the photos from the photo session will be exhibited on the 1st and 2nd floors of the gallery. Due to space limitations, not all photos are shown. We appreciate your understanding.


Source: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000114.000019571.html?fbclid=IwAR3n2AII_91XOW4o3bbLcIUf8xasoeZurEgZn7SBRWliOjYptdfhYRsMdIM

Friday, April 14, 2023

Another neighborhood shop closes...

This is was a tako yaki shop that was open for 23 years. The owner turned 80 and seemed to be having health problems. I went there a couple of times. During the summers there was always a group of regulars watching the Hanshin Tigers' baseball game on TV with the door open. Passing by after work I always took a peek so I could know the score before I got home. The shop definitely had personality. Sad that it closed.

Monday, April 3, 2023

"Skull, bones found in septic tank at vacant [Kadoma-shi,] Osaka Pref. [apartment]"

This is a mere 20 meters from my home; I walk past it twice a day. I walked past the septic cleaner truck around 8:30 this morning. There were a lot of police officers and news crews there all day. I took this photo around 6:30 PM on my way back from home. I think the Kadoma police could use a good forensic anthropologist.

Multiple bones, including those thought to be a human skull, were found in a septic tank beneath a vacant home in this west Japan city on April 3.

At around 8:45 a.m. on this day, a male worker reported to police that "there was a skull while collecting waste from a septic tank" at an unoccupied three-story home in the Osaka Prefecture city of Kadoma. Objects appearing to be a human skull and bones were found in the underground septic tank, and Osaka Prefectural Police are looking into the case, while considering the possibility of corpse abandonment.

According to Kadoma Police Station, the septic tank is located beneath the home's garage on the first floor. After the worker opened the garage's manhole, which has a diameter of around 50 centimeters, he found a clothlike object and multiple bones. An individual planning to move into the home had apparently asked the contractor to clean the place.

The home is in a neighborhood some 400 meters south of Keihan Electric Railway's Kayashima Station.


Source: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20230404/p2a/00m/0na/007000c

On the news: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR4EC3_K-kc