Everybody enjoys a nice relaxing day in the park. Looks like Yoyogi Park is where even the most unsavory characters can take it slow and enjoy the afternoon.
Got on the subway this afternoon and stood near the door. As the train passed from the station platform into the tunnel, I noticed a tired-looking guy in a suit just staring out into the darkness. He had dark circles under his eyes and seemed oblivious to his surroundings. Our eyes met briefly. Then he [...]
Some night views are pleasing in more subtle ways. Here’s an image of Yokohama’s Minatomirai that doesn’t normally spring to mind.
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Last night, I met up with Prometheus, a fellow Japan blogger who also holds photography as one of his hobbies. You can check out some of his work at his new site Floating Camera Tokyo. We had planned to do some shooting together, but found a cool, little bar near Shinjuku 3-Chome to chill at [...]
Is this cigarette vending machine advertisement limited to just machines in Japan? Do those who smoke it in Japan really like to smoke it? Is Village People smoker fashion the new gay in the land of the rising sun?
Whatever the motivation behind this ad campaign is, it’s a bit disturbing.
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Showa Kinen Koen 昭和記念公園 is a huge park in Tachikawa 立川, about a 40-minute train ride from Shinjuku on the JR Chuo Line.
There are tons of things to do there, like have a huge-ass barbecue with lots of friends, take a paddle boat out for a spin on the lake, play all kinds of sports, [...]
An American living in Tokyo. Can be seen bounding through Shinjuku Station most mornings, teeth gnashing, eyes bulging, a cup of cheap coffee clenched in one fist and a satchel in the other. God help those who don't see him coming.
April 13th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Did you take that recently. I knew I was missing something by having to work. Damn weekend work shifts!
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April 13th, 2009 at 10:04 am
Yep. Took it yesterday
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April 13th, 2009 at 11:40 am
double-u. tee. eff.
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April 13th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
lol love to see him do that in central park nyc
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April 13th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
That would be classic hidden camera material
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April 13th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
@jaynyc:
I thought about that yesterday when I snapped the photo. My friend, who was with me at the time, was pretty pissed off by the guy’s audacity. Hell of a way to seek attention, right?
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April 13th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Does anyone know the story behind this? This is pretty bizarre. Even for Japan.
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April 13th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
I wonder how can a person wear such uniform and be not disturbed by anyone. I think that was not possible to happen right here. What a stupid guy. He seems very proud of his pathetic figure.
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April 13th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
This guy is definitely a bit unusual and you certainly captured a great shot of him.
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April 14th, 2009 at 12:14 am
Nice pic!
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April 14th, 2009 at 2:01 am
@Tornadoes:
I thought about introducing myself and asking for a posed photo, but my friend didn’t want to have anything to do with him, and it was better not to give him too much attention.
@Antonio:
Why he wasn’t harassed for his efforts isn’t all that surprising. The Japanese view toward Germany (and Japan itself, for that matter) regarding WWII isn’t as negative as it is in the west. Lots of heads buried in the sand on that one, it seems. Beyond that, expecting Japanese people to make some noise about anything in public, especially something controversial, is an exercise in futility. As for foreigners making trouble, I’m sure the guy has had a run-in or two with tourists before.
@Shane:
Thanks. Sometimes, even after several years of living in Tokyo, things still surprise you.
@McAlpine:
Thanks. Like I said, I hate to give the guy any attention, but he captures the essence of the strange side of Yoyogi Park society.
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April 14th, 2009 at 3:26 am
He kind of looks like Tojo Hideki.
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April 14th, 2009 at 4:32 am
You know he does look like him. Maybe the guy is trying to pull off some strange tribute or something.
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April 14th, 2009 at 4:35 am
And to think that Yoyogi park is one of my usual hang-out spots in Tokyo. Man, I have seen some wild stuff in Yoyogi but this guy takes the cake!
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April 14th, 2009 at 5:23 am
It was probably Prince Harry on a royal visit!
Reminds me that I saw a Nazi SS outfit as one of the costumes you could wear for puri-kura photos in Hiroshima.
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Chris (i-cjw.com) Reply:
April 15th, 2009 at 9:12 am
ahem, *Nazis*
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April 14th, 2009 at 5:55 am
I think his posture and smirk make him look more discpicable.
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April 14th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
You have more guts than I do - I’d never have taken a picture of that fool.
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April 14th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Black pants, grey tunic, black cap with a skull. First thought: no kids, not SS, tank units wore black as well (SS would have different collars anyway.) Though, you never see black with grey, thus the guy actually messed up. Pants not properly worn. Any “Feldwebel” would give this guy a massive thrashing.
Wehrmacht uniform, clearly. As “offensive” as a 101st Airborne uniform from the Bulge.
As for the Japanese view about Germany in WW2… please. Heads buried in the sand? Do you know what Germans and Austrians learn about WW2 in the Pacific? Japan attacked the US, if you’re lucky you’ll hear about Midway, then there were the two nukes and the war was over. That’s it. Nothing else. Do you really think that Japanese teachers go more indepth with Japanese kids when it comes to WW2 in Europe? The Holocaust is unimportant for Asia and at least the Japanese aren’t pulling off the same culture of collective guilt as the Germans and Austrians (where generations born after the war are held responsible for what happened during the war; no kids, if you’re German born after the war you must not love your country, if you do, you’re a Nazi.)
By the way, ever been to a WW2 re-enactment? Lots of Western people in German WW2 uniforms. And they’re not Nazis.
Besides, you’ll find idiots everywhere. And keep in mind that the swastika in Asia is not a bad sign. Samurai have used swastika on their banners as far back as before the Sengoku Jidai. It’s only “evil” in the west.
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April 14th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Will never forget bumping into this same bespectacled guy (or someone at least dressed in a very similar, perhaps darker, SS style uniform) on a sunny day in Nakano-ku’s central library back in 1994 or thereabouts. With my own German family history this sudden encounter was a real shock to the system. After a few stunned moments - I (somewhat comically in retrospect) decided to chase after him around the shelves with a book depicting scenes the holocaust. (A suitable European history book with some graphic pictures I found nearby in the English language section). Needless to say he wasn’t too impressed by my unwelcome attentions … but he thankfully he left the building shortly thereafter.
Still wouldn’t know quite how to react if I’d encountered him again in Yoyogi park as you did - each to his own, but he clearly craves the attention … inadvertently spraying some beer on that carefully dry-cleaned uniform is very tempting, but perhaps a bit of well-deserved public ridicule (in the style of Sasha Baron Cohen aka Borat)is the only appropriate response.
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April 14th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
yea my first thoughts were to violate his arse with the chair he is sitting in.. he wouldnt last that long if he wore that here.
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April 15th, 2009 at 4:34 am
Nice shot BW …. regardless of his garb.
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April 15th, 2009 at 8:58 am
Nice shootin’ Bill.
I think an egging would have been appropriate.
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April 15th, 2009 at 9:11 am
The guy on the left is reading Fuminori Nakagawa’s “A child in the ground” - a book so twisted that Nazi’s in Yoyogi Park enjoying the sunshine seems positively normal…
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April 15th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
where do you even buy crap like that… what a tool…
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April 16th, 2009 at 3:53 am
It amazes me that more than 60 years after the fact we can still get angry reactions to a Japanese man in Japan sitting in a park wearing a Wehrmacht uniform.
Considering the circumstances I’d presume his cosplay is not targeted to provoke, unlike Borat, Bruno, caricatures of Muhammad in Holland, et cetera.
Stop trying to perpetuate the image of an ancient bogeyman, god knows the planet has its plate full creating new ones for your vilification.
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April 16th, 2009 at 8:59 am
Yeah, I was with the photographer at the time. This guy clearly has attention issues. He pulled out his little folding chair and popped a squat in a busy section of the park in a grassy area with kids everywhere. I said it then, and I’ll say it now: What a loser …
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April 17th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
Russians don’t get crap for waving around soviet flags or wearing old soviet army military uniforms, even though the “Red Army” probably did more killing/torturing/imprisoning of THEIR OWN PEOPLE (and other innocent people) then any other “army” in the world…
Those dudes were all tools at the mercy of giant propaganda machines, fear for the lives of their family, and misguided patriotism, among other things.
This guy is obviously just cosplaying, or trolling, since he doesn’t look a day over 40, and WWII was about, what, 60 years ago?
Maybe he was just going to the premiere of that new Nazi movie Valkyrie…
And remember, even the “good guys” do bad/questionable things in the name of War…
PS: I am not defending Nazis, but I do think that many reactions here are over-reactions.
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April 21st, 2009 at 11:07 am
I spotted this fellow in Yoyogi Park, too. I took this not so good shot of him:
http://i44.tinypic.com/2192ikk.jpg
Regardless, of the average image above, I am also a photographer.
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April 23rd, 2009 at 6:16 pm
i love this photo
I’d dress up like this, but prolly would be hated for it -_-
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May 5th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Good grief! Mind you, I saw a swastika t-shirt hanging proudly on display in Harajuku.
Without wanting to back up his dress sense a jot, I wonder if it’s more of a case of what’s totally unacceptable in Europe and North American not batting an eye in Japan? Look at the guy on the left, after all. Not something most of us would do without expecting to be egged at the very least.
Does make me wonder where he bought the outfit though - maybe from the same tailor who dressed an English guy I saw at the Torture Garden in London!
Dave - love the Prince Harry remark!
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May 25th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
i respect this guy he is not oppressed by zionist west propaganda .if the west is submitted to
zionist lies and trash the east the south still free .the nazis are respected by the chinese the japanese the arabs the moslems the indous the african the latinos i mean all the world .
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May 26th, 2009 at 1:45 am
So you’re saying some people believe one set of lies while others believe a different set, right? Congratulations on being an anonymous member of the grazing multitudes.
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June 12th, 2009 at 8:31 am
Sieg Heil! Great costume.
I wonder if any you crybabys would be as outraged if he would be sporting some Che Guevara / CCCP etc. insignia…
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June 16th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Oddly enough, that does make sense.
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June 16th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Don’t know about Che Guevara, but at least Communist beliefs, whilst not so effective in real life, are based on morally good ideas like equality. Nazi policy however is actively - and aggresively - negative toward certain groups of people. It makes sense to have a knee jerk reaction to someone showing their support of a set of beliefs based on morally corrupt ideals. The two are different in nature, so you can’t really put them on the same level :/
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June 23rd, 2009 at 4:12 am
Spot on Nick. there are plenty of weird people in Japan. Giving them this much attention fills there basic requirements. The war is well and truly over. get over it people and don’t get angry.
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July 18th, 2009 at 4:08 am
I’d have to agree with yokohamacat here.
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September 7th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
This is highly disturbing. I wonder how it is he got away with just sitting there,with no one asking him what his problem is? I think this is a good indicator that the real history behind the Third Reich isn’t being taught well enough in Japanese schools. Or maybe they think they’re special since Germany allied with them during the war? I doubt it would’ve lasted much beyond Germany succeeding in Europe, had that been the case.
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November 20th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
no one would do anything.what would happen? He would sit there and enjoy his afternoon.no one would do a thing to this guy.
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January 18th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
NAZI STYLE…..
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January 24th, 2010 at 7:55 am
Yeah, I’ve seen that guy in the park a few times, too. I never had the nerve to take a pic, tho.
Have to wonder what he’s up to. It really could be just about anything, eh?
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July 28th, 2010 at 11:55 pm
Can you make cosplay posts? =D ?Yes!! I’m preparing to post cosplay related tutorials really soon!
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