A Buddhist processional in Kamakura:
Funny story - Kay knew about the processional, I did not, I just saw a pathway that people were heading down and figured that there would be something interesting that way, so onward I went, with Kay in tow. We finally arrived at the shrine, and swept up in a sea of humanity, we ended up marching to the shrine with the pilgrims. So, I took part in a pilgrimage without A) being a believer, or B) knowing I was doing so. How's that for obliviousness? Good thing I'm an archaeologist and not an ethnographer.
The processional - IN COLOR!
Yes, that is a Ku Klux Klan action figure in a vending machine in Tokyo. No, I don't know why the Japanese made a KKK toy, either.
As Chief Quimby might say: "That's some nice English you're using there." As Homer Simpson would say: "Mmmmmmm...Freshness Burger...."
Okay, and now the cutsie photos - if you're diabetic, you may want to skip to the next entry to avoid the sugar content here. Otherwise, you have been warned.
Pat and Stacy (AKA the Pat-Stack-Attack):
Kay and myself:
2 comments:
Ooh ooh! I can answer the "Nazi" toy question. They're actually the bad guys from an anime called Nadia (fully: Fushigi no Umi no Nadia, or "Nadia, the Secret of Blue Water"). It's an adventure story about a boy & girl that's very, very, loosely based on 10,000 leagues under the sea.
In their journeys they come across an island in the middle of the sea with a bunch of these weirdos on it. They're dressed like the KKK, but the association is never made clear. It could be accidental, or it could be some cultural meme that the animators picked up on and took way out of context.
Anyway! It's a great older series that was one of the first major things directed by Hideaki Anno, later of Evangelion fame. Also, the original concept for the show was from none other than Hayao Miyazaki.
That is wild. I have to wonder whether there was an intentional connection, or if it was just a strange coincidence.
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