Santa Claus Is Coming to Town!

The real Santa has arrived! Photo by Brett Homenick.

Earlier today, I attended a Christmas party hosted by the one and only Santa Claus! That's right; he came to Japan directly from the North Pole to stage this event. Well, okay, it wasn't the real Santa Claus per se, but it was just as cool as the genuine article.

In this case, Santa was played by writer Hiroyasu Yamaura, and his Christmas party was quite fun. The first stage consisted of respective harp and synthesizer recitals performing Christmas music. There was also a comedy skit in between the music, featuring two salarymen and their boss. The second stage was basically a dance party. I didn't expect to boogie during the show, but in retrospect, I wouldn't have had it any other way. It was certainly unusual, but it was extremely enjoyable. A great time was had by all!

CELEBRATING THE HOLIDAYS IN STYLE! Memories of a Fun Christmas!

IT'S STARTING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS! Futako-Tamagawa Gets into the Holiday Spirit!

Last night, I went to Futako-Tamagawa and saw this Christmas tree near the station. I was so impressed that I had to take a few photos. Here they are!

CHRISTMAS IN TOKYO! The Holiday Is Fast Approaching!

It's not even December yet, but train stations all over Tokyo are already getting into the holiday spirit. Last night, I spotted the scenes just above and below in and around Shin-Yurigaoka Station.

The photos below were taken just outside of Mizonokuchi Station. As you can see, the Japanese love Christmas!

VISITING YOKOHAMA CHINATOWN! Out and About in a New Location!

Ho! Ho! Huh? This Chinese restaurant has a rather unusual mascot. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Right next to Motomachi-Chukagai Station is Yokohama Chinatown, the biggest one in all of Asia. It was my first time to visit the area, and given all I'd heard about Yokohama Chinatown over the years, I was eager to look around.

Eat your heart out, Jurassic World! Photo by Brett Homenick.

One of the things that caught my eye was a Chinese restaurant with a Santa Claus statue out in front (much like the Colonel Sanders statues that adorn many of the KFCs in Japan). It was certainly random, to say the very least, but it was also attention-grabbing. In fact, we ended up eating there! (The food wasn't bad, either!)

This dragon stands on guard against any and all shoplifters. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I suppose many of the sights were just what you'd expect to find in a Chinatown. There were dragons and pandas aplenty, and many restaurants and other buildings had very traditional designs. Still, it was a fascinating change of pace to "leave" Japan and check out another country, so to speak.

Do you like pandas? Then Chinatown is the place for you! Photo by Brett Homenick.

I'd like to do a bit more research and find out if there are any shops for movie-related collectibles. I'm sure there aren't any Shaw Brothers stores in the area, but how cool would that be? Perhaps there's something of interest, so I'll keep my eyes peeled. If you have any tips, please let me know.

Why go to China when you've got Yokohama's Chinatown? Photo by Brett Homenick.

And that's about all. Not much else to say, but we didn't spend a lot of time exploring. It was more of an overview of the town than anything else. I plan to go back eventually, and if I do find anything movie-related, I'll be sure to blog about it here.