Chanpon

Walking through Shibuya yesterday, Tanabata night, I hear the sound of chanting and police whistles. Turning to look, I see a parade, a matsuri . . . no, an anti-Iraq-occupation peace protest! As I fumble for my camera phone, several hundred folks dressed in yukata file by, carrying a jarring mixture of Tanabata-decorated bamboo, summer fans, glowing lights, and political banners.

These low-res images hardly do justice to the culturally cacophony that I witnessed.