St Paddy's!!!

Saturday!

A bunch of us made our way to Yokohama for a big St. Patricks celebration! It was very strange seeing so many foreigners in one place! It didn't feel like japan either..more like an english shopping street. They even had a "next"! The parade was really cool...and surreal...japanese people in kilts on bagpipes...irish dancing, aaand..the american military....wth????? It really was a mixed salad of things, american flags, Japanese flags, irish flags.....ballet dancers, japanese theatre, irish folk music, dressed up dogs and cats.

You gotta give it to them though, the japanese know how to go all the way with whatever festival they choose. Be it valentines day or st. patricks...they will provide the face paint, the stickers, the costumes and everything....I love that about them here!

A few us broke off after a stint in an irish pub filled with mainly americans, to go to the famous chinatown of Yokohama. It was pretty impressive actually! There was this awesome building whihc looked a bit like something stolen our of the summer palace in beijing. There were food stands all around, and even a shop selling vietnamese ao dais! The atmosphere was a strange mish mash of the loud chaotic asia dampened by the clean organised japanese asia. Certainly a cool thing to see...