Mosque Wedding

(The Center, seen from the street.)

My friend got married yesterday in the Tokyo Camii & Turkish Culture Center, more easily explained as "the Mosque". Built in 1938 and renovated in 2000, it is the second oldest mosque in Japan. (There are currently about 60 mosques in all of Japan.)

(Outside the prayer hall.)

The Center is located in Yoyogi Uehara, about 5 minutes' walk from the station. Although the area itself is well-known, there is much less awareness of the mosque among Tokyo residents. Perhaps it's better this way: guests at the wedding (including me) couldn't stop gawking at the gorgeous architecture, and  barely restrained themselves from snapping away. (Photography is strictly prohibited during ceremonies and prayer times.) The Muslims that come to pray already have to contend with the noisy outside traffic; I'm afraid increased visitors would add to their distraction.

(The doors of the prayer hall.)

However, the prayer hall is open to the public every day, from 10:00 to 18:00.

The intricate design of the doors.

Inside the prayer hall. Check out the chandelier, with its script motif.

There are so many shapes when you look up; the effect is nothing less than surreal.

Following the Islamic custom, female guests wore borrowed head scarves and men sat in the front, separated from their wives and children, who sat behind them.

The second floor is for women and children.

The menu served at the reception was inspired by the cuisine of the Ivory Coast and Senegal. The kiddies got a slightly different menu, replete with animal-shaped carrots.

Lights Embedded

(The pathway at Tokyo International Forum.)

Fanning the Cold Air

In front of a pachinko parlor in Yurakucho. It's a little too cold outside to be using a giant fan to advertise the place.

The Cliche of Harajuku

 

Right next to the department store Laforet in Harajuku is a small open-air store that frequently sells old kimono and obi sashes. The observation that Japan offers both the deeply traditional and wacked-out modern is so commonly made, it's hardly earth-shattering.

Yet, there's something endlessly amusing about being confronted with such deeply contrasting images, barely two feet away from each other. Yes, this is a Japanese girl.

Hijacking the Textbook

This distractingly cute airplane paper clip led me to waste five minutes at work, zooming it across different surfaces. Here, the book The Visual Story, Second Edition: Creating the Visual Structure of Film, TV and Digital Media provides a nice backdrop. It's proving to be an interesting read.

Sideways Vision

(In Edogawabashi.)

A tangle of weeds, visible only in shadow through the gauze of a construction tarp. 

Why the kanji for the construction company is written sideways, I do not know.

Mouse Talismans

(Near Jinbocho.)

Trying to figure out if the mouse-like appearance of these fixtures is intentional.

Boy in the Corner

In Korakuen, with the Laqua amusement park rides visible in the background.

All I wanted to do was surreptitiously take a photo of the little boy in red, crouching against the wall in the bottom right of the frame. Instead, it ended up being a portrait of various people enjoying a rare mid-week holiday.