A soon-to-be-flying monk.
First-night food with the other filmmakers. Photograph courtesy of Toshiya Kubo.
From left to right: Michael Arias (USA/Japan), Reto Caffi (Switzerland), Henning Ricke (Germany), David Uloth (Canada), Kasimir Burgess (Australia), Will Becher (UK) and Sahar Shabtay Shani (Israel) at Sapporo Beer Garden.
With Japanese filmmaker Eiji Shimada. Photograph courtesy of Toshiya Kubo.
Reto Caffi and Kasimir Burgess enjoying the vibrating and rocking gizmos in Don Quijote, the best department store ever.
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Michael Arias with a weird little critter that dawdled across our path.
Dancing at shop windows.
Clubbing.
Dancing.
Watching.
Drinking.
This guy was nuts. I wish I had some accompanying audio of the "hai" sound he made as he wrenched his trousers down.
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Introducing a scene from ‘Dogging’. Photograph courtesy of Toshiya Kubo.
Talking about something or other. Photograph courtesy of Toshiya Kubo.
Good times drinking Shochu in Kopitiam. Photograph courtesy of Toshiya Kubo.
David Uloth and Will Becher, all excited to be en route to a natural spring (Onsen) out in the hills.
James Newton, Will Becher, Kasimir Burgess and David Uloth, still on the bus, which turned out to be a ninety-minute journey (but well worth it by the time we got there).
A brilliant choice of hat for passing out in public, I thought.
Kasimir got lucky when he took his new trousers out to sample the nightlife. The little critters in Japan were refreshingly tame, unlike their UK counterparts which evade capture while laughing in your face for a good ten minutes before they eventua
Of course, it could just be that they are vain. This one posed for many pictures before very reluctantly leaving the comfort of David's finger when our bus arrived.
You could even smoke inside, yet you can't smoke on the street. There's an ashtray by the side of every machine. Not that this picture has anything to do with smoking. I was just saying, like.
One of many novel things in Japanese amusement arcades.
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With Singaporean superstar Royston Tan.
Presenting Irish filmmaker Ken Wardrop's award to myself in his absence, but being sure to document what he is missing.
Swiss director Reto Caffi accepting the Grand Prix for his short film 'On the Line'.
Afterparty entertainment in a basement.
The bowling alley.
Kodama Kozue easily winning the award for Best Kimono Bowling. Photograph courtesy of Toshiya Kubo.
Kozue and Will going head to head.
If all other techniques fail...
Campai! Photograph courtesy of Toshiya Kubo.
A reet rabble, all looking quite perky considering it's 3am after awards night.
And still we stayed out for Izakaya (but Reto has the grudge at this hour). Photograph courtesy of Toshiya Kubo.
"Is this chicken?" Photograph courtesy of Toshiya Kubo.
Like asking me is going to make things any clearer! I think I spotted the Gyoza here. Mmmmmm, Gyoza... Photograph courtesy of Toshiya Kubo.
Left to right: Yuki Kadowaki, James Newton, Rike Holtz, Reto Caffi (who most definitely has the grudge in the small hours), Komada Kozue, and some other fella.
Dawn.
I went looking for a shrine and got lost but managed to snap some bazzin' trams.
It made me late for my screening though…
… finally getting there with just about enough time to say "shit, soz, thanks" and little else. Photograph courtesy of Toshiya Kubo.
Icy local brew :)
James Newton and David Uloth playing silly buggers.
The staff get jiggy as the festival comes to a close and they can finally rest, after some all-night drinking.
Ahh the Kopitiam bar, the memory brings a tear to my eye. No shit. Photograph courtesy of Toshiya Kubo.
Ulrich Wegenast, up to something that I don't recall. Photograph courtesy of Toshiya Kubo.
Photograph courtesy of Toshiya Kubo.
Toshiya Kubo (festival director) and Komada Kozue play ping-pong, and the ball flies so fast that the camera barely sees it.
A final night in Tokyo, on a mission to stay out all night and meet up with the others who were also on their respective journeys home.
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I love this image. Harried businessman, potential psychopath about to shoot everyone in sight, although i'm sure he's a really nice bloke.
So we managed to find each other, without a mobile phone signal between us. Amazing how that seems so amazing, as if arranging a rendezvous is the most ridiculous, unlikely-to-happen thing in the world. I got really paranoid about leaving my trainer
A roof bar, complete with upside-down-chandelier glass tables. It was such a bonus meeting this lot again for a last, stolen evening.
The view.
The survivors, Michael Arias, myself, Komada Kozue, Reto Caffe, James Newton, David Uloth and Rike Holtz, in the absolute last exposure of the trip.