St. Patrick's Parade in Tokyo

Shaun and I met my friend Kazu in Tokyo for some hardcore Irish parade action today. The festivities took place in the same place as last year, in Harajuku on Omotesando, at 2 o'clockish. It is pretty darn close to the parades you might find in a medium sized city in the US, minus the politicians, Shriner cars, and thrown candy (frown). The setup is kind of funny because the actual parade route is really short. The procession goes like one or two city blocks, then doubles back along the opposite side of the road. That way we could see each group twice. The security presence was either more numerous or just more anal. Last year was so casual that we even jumped in for pictures once or twice.

A marching band played an old Irish favorite, Abba's Dancing Queen.

This is Pipo-kun, the mascot of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. You can listen to his cheese-ball theme song here.

The U.S. Army Japan Band from Camp Zama, Japan

After the parade we hit an Irish pub and partook in some classics. Fish and chips, shepherd's pie, and Guinness were enjoyed by all.

The ordering of green beer was a Saint Patrick's miracle I performed much to the amazement of nearby bar patrons.