Tanuki night-time portrait, with Tokyo Olympic cloth featuring attractive African American athletes

タヌキさんが大好きな青山団地で、夏の夜にピクニックをしました。アメリカの黒人選手が写っている１９６４年の東京オリンピックの布は、タヌキの袋でしたが、今はカメラのふろしきとして使っています。タヌキさんの奥さんが作ったオリジナルお面は今外国人の高校生が持っています。

My super-extroverted tanuki co-conspirator, Chris Berthelsen, has relocated to New Zealand. It was touching that at our last public outing his special feature consisted of a 1964 Tokyo Olympic cloth featuring African-American athletes. Although not clear from this poor photo, the setting is Aoyama Danchi, one of tanuki’s favorite urban wild spaces.

Thanks, Chris, for all the creativity and boundary hopping. I was also super happy to hear that the original tanuki mask, made by Chris’ wife, is now in the possession of a Dutch teen in Tokyo.

Tanuki arrives at a summer house party with a scrotum full of ice cream

夏のハウスのパーティーにやってきて、タヌキ袋からアイスクリームを配っています。

 

In a cold world of transactions, tanuki offers humility, generosity, and a spiritual quest

謙虚なタヌキさんには、利益より寛大さのほうが大事です。とてもスピリチュアルなんです。

Tanuki again inserts himself into Japanese electoral politics. Who would you trust most?

もう一度、タヌキさんは日本の選挙に立候補します。誰を一番信頼できますか。

Will tanuki receive more votes than last election?

Tanuki visits busy advertising agency, bringing surprise to digital workers

忙しい広告会社をタヌキさんは訪れて、驚きを提供しています。

Tanuki offers giant shade structure to passers-by outside Shibaura House

.@shibaurahouse の「友達を作ろう」のワークショップの参加者とタヌキさんは、歩道の日陰を提供するために、身体を変えました。

With help from Shibaura House’s Making Friends participants, tanuki transforms his body into a giant shade structure. 

Making Friends successful encounter on Shibaura sidewalk, before being stopped by plainclothes policeman

タヌキさんの「うまい棒」をもらった人は、しあわせになるそう。このイベントの途中で、お私服警官に、この辺りで、おかしい外人が子供に近づいているという通報があったと言われました。

Tanuki received many types of responses walking the streets of Shibaura. I like this guy’s face as he holds onto the umaibo salty snack given by tanuki. Tanuki also gave some masks to kids leaving school. A less friendly encounter was the plainclothes policemen who told us that there are had been many disturbing reports of foreigners coming and taking photos of school children. He looked like a normal 30 year old on a bike, until he flashed his badge. Fortunately, tanuki was not detained this time!

Tanuki finds double-takes, rejection, and friendly souls outside Shibaura House

.@ShibauraHouse の辺りでは、タヌキがいつもとちがう反応を受けました。

A few people did a double take when they spotted tanuki taking a nap in the small wild space in front of Shibaura House. Tanuki shows how his 4 meter scrotal shade can quickly be turned into a blanket for anytime napping.

Below he approaches a glass office tower, but there’s no response. Nearby office workers avoided eye contact, but delivery men and laborers were happy to accept an umaibo salty snack and chat with tanuki.

More photos coming from the film developer soon. Many thanks to A Small Lab‘s Chris and everyone at Shibaura House.  

These seven office tanukis took the Making Friends workshop back to work

芝浦ハウスの「タヌキと友達を作ろう」のイベントで、参加者が７つのお面をオフィスに持ってかえりました。@watanukinow さんが、オフィスの方たちの写真を送ってくれました。ありがとうございます！

Tanuki sent one of the Shibaura House Making Friends with tanuki lunchtime participants back with seven masks and some snacks wrapped in a scrotal cloth resembling fabric. Thanks, @watanukinow for sharing this great photo of your co-workers! 

Thanks Shibaura House for hosting Making Friends with Tanuki

芝浦ハウスに感謝いたします。昨日の「タヌキと友達を作ろう」イベントでは、タヌキさんがサラリーマンに日陰を提供したり、働いている人にウマイボーをあげたり、子供たちにあいさつをしたりしました。何だろうと思った人は、遠くから見ていました。写真は芝浦ハウスのフィイスブックからです。

On a hot day, tanuki offered shade to office workers, shared salty snacks with laborers, and interacted with children. Tanuki brought surprise and wonder. Many people, including elementary school students, kept a safe distance from this foreign element. Photo above from Shibaura House’s Facebook.

Tanuki stops for a foot bath on his way into Tokyo. Volunteers remind him of countless rules.

東京を散歩中に、タヌキさんが足湯で休んでいます。日本の多くの場所のように、この公共の温泉にも数え切れないルールがあります。

At the foot bath, volunteers remind tanuki that, like most places in Japan, there are countless rules to follow here. Can a wild animal find happiness in the world’s largest city? Please find out tomorrow when tanuki visits Shibaura House to discuss Making Friends.

Come on a tanuki adventure with us at Shibaura House next Tuesday

Please join @a_small_lab and me for a tanuki adventure next Tuesday, July 9, noon to 1 pm, at Shibaura House. Details below. Many thanks to Shibaura House for their support.

SHIBAURA HOUSEに来て、江戸時代から有名なタヌキさんに会いませんか？ 2人の外国人が、タヌキさんをまた東京に呼び戻したいと考えています。東京メトロに乗ってタヌキが友達を作る企画（http://wp.me/piwM0-23e）は、ロンドンのテクノロジー関係の学会で承認されました。スマートフォンがなくても、タヌキさんは友達を作ることが上手です。
今回SHIBAURA HOUSEで開催するイベントでは、こんなことを一緒に考えます：都市に、動物は必要でしょうか。野生で予測できないものは、都市の生活に大事でしょうか。
一緒にちょっと冒険してみましょう。参加費は無料。イベントはランチタイムに開催します、自分のお弁当を持ってきてください。

Please come to Shibaura House to meet the famous tanuki from Edo. Two foreigners want to welcome shape-shifting tanuki back to Tokyo. Their photo story about Making Friends with Tanuki in the Tokyo Metro was selected by a London technology conference for its unusual real-time interaction. How come, even without a smartphone, tanuki is so good at making friends? Why do we need animals in cities? What is the importance of wild and unexpected things in our lives? Please bring an open mind and your own bento. Let’s go on an adventure.

Tanuki drinks AKB48 canned coffee. Who is promoting whom?

タヌキさんはAKB４８の缶コーヒーを飲んでいます。そのメンバーの一人と、タヌキは友達になりたいでしょうか。消費社会で、本当の恋が見つかるでしょうか。

Tanuki’s journey requires lots of caffeine and energy drinks. Do you think AKB48 is a fan of tanuki? Would any of these young ladies make friends with a semi-wild shapeshifter? Tanuki raises more questions than answers.

Tanuki visits famous Musashino Art University

タヌキさんは有名な武蔵野美術大学を訪れましたが、新しくてすてきな図書館で勉強する大学生は彼を無視しています。

And all the students in the fancy new library ignore him.

Reports of tanuki traveling down river from the woodlands towards the commercial center

タヌキさんは、森から東京に移動していると言われています。ソーシャルメディアに、この江戸時代に作られた玉川上水の写真が出てきました。ママチャリと古いピンク色のフィーチャフォンしかありませんが、友達ができるでしょうか。

Some say that tanuki is traveling down river from his woodland sanctuary in the direction of central Tokyo. On a social media site, tanuki can be seen next to the Tamagawa josui, a canal built for the great Edo city hundreds of years ago. Can he make friends, if his only tools are a mama-chari and an antique, pink “feature phone”?