Sunglasses, pomade, gravity-defying quiffs, leather jackets, black gloves, check. 50’s music, party atmosphere, gyrating hips and waggling bent knees, chicks in preppy floral dresses, crowding camera-toting tourists- BAM!- welcome to the Tokyo Rockabilly club- Yoyogi chapter.
Showing his gang colors- black, leather.
The Rockabillies have been rocking out Elvis-style at the entrance to Yoyogi for years- certainly in all the 6 I’ve been in the country, and I gather for maybe decades more. They rock, plain and simple. A bunch of yakuza-looking guys just dancing their hip-shaking hearts out to ‘Rockabilly’ music- a mix of rock and roll and hillbilly country.
The baddest of the bad- I’ve seen this guy in photos outside Yoyogi going way back. I took a lot of shots of him, he’s crazy photogenic.
Recently (as far as I’m aware) the leather-wearing Rockabillies were joined by some swing-dancing ladies, the equivalent of Grease’s pink ladies. They’re less awesome than the Rockabillies, but make a nice side-show.
Clapping in time.
.
Swing out, sister.
.
Smiles at me? Ha ha, sweet!
.
Boogie!
But back to the main event- the fightin’ Elvises!
Look at that dome of hair. Amazing.
.
Watching, waiting for his turn in the center of the makeshift dancin’ ring.
.
His…. hair….. is….. alive? RUN!
.
What’s that?
.
You don’t mean it!
.
Oh, you do, arrgh!
.
I am badass.
.
My turn is coming soon, I can feel it.
.
This is how you SHAKE IT, come on!
.
Happy.
.
Badass.
And that’s your lot.
TOKYO
You can see all MJG’s Tokyo content here:
[album id=5 template=compact]