Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival

I happened to notice this offering to the Gods in Chinatown yesterday. I stopped to take a few photos and ask what the celebration was for. I found out that this display was laid out in honor of Autumn. People were walking by, lighting incense and saying little prayers in front of the table.
I didn't notice right away that these pigs had their tails cut off and stuck though the cooked skin of their foreheads. When I did, I thought how unpleasant that would be, even after being boiled. It makes an awesome photo, though. In a way, it's kind of beautiful. Maybe I think that just because it's done as an offering. If I found a poor beast like this on the side of the road, I'd think long and hard about the weird and sick world we live in. It always comes down to perspective, doesn't it?
Later that night, walking back through Chinatown I found this crew of people waiting for a traditional lion dance. These lions limbs were the legs of some pretty energetic elementary school kids. The larger, and quite a bit older, lions made an appearance as well. Along with throwing candy to the crowd, they got up on their "hind legs" (by one man riding on another's shoulders) and wooed the crowd with some acrobatics.

It was one of the moments, which are rare these days, that I found myself saying, "Wow! I live in JAPAN!"