Who this guy is or how he makes his living is a mystery, but everyone knows him as the Shinjuku Tiger Mask. He dresses like this, often with more stuffed animals hanging around his neck. He wears a tiger mask and rides around on a bicycle. He has been around as long as I’ve been in Japan, probably even longer. I saw him first in 1985. When I worked in Shinjuku I would see him all the time. Usually riding around on the street but sometimes sitting in a coffee shop and once he sat in the same row as me in the movie theatre. He never took off his mask. Is it really just one guy or are there a group of guys dressing up as Shinjuku Tiger Mask? Is there a Shinjuku Tiger Mask Club? There are a few people like this in Tokyo. There’s the wind chime guy in Ginza and also Candy Milky, the old guy who dressed up like a little girl and walked around Harajuku on Sunday’s. Wonder if he’s still there? Anyway, if you’re in any of these areas. See if you can spot them.
I see they’re still working on the Meiji Street subway.
Behind Yasukuni Street, off to the left of the second photo, I spent time in a second-floor bar where Tiger Mask was imbibing at the counter. Was it a blues bar? I can’t remember. Tully’s girlfriend Noriko led us there. It seemed strange to see Tiger Mask being human in a “real-life” situation of sorts rather than speeding by as a blur on a bicycle. This was about ten years ago.
Noticed another Tokyo eccentric recently on one of your linked blogs. He was spotted earlier this month as shown here between March 2 and March 6: http://www.thetokyoincidents.com/
More photos of him can be seen by clicking the “online” hyperlink. I love the goldfish.
Sorry. No, no. It was off to the right. Kind of straight back behind Meiji in the first photo.
Yeah, the bar in which I shared the presence of Shinjuku Tiger Mask was near “Rolling Stone,” not more than a four-minute walk from where you and he are standing in the photos; down a north-headed street to the west of “Rolling Stone.”
It felt like the bartender had befriended a wild, free-ranging South-American parrot that had come in to roost for a while. Not only was the exotic parrot’s plumage vibrantly colorful it had taken on a calm, almost human form while sitting at the counter.
ah..the rolling stone. The last time I was there was when Mark H. had his farewell party. I met this chick there and well you know the story ;)
Many a good times can be had at the rolling stone.