Chindonyasan
On Tuesday, November 1, 2016 I saw these “chindonyasan” street hawkers outside JR Ogikubo Station in Suginami-ku, Tokyo.
"chindonyasan" = bell ("chin") and drum ("don")
An antique form of advertising we still see occasionally, even in the city. Very quaint. Very anachronistic. Can people make a living doing this? Maybe they could in the pre-modern era, but now? It's like someone in Canada being paid to deliver ice to a home daily because the home still uses an antique icebox for some reason.
Banging a bell and drum to raise a clatter and attract attention, the "chindonyasan" wear sandwich boards bearing a message - for example, a restaurant advertisement, or the Grand Opening of a new venture - while simultaneously calling out to passersby.
These are two females plus a male in drag. The one in the blue kimono on the left is a man.