I find these charting methods interesting do they have any real value ?

Very popular with Japanese traders.

I've no expirience with candlestick charts, but bollinger bands seem
to be a good way to find supportive evidence for trends and
trend-reversals. Have a look at Bollinger's homepage,
www.BollingerBands.com

Technical trading tools   - chart-based analysis systems -  work when
there are enough people using them to make the market move as
predicted, i.e., lots of people buy when they recognize a buy signal. 
Sort of self-fulfilling.