Japan - Kyoto Kimono


No trip to Kyoto would be complete without dressing up in traditional Kimono's.  I knew my mom might take a bit of convincing so I told her it was a belated birthday surprise that I had planned for her.  She has quite cleverly learned to be slightly skeptical of my "surprises" but she seemed up for the adventure and we had a wonderful time.

The process of getting dressed up in the kimono is completely bizarre. Apparently in the past, when kimonos were worn daily, everyone could dress themselves, and they'd just shrug them on no matter how they hung on their bodies, tie on their obi, and get to work.


Now, though, kimono are used for special occasions so having the garment line up correctly with your body is incredibly important. Curves are no good for kimono wearing which was a bit of a conundrum for our lady at the kimono shop. She kept saying to my mom and I "Nice body, No good kimono".  But there is always a solution to every problem...Towels. Lots and lots of towels padding around our curves so that the kimono would hang properly. Once our curves had been tucked away, the layers of fabric began.  There were 1-2 layers of thin white garments followed by the kimono fabric and finally the obi. The whole process was incredibly efficient and in less than 45 minutes we had been transformed.



During this time we sent Kingsley and my Dad off for coffee/tea as the old Japanese Proverb wisely warns:

 "If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty."




Labels: edit post

0 Response to "Japan - Kyoto Kimono"

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)