August is fireworks season in Japan, and I went to the Kobe fireworks with my tennis friend and her husband last night. Hisako had bought us tickets, so we sat in folding chairs out by the port. Really quite civilized. The custom here is that many young women wear yukatas, which are summer kimonos, to watch the fireworks, so the audience is almost as colorful as the show. We lucked out, as it had rained earlier in the day, and it started sprinkling after the show, but it was clear and not hot. The unbearable heat I have been promised has not yet really materialized due to a prolonged rainy season this year.
Yukatas are on sale everywhere now, and they are pretty reasonable--about $50 to $80 dollars. I was thinking about getting one, but my neighbors have made comments that many western women look like stuffed sausages in them, which has dampened my zeal. However, I want to tell what I have learned about kimonos. On January 20, there is a ceremony for everyone who turns 20 that year. It's a sort of coming-of-age party. The girls wear kimonos and the boys wear suits. They all go to their hometown and listen to a city official, see all their old junior high and high school friends, and then go out and party. Anyway, the big deal is for the young women to get a kimono for the affair. Many of my students are now getting their kimonos and then having the requisite photo shoot that goes with it. So, I ask, "how much did your kimono cost?" The answers range from $5,000 to $8,000! This includes all the purses, hair flowers, and other stuff that goes with it, but wow! The kimonos that young girls wear have a special kind of sleeve, so they can't even wear them after they get married or turn 30. Akiko,the Japanese woman I have dinner with every Tuesday, has a 20-year-old daughter who went through that ceremony last year. She was planning on wearing a family kimono to the ceremony, so no big deal. Unfortunately, her daughter is fat, and when she tried on the kimono, it didn't fit. It was the last minute, so they had to rent a kimono. No problem. It was only $2,500 for one night! I used to complain about renting the boys tuxes for prom!
Another interesting thing about kimonos is that they are difficult to put on. My student says she stands with her arms outstretched while her mother dresses her. Akiko tells me that if you don't have someone to help you, you go to the beauty salon to have them dress you, and probably your hair as well.
Yukatas are on sale everywhere now, and they are pretty reasonable--about $50 to $80 dollars. I was thinking about getting one, but my neighbors have made comments that many western women look like stuffed sausages in them, which has dampened my zeal. However, I want to tell what I have learned about kimonos. On January 20, there is a ceremony for everyone who turns 20 that year. It's a sort of coming-of-age party. The girls wear kimonos and the boys wear suits. They all go to their hometown and listen to a city official, see all their old junior high and high school friends, and then go out and party. Anyway, the big deal is for the young women to get a kimono for the affair. Many of my students are now getting their kimonos and then having the requisite photo shoot that goes with it. So, I ask, "how much did your kimono cost?" The answers range from $5,000 to $8,000! This includes all the purses, hair flowers, and other stuff that goes with it, but wow! The kimonos that young girls wear have a special kind of sleeve, so they can't even wear them after they get married or turn 30. Akiko,the Japanese woman I have dinner with every Tuesday, has a 20-year-old daughter who went through that ceremony last year. She was planning on wearing a family kimono to the ceremony, so no big deal. Unfortunately, her daughter is fat, and when she tried on the kimono, it didn't fit. It was the last minute, so they had to rent a kimono. No problem. It was only $2,500 for one night! I used to complain about renting the boys tuxes for prom!
Another interesting thing about kimonos is that they are difficult to put on. My student says she stands with her arms outstretched while her mother dresses her. Akiko tells me that if you don't have someone to help you, you go to the beauty salon to have them dress you, and probably your hair as well.
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