Sunday, May 3, 2009

Golden Weekend, Day 2: Kimono Festival

So, in a room (partially) filled with Japanese women, there stands alone one foreign girl. That girl...me.

We arrived at the community center where I rent a kimono, and my host mom drops a bomb on me."Did you bring money"she asks. I give a confused'whaa...' and we move on to get the kimono and try it on.

Which brings us to the room where I am ignored for a good ten minutes before my host mom directs someone to dress me (she had been watching other people being dressed-I was forgotten in a room full of Kimono eye-candy).

I am im my kimono now, and I cant breath. Kimonos were designed to hide the figure of the girl or woman wearing one. But that does not mean they are loose (I just had a hell of a time trying to sneeze, I cant get a good lung-full of air). There are towels tied around me, elastic straps tied around that, not to mention a obi (big, decorative belt) tied around me.

I can already tell today will be a difficult day. We will be walking around, looking at kimono stuff while in kimonos while we look at other people in their kimonos (and as they look at me...). Is your mind spinning yet? Mine is, it must be from lack of oxygen...

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So, I'm back at the home-base, and my mood has considerably improved!

Sorry about the overall negative feel but it's been a trying day. People snapping photos of me, me not knowing how to go to the bathroom in a kimono...

the quote of the day:"Gaijin-san, even you look good in a kimono" (a compliment...I guess).


The photo is me with my host mom...heh.

5 comments:

Ann Forman said...

Hahaha well you do look good....

Hilary said...

Sounds terrifying. O.o
Its not all fun and games being an American girl in Japan.

Anonymous said...

That's true, you do look good. Man, I can only imagine how you feel being in another country for so long...even three weeks in another country and you begin to feel like a minority.

Anonymous said...

LYDIA where are youu?

Neoptolemus said...

Gaijin san? hahahaha