Day 8-9

Culture Class- Kimonos

This evening’s culture class was a fantastic presentation on Japanese wear, specifically kimonos. Kimonos are worn at all times of the year; thicker fabric used during the winter and “breathable” fabrics during the summer. Yukatas, another common type of clothing, are worn in the summertime and are 100% cotton, making them light and flexible. But there is more to the preparation and appearance of these gorgeous outfits than meets the eye. As Cullison-sensei showed us clip after clip of putting on a kimono, we were amazed by the number of knots and steadiness of hand necessary to keep the kimono together. Most Japanese people cannot put a kimono on by themselves and need to go to a professional “kimono parlor” for the special occasions kimonos are worn. Several of these occasions include Shichi-go-san Festival, Coming-of- Age Day, weddings, and even funerals. The first kimonos were created during Japan’s Heian Period, the time of the nobles. Juni- Hitoe is the most famous of these Heian kimonos; Juu ni literally means “twelve,” representative of the Juni-Hitoe’s twelve layers. One layer is complicated enough; I can imagine it must take hours to put these gorgeous kimonos on, still worn by the royal family today.
The videos shown to us by Cullison-sensei were meant to prepare us for Thursday’s festivities, in which all 37 of us will be wearing traditional yukata and will be practicing techniques for tying them. The class left us hanging in anticipation and ready to get another taste of Japanese life.

Jillian