I'm Krazy for Kimonos!

On Saturday, June 2nd, Matt and I (along with our friend Jason) were invited to the Ogino family's house to dabble in the art of okonomiyaki-making and to get the chance to wear traditional Japanese dress. Spending the entire day with the Ogino's was a wonderful experience for us, one that words alone cannot illustrate. Thus, here are some pictures from our Saturday extravaganza!

This is our somewhat botched attempt at making our own okonomiyaki. While it looks like a sloppy mess, this is one of the most delicious (and easy) dishes we've tasted in Japan. The Ogino's are also farmers and the vegetables on the right-hand side of this picture come from their greenhouses. They were, to say the least, out of this world!

Matt and his okonomiyaki creation (before he completed devoured it). Itadakimasu!

After our amazing (and overly-filling) lunch, it was time to put on the kimono! What an intricate process. Ogino-san took me into a tiny front room where I had to first put up my hair. Then, she handed me a small smock to put on. This tied twice around my torso and came to about my waist. The sleeves were pink silk and long, like a crane's wings. Then came the beautiful, royal blue, silk kimono. Dropping down into piles at the bottoms of my feet, the kimono seemed a gigantic mass of fabric; however, as Ogino-san began to wrap the soft fabric around my body, the excess silk slowly rose to the tops of my feet. Then, wrapping yet another piece of pink cloth around the kimono (to hold the fold in place), she brought out the obi (the large silk cloth that goes around the front of the kimono) and started to wrap that around me. Needless to say, after about 15 or 20 minutes of being wrapped in various fabrics and ties, I felt slightly mummified. But looking in the mirror, I also felt something else: I felt myself being transformed into an older, regal Japan. It is an experience that I am sure I will never again have in my life (at least not in the same way).

Matt, too, was dressed in a man's yukata and soon, after he and Jason were decked out in their summer wear, we proceeded into the small tatami room on the other side of the house, to participate in the traditional Japanese art of tea ceremony.

Not only were we served wonderful maccha (special powdered green tea specific to tea ceremony) and sugary sweets, but Ogino-san attempted to teach all three of us the ritual involved in tea ceremony. While we all struggled with little parts of the ceremony, it was truly special to be a part of such an old and traditional Japanese cultural practice.

It was a beautiful, late-spring day, and we asked the Ogino's if we could take some pictures outside in their yard. After snapping a few shots, Ogino-san informed us that there was a short-cut to a small shrine behind their house. So, walking slowly, quietly, and carefully, we made our way to the shrine.

The shrine was a beautiful backdrop for our Japanese garments.

In the sunlight, my kimono and the guys' yukatas gleamed.

Matt and me
Finally, our "fairy tale" was at an end. As we slowly walked back toward the house, I knew I would remember this day and this experience for the rest of my life. And just looking back at these pictures now I know this will be true.