I wish I get to wear my furisode (long sleeve) kimono more often. Isn't it gorgeous? This picture was taken a year ago, and I haven't gotten a chance to wear it again since.
You know, I'm proud to say I can wear it myself. I have been well trained by a parasol-weilding godmother. It usually takes one to two people to dress a person in kimono, and kimono dressers charge a couple of hundred of US dollars for each job. But it's not just about saving money, it's also about learning and preserving the culture.
Kimono is usually handed down from mother to daughter. This one belonged to my (god)mother, who wore it when she was my age, so it is not only beautiful, it is also meaningful. It was my graduate school graduation present. My mothers always have a hard time figuring out what to give me for Christmas and my birthday, or any other occasion for that matter because I never want anything (new). I want something of theirs! Well, it doesn't have to be kimono's all the time. Purses, rings, shoes, diamonds and fur coats will do too. Ha ha ha.
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3 comments:
The kimono looked beautiful on you and it is preserved very well.
How come Taiwanese are the only Asians who don't despise their former colonizers?
Thanks, DC.
Psychanaut:
My feeling is that it was mostly the indigenous people who had major conflicts with the Japanese. My grandparents and ancestors were educated by the Japanese, given better infrastructure and also a better way of life. I think that is why they don't resent the Japanese. As for people in younger generations, I think the pleasure they get from traveling in Japan, the politeness of the Japanese people and the interest they have in modern Japanese culture has something to do with the wide acceptance of Japan in general.
I have also heard some people say that after the Japanese left and the KMT came in, the KMT was much harsher in many ways on the people in Taiwan.
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