i never expected a photo shoot

yes indeed, this evening needs its own entry b/c what an evening it was! other "put on a kimono" options we looked at were pretty pricey, so we did decided to go with what our guesthouse offered. and it was worth every penny.

met at the reception at 7pm as planned and were escorted down the lane to another building owned by our guesthouse. 3 people (the guesthouse owner and 2 assistants - all while wearing kimonos themselves) were needed to dress us. they pulled out a binder for us to browse and pick out what color and pattern kimono we would like. there were hundreds of options. i didn't particularly care which i choose, but settled on one with some red in it b/c that's usually flattering on me. i'll do my best to describe the process of putting on a kimono, should you never have the chance to experience it yourself. it took over 30 mins to get me into one, so it was really quite the process. and thanks to jos, there's some wonderful photographic documentation.

i picked the color and pattern i liked and the ladies promptly started digging through the closet to find it, as well as all the coordinating pieces. and there were a lot of pieces:

after ditching my sweater and jeans, we could begin. first up, a white under robe (nagajuban) with a stiff collar in blue, made to compliment the kimono itself:

the owner started wrapping several rope things around my waist to ensure that the collar and robe stayed perfectly in place:

next was the kimono itself:

followed by more ropes, more pulling and more tugging to hold everything in place:

the obi, probably the prettiest piece with a beautiful brocade, was next:

but before they started wrapping it all around me, this cummberbund like thing (obi-ta) was placed around my waist. it had a pillow thing (obimakura) on the back which helps to keep the obi strait and unwrinkled. and holy cow they pull tight:

the owner continued to wrap the obi around me, and added more and more sashes (obiage) for both placement and decoration:

and more tight rope, thank goodness i don't have to wear this daily:

final look to make sure everything is in place:

and that the obi is perfect:

oh, and can't forget the toe socks (tabi) and funky wooden platform sandals (geta):

done!

soooo, after that (see what i mean, a process!) it was jos's turn. and while she was being poked and prodded, one of the assistants was playing with my hair to try to put it up in a bun. unfortunately for her my hair is super fine and slippery, so it didn't to cooperate that nicely. oh well.

we next went behind a pocket door into another room for our tea ceremony. we kneeled on woven floor mats and watched as the owner performed the various rituals while preparing the powdered green tea (matcha). while she was doingthat, one of the assistants was explaining what she was doing and the meaning behind it all. we ate our sweets and then were presented with the tea. struggled through an exchange of japanese pleasantries, and then it was our turn to try preparing the tea. i went first, and tried my best to do what the owner had done - but it's pretty complicated so of course didn't get it totally right. jos went next and was actually able to stir the tea into its frothy goodness (i was not - it was hard!), and that brought the ceremony to a close. pretty neat experience.

but the night was not yet over! just when we thought we were done, the owner and assistants swept us outside and so began the modeling session and full on photo shoot. they had us pose with various objects like umbrellas and a tsukubai fountain in various buildings and even in the street. it was hilarious. my cheeks were hurting from smiling and laughing so much. and it struck me - i hadn't laughed and smiled that much in a while. and i had forgotten how good it felt. enjoy the results:

what a day, huh?