On Thursday, we had Traditional arts again. This time the teacher showed us the various kimonos that women wore. The tomosode and the furisode looked beautiful. A tomosode is a formal kimono for married women, and the furisode is the kimono for young women over the age of 20 and are unmarried. After she helped put the kimonos on, she performed a traditional Japanese dance, it was quite elegant.
On Friday, I got to take part in a welcoming party for 23 students from UW-Oshkosh who are visiting Japan for three weeks. It was a very fun party, the food was good and I got to talk to many people. I also wore my yukata and I had a great time. I got to take home a ton of leftover sashimi and several bottles of fanta, and aquarius. Free food and drink = happiness.
On Sunday yesterday, I helped guide that same group of people around on a tour of Nagasaki, we went to Glover Gardens, and they had some huge koi there. There was an escalator you could take to the entrance or a ton of steps, Jeremiah(siebold university student) and I took the steps and beat the rest of them up there. There was a gorgeous view of the city from up top, so I was glad I went.
They were a fun bunch of people, after we got done touring the gardens, I took 5 of them to the Hamanomachi shopping arcade. I took them to a reputable used and new kimono shop, and one of the girls bought a komon(common kimono). I helped them by telling what accessories they needed as well, especially since there are many ties you need for a woman's kimono. After that store, we split up for an hour to wander around, Jeniffer followed me and I took her to the really expensive kimono store to show her what some real money buys. I asked the store clerks if it would be alright to dress her up in one of the furisodes, and they gladly said yes. Jennifer didn't want to be a burden on anyone, but I insisted it was alright. The clerk dressed her up in the furisode of her choice, and then she tied an obi as well. Her digital camera had stopped working and so she was stuck using a disposable. I took some pictures with my camera so that I could send them to her by email.
After that, we met back up in Hamanomachi, and I took them back to the tram, the others had bought McDonalds, so Jennifer and I went and ate some ramen. After that we went to see Chinatown at night, and it's so much cooler than during the day. They got the LED-lit pictures and they were very cool. My favorite was the dragon and tiger.
After that, we hopped on the right tram, wrong direction and went to the end of the tram line without realizing it, so then we had to wait for the next one and hop on the tram running the other direction. I got back home around 9:30 PM, uploaded some pictures, and hit the hay after my shower. Less than two weeks to Kyoto and Osaka, I can't wait!
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