Impressions of daily life in Japan
During the summer festivals it is customary to wear a summer kimono, called 'yukata'. The past few years this old custom has regained popularity among young people. Oftentimes they give their own twist to the look. Like these four guys, doing their best to look badass:
Last weekend was Koromo Matsuri, Toyota City's autumn festival. 'Another festival', you say? Didn't we just have one (see post about Oiden Festival in summer)? That's right, but Japan is the land of festivals. October especially seems to be a popular month for festivals. Most of them are in honour of a good harvest, as... Continue Reading →
Every last Saturday of July, Toyota City has its annual festival called Oiden. It is followed by the Toyota City Fireworks Display on Sunday. They close off one of the main streets of Toyota City and set up a stage and some food stands. Thousands of people flock to the Toyota City Center to see... Continue Reading →
The summer in Japan is drawing to an end. Yesterday school started again and typhoon number 12 is making for gloomy and rainy weather. Time for a retrospective on summer in Japan. Weather - Before coming here, everyone had warned me about the 'crazy Japanese summer' and the especially the crazy weather. I thought people... Continue Reading →
Today I wore a yukata for the first time. A yukata is a casual summer kimono, usually made of cotton. In day-to-day life, I usually spot one woman in yukata a day. But at summer festivals and especially at firework displays (hanabi taikai), a lot of people wear yukata. My yukata was a gift from... Continue Reading →
The Japans 