I Bought A Yukata

Today's Japanese Word of the Day:
着る
Kiru
(Verb: To Wear)

You like side notes on the redundant Today's Japanese Word of the Day, right? If you have the right language pack installed, you should be able to see the kanji in the word kiru (着). The kanji "物" means "thing." Put them together and you've got "着物," which in translation, is "thing worn." The reading for this kanji compound is kimono. As in, a kimono.

Okay, now that I've got that out of my system, on to the main point of this post. You see, I bought a yukata. A yukata is essentially the summer version of a kimono. It is made out of cotton instead of silk, and has only one collar (and thereby layer, I think) instead of two. They're worn during the summer instead of the winter, and can be used as bathrobes at places like hot springs.

So here I am, wearing the one I bought.

I'm pretty sure I don't have it on exactly correct, but I still love it to death. The sleeves are quite a bit too short--they're supposed to go all the way down to about the middle of the back of your hand--but according to the Youtube video I watched on how to put them on, that's okay. You can get away with that. This is the summer version, after all. What's really great is that it's long enough, and fits my rather not-Japanese body shape.

This is what it looks like from the back. Before you get all excited and say, "Wow Amanda! You did such a good job on tying that sash!", I have to admit that this is a "cheater" obi [sash]. It came pre-tied; all I had to do was tie it on and hook the bow onto the back. It's still all pretty and cool.

Yeah, my hair was still drying out from taking a shower, so it doesn't look all that great. Sue me.

I really wanted to use this hair ornament I bought to go with it, but unfortunately, I don't know all that much about styling hair, especially not on my own head. It doesn't help that my hair's still a little short. But here's a picture of it, so you can see it anyway.

Much as I love the color of the obi I've got, I'm thinking that I'm going to go buy a new, fancier one. This is one of the major reasons why:

This is what it looks like up close. There are little bows imprinted in the fabric. The other reason is that the reason why I was tempted in the first place to buy one of the super-fancy $150 yukata sets is because they had these gorgeous obis. I won't be able to get one quite like one of those, but it can still be cooler than this one.

Here's a closer view of the pattern on the yukata itself, which I love and is the reason why I ended up buying this one.

My original plan was to accompany this post with a virtual tour of the dorm, which I finally got pictures of last night, since I took all these pictures in my room. However, the campus lounge I'm sitting in is getting a little crowded, and I'm feeling a little out of place, since most of the people here are studying. So, I'm heading back to my dorm, which is currently internet-less.

My roommates went to Tokyo this weekend (I would have gone, but the train fare itself would have cost about $500 [!?!?]), and we all decided it would be better if they took the internet with them so they have a map or communication options if they got lost. That's why I'm sitting on campus instead of posting these from the comfort, quiet, and solitude of my room.

Okay, vanity post over!

~Amanda