Kimono? KimoYES!

Ay!Parrata!

Hostel living has me in a dorm room with 6 other women. All fun and sound chicas from round the globe. I woke up yesterday morning round about 7am because the bunk bed was shaking. I sleepily opened my eyes and wondering sluggishly if the Swede above me was taking care of business. Serious solo and ardent self love kind of business. My brows furrowed and I smirked for a few seconds and then it stopped. I turned over and went back to sleep.

I heard later it was an earthquake. Trivia fact time! There are over 1000 earthquakes in Japan every YEAR. So ...Next time.... I wont automatically assume that someone is getting the Led out.

Yesterday I went to Nikko with a roomate named Nicky. Its two hours north of Tokyo and is nestled near some mountains. Its a very popular day trip because there are some serious shrines up there. So we spent the day wandering through beautiful gardens and temples and shrines. Lovely. Peaceful. Ended up on a wrong bus at one point trying to get to a Japanese Onsen/hot springs to soak for a few hours. Happy accident brought us to the top of a mountain. Autumn colors. Japanese macques /monkeys . And a friggin beautiful lake and waterfalls higher than Niagara Falls. Awesome.


This morning I decided to buy that kimono I wanted at the used Kimono shop. Like I mentioned before, Kimonos are usually very expensive. Some costing upwards to a million bucks. You can buy cheap cotton or polyester ones but I wanted authentic and didnt mind spending a little for it. The lovely Japanese salesgirl even gave me a 20% discount. So I got my Kimono and obi .../the sash that ties around your waist. I am thrilled. Its a knockout and soooo friggin worth it.


Upon returning back at the hostel, the gang and I were making plans for the afternoon. Harajuku is THE place to go on a Sunday afternoon because all the Harajuku girls come out from the Suburbs to dress like crazy Bo Peeps and Freaks and in the lastest high fashion. We wanted to go take photos. A tourist hot spot.
But what to wear to the epicenter of cutting edge and weird? Hmmmm. Jeans and a Tshirt? Sun dress?

Sucka please.

Half an hour later saw me shuffling along the street in full Kimono garb. My posse was cracking up. High fiving my moxy. It was the best decision Ive made since Ive landed. The last 5 days have been a blur of sightseeing. Ive flew mostly under the radar from your typical Japanese citizen who are more focused on getting from point A to point B in an orderly fashion and have no time to inspect the lanky redhead.

Today was entirely different. Almost everyone I passed by checked me out fully. The older women, some in Kimono as well, often stopped me and smiled and laughed or complimented me. I would bow with a coy smile as I had seen done in that Memoirs of a Geisha movie. As I arrived at Harajuku, I whipped out my camera to start taking photos but I was soon surrounded by cameras and I was asked to pose for like...a half an hour.

The Harajuku girls are fashion forward. Ive always said I was fashion backward. Finally it works for me. Old school baby. It was such great fun and I felt so beautiful.

After Harajuku and the Meijo Shrine near Harajuku park...where we saw three different and beautiful traditional Japenese wedding processions!!!!..., we walked through the crowded streets of Shibuya and Shinjuku and ended up at Piss alley and the Red light district. Neon, flash, crowds, Pachinko gambling parlors, craziness, dirty old men that drag their hands across yer bum as they walk by in the tiny alleys that snake endlessly and smoke with food, sake and karaoke and thousands of people crossing the intersection at once. Times Square times twelve. But the Kimono swam me through the crowds effortlessly and so many smiles and pointing and stopping and staring. I'll have to upload my photos and update my Myspace photo. Ill have that photo<-----without photoshopping real soon, my dears!

Full day. Exhausted. Back at the hostel and some kids and I are gonna hit the rooftop deck of the hostel and have some drinks.Tommorow I head for Kyoto which is the cultural heart of Japan. Real living Geisha!

Genki deska?

Genki des!

Rora