“Real poetry, is to lead a beautiful life. To live poetry is better than to write it.”
Beautiful poetry indeed, and it is more than words. It is alive in these young women who came to Kyoto to be able to don a Japanese Kimono for a day!
We came to Kyoto to see this ancient capital of Japan and visit its magnificent temples and shrines. I did not expect to be amazed by this sight upon coming out of our tour bus. I planned on browsing the shops for pottery, dolls and silk handkerchief. However, I was pleasantly distracted and started to follow this spectacle of colours, gracefulness of movement and moving artwork.
I learned during a conversation with our tour guide that these young women are not all Japanese. Some of them are international visitors who want to experience the Japanese way of life — even just for a day. The majority of them are young Japanese women who want to get in touch with their traditional culture and embrace to duality of past and present. As you can see, many of them are live-streaming their experience on their smartphones, while some are taking selfies and uploading into their social media account. I couldn’t have known that fact. It seemed like the Kimono, as an attire, has the power to transform an individual into a traditional Japanese woman — style, grace and disposition.
This demonstration of pride of one’s culture is amazing and impressive. I believe that it is very important to always remember who we are and keep our ancestors’ legacy alive, just like the proper way of wearing the Kimono.
These photos were taken In Kyoto’s Higashiyama District. I hope you enjoyed dropping by my page.
Photos are all mine, taken on Sony Alpha 7II. If you’d like to share, please do the right thing and acknowledge the source. Thanks for dropping by!