Wearing a Kimono at Arashi Mountain

On Monday there was a country-wide holiday called Labor Thanks Day (comparable to the U.S.'s Labor Day), and thanks to the help of a very kind Japanese friend, I thoroughly enjoyed myself that day. Okaasan and another host mother, Nishiguchi-san, are friends, and Nishiguchi-san has a daughter named Yuya, with whom I am friends. Yuya invited me to go see the beautiful red maple leaves at Arashiyama, a mountain in Kyoto, and of course I accepted. What made the day even more fun was the fact that Yuya and I were allowed to borrow Nishiguchi-san's kimono (she owns three) and wear them to Kyoto!

I started off the day by going to Yuya's house to don the kimono. Putting on a kimono is a complicated process and it takes a lot of time, maybe twenty minutes or so. However, it is completely worth it, of course! Yuya's aunt, who holds a license in putting on kimono, dressed us in the correct manner. After we were dressed, we took the train to Kyoto (along with what seemed to be half of Japan - everyone had picked the holiday with fair weather as their day to venture to Arashiyama). I couldn't lean back against the seat while wearing a kimono on the train, and wearing a kimono kept my torso very straight, which I liked. I already have decent posture, so it was not uncomfortable to keep my back in an upright position.

Once we left the train, we joined throngs of people walking along the riverbank in western Kyoto in the Arashiyama environs. There is a famous, long bridge, and we crossed it and entered the commercial area, which was filled with restaurants and souvenir shops. We saw brightly colored maple leaves on the mountain side, and we walked through a garden next to the commercial area and saw even more fiery foliage. Yuya and I paid an admission fee for a temple complex, which allowed us to see even more beautiful autumn leaves in a different setting.

I received a lot more attention than I usually do as a foreigner because I was decked out in a kimono. I caught many people snapping pictures of me without asking, but on two separate occasions women did come up to me and Yuya and ask to take pictures with us, to which we consented. I felt slightly flattered but slightly embarrassed by all the attention.

Yuya and I thought we would stay to see the maple leaves lit up at night. The event started at 5:30, so we waited as the air cooled and the sky darkened, and at 5:25 as we made our way up to the entrance for the light show, I saw the seemingly endless line of people ahead of us waiting eagerly to view the lit-up leaves. I decided that my hands were cold and I would be okay without seeing the maple leaves lit up at night, so we decided to end the adventure there and head home. I really enjoyed viewing the vividly colored leaves, and I am grateful to Nishiguchi-san for letting me borrow one of her beautiful kimono to wear in Kyoto!