I  love clothes.  All kinds.  High Fashion. Costumes, Historical and festival garb along with wild and crazy street fashion. Even gardeners in RED gloves.   Always have.

I notice what people are wear and wonder about the back story, the trends, the cultural practice. Why this particularly get up this day?   With this fascination, Japan was the perfect place for me to spend some time. So much to see. 

This blog post is mostly pictures—snap shots on a three week trip to Japan April 2023. Lots of them aren’t great images—a few blurry, captured on the run.  Of course, I missed some great stuff because I couldn’t get my camera out and up to my eye in time, but….oh well. 

Here we go.

First, the  wedding photo shoots are fabulous. Typically  the bride has a red umbrella. Visually stunning. We saw three Wedding Photography sessions out and about.  Temples and gardens seemed to be popular venues.

And then there are the school uniforms. Children in Japan all wear uniforms. I mentally reminisced  about  our son coming home from a year in Japan as an exchange student and watching him hang his uniforms in the closet.   So different than what he wore at home.

I loved capturing women in kimonos and an occasional guy in traditional Japanese attire. I wonder if they are wearing their own or if they rented the attire at the many rental facilities. 

If you are wondering what I am talking about, go back to my blog post written after our 2019 trip  to Japan and Korea that describes the rental trend.   Costume Rentals flourish in Japan and Korea. 

If you are wondering about why this fellow is posed with the Ox?  Well, this one represents Tenman, the Shinto diety of education.  He stands for having tenacity to be successful.  Students rub his head for good luck and tenacity to do well at school.

A highlight of the April 2023 trip was visiting a kimono store and also an artist who hand paints beautiful kimonos.  It’s a big deal to have one made, both expensive and time consuming, but they are exquisite heirlooms to be passed down through generations. They are designed for special occasions. 

I didn’t get many but tried to snap some of the fun trendy street fashion. I had to be quick.  

I’m ending this post showing photos of  a Pop Up shop in one of the big department stores in Tokyo.  I spotted it as I rode down the escalator…..wow. What a big deal. Retail frenzy. The ladies were buying handbags like crazy.  

Links;

 Espirit Travel called Cuisine and Culture in Western Japan.

Ball and Chain.