Tea for Two

Last weekend I attended a tea ceremony at Seison-kaku, a villa built in the 1800’s for the mother of the reigning lord at the time. The building is located in Kenrokuen, the garden Kanazawa is famous for. The room is seldom used in order to properly preserve it, and this historical consideration is said to improve the ceremony.

I decided to wear (and purchase) a kimono for the occasion, since it was on my to-do-list while I was in Japan.

The type of kimono I’m wearing is a Furisode (translation: swinging sleeves). These kimono are made of brightly coloured silk and are worn by young, unmarried women, usually at their coming of age ceremony when they’re 20 years old. These kimono can cost as much as a small car (around ¥1,000,000 or $10,000 US), but I bought mine at a used kimono shop, so it was considerably less. I also bought the embroidered obi (sash), and the tabi (split toed socks) for the occasion.

A special thanks to Kazuyo’s mother for dressing me. It’s a lot more involved than it looks.