Princess for a Day

In May, my beautiful friend Naomi surprised me with a wonderful day of being professionally dressed in traditional kimono, riding in a jinrikisha 人力車 (Japanese rickshaw) around Kamakura and then exploring the picturesque island of Enoshima.

Kimiko Motoizumi, a professional dresser, greeted us at the gate of a traditional Japanese house & garden located in Kamakura. The home is open to those who wish to visit and be dressed in an exquisite Japanese kimono and/or participate in a tea ceremony. Her website has all the details (in Japanese) including some photos of me! This video from YouTube describes the experience:




Naomi's pictures tell the story of how I was dressed in a traditional Japanese kimono:


Choosing a kimono from the beautiful selection of gorgeous silks and fabrics....















My hair swept up and fastened by a beautiful Japanese comb.













First things first.....Japanese underwear!















The ties that bind....




















Layers....













and ties...












The very stiff obi.









Almost there....












Finishing touch....














Ta da..... and what fun to ride the streets of Kamakura and view the temples in a traditional ladylike way....





























Our lovely rickshaw man even spoke English! You can find out how to book him at this webpage.
























More photos of the special day are here....