kimono

Photo of the Day - Summer Kimonos

Photo of the Day - Summer Kimonos

Kimonos are one of those parts of Japan that I love. Unfortunately, these days you don't see them as much. However, in the summer Japanese women, and men break out their Yukatas, a lighter, cooler version of the kimono worn during the warmer summer months. I took this photo below at a local festival in Okinawa City. The sun had just set and it was almost dark outside, making this one of those situations where I was glad I had my Fuji 56mm (85mm equivalent) f/1.2 lens on my XPro1. Being able to shoot this at f/2.0 allowed me to get enough light to make the shot.

Seijin no Hi, Coming of Age Day in Japan

Seijin no Hi, Coming of Age Day in Japan

Today is Seijin no Hi, Coming of Age Day here in Japan. Seijin-no-Hi is a national holiday held on the second Monday of January to celebrate, and congratulate those reaching the age of 20 years old between April 2nd of last year, and April 1st of this year. Ceremonies were held this past weekend at local and prefectural offices, and young people all over Japan dressed  up to celebrate. Many women celebrated by wearing furisode, a style of kimono with long sleeves traditionally meant for unmarried women, while traditional dress for men involves a men's style kimono with hakama. Many men also wore western style suits.