Kimono: Kawaii and Kowaii!

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8

Kogyo is cold. All Japanese high schools are cold, but Kogyo, on a Monday morning seems particularly cold. My Kogyo supervisor had photocopied my handouts for me, and I was bracing for a horrible lesson.

Martian didn't get around to e-mailing me until it was quite late, so I didn't get a good chance to look things over until after I got to school. I quickly modified his Bingo game-board and used my own gestures (as we'd both selected different ones to teach) and then got those printed off, all before first hour.

We didn't get to Bingo in that first class, but did in the next two and it was well-received by the students. We didn't get to play long, as classes were shortened to just 40 minutes so students would have time to work on their homeroom projects for Thursday's cultural festival. But, we'll use this again when we review.

The first students weren't terribly interested in the lesson, but first hour on a Monday, I don't think any of us were happy to be there and awake (many of them WEREN'T.) By my afternoon classes, I was smoother and students had woken up, so it went much better.

Two of the gestures we studied were “the finger” and “the V-sign,” the British equivalent of an American flipping the bird. It felt beyond weird to be teaching my students these gestures, but it was at the request of my teachers so they'd know what to do. The Japanese, you see, LOVE to point with their middle fingers. I did give a stern warning that I wouldn't tolerate these in my classroom and, after I started mentioning (it was fun to watch the faces during the translation) that doing these gestures to the wrong person could get you killed) students generally understood the seriousness of the offense and were quite good. I've probably also scared them away from ever going to America.

Did you know that the Japanese gesture for come looks rather like the American gesture for “go?” This was our attention getter at the start of class with me backing away until I hit the wall while my teacher summoned me (in Japanese) to her.

We also talked about the “peace sign,” which as you probably know the Japanese are obsessed with, especially in pictures. Even my JTEs were stunned to hear that no one poses like that in America. They wanted me to make sure I told the students this, which I did. I also added in, as a comment that American boys would probably see such as gesture as quite feminine, and their faces here were particularly amusing. I love my metrosexual Japanese boys. Japan doesn't seem to be open about gay culture and, as such, there's no backlash about needing to be macho. I've seen male students wear bows or crossdress before.

I taught them fist-bumps, if only because I think it'd be hilarious to see them fist-bump each other in the halls.

I needed to leave relatively on time, because kimono lessons were starting early. We needed to be dressed by 6:30.

I got to kimono lesson at 5:50 and was worried I was late, but ended up being just fine. I successfully put on my kimono and tied my yukata obi (yes, I did check and they wanted me to use that one, rather than a kimono obi) in a butterfly.

Class was a lecture and they did bring me a translator. Her English wasn't great and I know that there's a lot that didn't make it to me, but I'm grateful for what I got. Today's lecture was on Kimono T.P.O. Since you are all English speakers, I shouldn't have to define T.P.O. As “time,” “place,” “opportunity,” right?

Wearing a kimono is complex. It's taken a lot of class to even put the thing on. But, before you get it on, you have to select it and there are rules about every little part, down to weave, patter, color, types of accessories and so on that you can wear depending on your age, marital status, the event, your position, and the season and the weather. My god! Some rules even have a specific date (think “no white shoes after labor day,” but with MORE dates.)

The lesson was good and what I got out of it was informative, although I've decided I should probably buy The Book of Kimono off Amazon.co.jp, for all that it's 30 years old (and the 80s hairstyle of the kimono-clad woman on the cover shows it) to fill in any gaps I can. The lesson also convinced me that I'll never be confident wearing a kimono in Japan. It's just too complex and there are to many rules. Also, odds are whatever kimono I buy won't be in season for when I have an opportunity to wear it.