Pop Japan

Red. Suzaku. Kimono.

 

Red is the color of the rising sun as depicted in the Japanese flag. Suzaku is the Japanese word used for the Chinese red bird, fenghuang, which is part of the 4 symbols of the Chinese myth, and made popular by the Yuu Watase manga, Fushigi Yuugi. And of course, the kimono is the national costume of Japan.

 

And for a first-timer Japanophile, coming to Japan having to experience all of these, in one majestic OOTD was truly as vivid as the scarlet color on the kimono I wore on that day in March, in the spring of 2017.

 

Tabi

 

 

First in the layer of clothes that I wore that day were the tabi or the traditional separate-toe Japanese socks, usually worn before the geta or zori, or the traditional Japanese slippers. (Sorry for the pair of legging on the photo. It was supposed to be spring during that time but the temperature was like crazy winter.)

 

Nagajuban

 

 

Next was the nagajuban, or the white cotton (sometimes made of synthetic silk) that serves as the undergarment during the time when ladies in Japan were wearing the kimono on a daily basis. 

 

Koshi-himo

 

There was no need to worry if the nagajuban initially seemed to be long for me (and yeah, being the short girl that I am) because it was readily shortened by tying some cloth strings, called the koshi-himo, around my waist. 

 

Kimono

 

 

After that, I was ready for the main course, which was the main silk garment for the kimono. A kimono can have a lot of colors or prints. The one I wore here was a vivid vermillion. Again, the garment was shortened to fit my petite height by tying some cloth strings. 

 

 

 

 

Date-jime

 

After finding the right length for me, a date-jime or a wide sash was tied around my waist. 

 

Obi

 

 

Now, it was time for the cherry on top of the icing. The obi is the beautifully crafted kimono belt. The majestic obi I wore here bore the suzaku, or the mythical red bird. There are a lot of ways on how to tie the obi.

 

 

 

Obi-jime

 

To secure the obi in place, another string called the obi-jime was placed around my waist.

 

Zori

 

 

To complete my OOTD, I wore a pair of zoris or the traditional slippers worn with kimono.

With a fan as an additional accent, in the end, the vermillion kimono complimented well with the scarlet color of my lips on that day. Nothing beats feeling confident about your OOTD than a red kimono, bearing the red bird, topped with red lipstick.

 

 

 

All photos by Sheen Irerick Seeckts.