On Friday I was invited to the pre-opening of the newest kimono exhibition by the Yayoi Museum in Tokyo. As a Meisen and antique kimono lover - the Yayoi & Takehisa Yumeji museums are my go to for exhibitions in a casual setting. Finally a motivation to wear a Meisen kimono again as I have been avoiding antiques since having kids (You know, don't want to stain them with tears, food and the likes...) My almost 3 year old does love to wear kimono too, so I was happy to go out together (and the 7 month old baby on my back). Getting us three ready in the morning was very hectic though and I ti ..read more

So there was this Japanesque show I had seen across my social media which looked pretty fun, yet I wasn’t sure if the ticket price was really worth it. I am talking about FUERZA BRUTA – an international show which actually changes its looks and concept based on its host country. 2 days after I checked the website and contemplated (it was almost creepy) I noticed my friends setting up an event titled as “Let’s go and see FUERZA BRUTA in kimono”. As an extra motivation boost there happened to be an extra “Fan day” where the ticket price was just a third! I am sure you guessed it already – I sign ..read more

Happy New Year also on my blog! Thanks so much for reading in the past year and here is to hoping you are having an awesome 2018 – hopefully in kimono! My start in the year was rather unspectacular as I got pretty sick on new years eve and just spent it watching TV with my Japanese family (and killing a bottle of Sangria by myself.. to kill the germs of course haha) After the new year rang we went out to the nearest shrine and temple to pray for the new year. As I’m Christian I am praying to my own god but I like to go to Japanese shrines anyway. After midnight people already line up at there ..read more

During and after the Fudangi exhibition I wrote about in my last post, I also scheduled my first time ever kimono related workshops and some photo shoots. (Because how often do you have the chance to capture the NYC skyline with kimono?) ニューヨークにきてます！ 前の記事で紹介したニューヨークにある「普段着物展示会」の前後にワークショップや着物の撮影もしてみました。 （着物姿をニューヨークで撮るならインパクトあるかなと思って・・笑） Prior to my trip I asked my followers on social media what kind of workshop they would like to attend when I am in New York / what they need help with in regards of kimono. And the majority voted for Styling & Kimono dressing as well as a few people wanted t ..read more

Like last year, I also joined the Kimono Salone event in Nihonbashi again. Because it was just before my New York trip I am super late to put everything into a proper blog post – but the pictures from the fashion show are too nice to keep them a secret. Kimono Salone is a kimono event where many kimono brands and artisans gather to show their new collections as well a chance to learn and try out some traditional craft. This year I focused on the new collections and mainly came to view the runway shows. (Caution: Big photo wave ahead ..read more

Recently I had a fun interview with Kevin from 趣通信 (Omomuki Tsuushin) (a popular kimono site) about what sparked my interest in kimono and what inspires me. It was a great open dialog and we laughed a lot. The interview is only available in Japanese, but if you are interested please have a look:　https://ommki.com/news/archives/11582 この間は趣通信にお世話になりました。 「趣着物」とのハッシュタグでInstagramでも大人気の着物・和の紹介をされるケビンさんにインタビューされました。 着物を着るきっかけから私のインスピレーションなどについて、色々楽しく話しました。ワクワク〜 お互い着物に夢中で幸せな時間すごせた。お誘い本当にありがとうございました。 是非このインタビューを読んでみて♡　 https://ommki.com/news/archives/11582 ..read more

Today (1st May 2019) marks a special and historic day in Japan. The change of the emperor which ultimately includes the start of a new era. 本日、2019年5月1日は日本では記念すべき日になりました。第125代天皇明仁が退位され、皇太子徳仁親王が即位されました。何かと騒がれた退位ですが、天皇制の歴史の中では、これまで何度もあったようですね。 令和 – REIWA I really love the name for the new time period, because it sounds similar to the period I was born in (昭和 – Shōwa) and has the Kanji 和 (wa) in it, which stands for traditional Japanese things. (Amongst the meaning of peace..). This era’s name is based on Man-yo-shu, the oldest collection of waka poetry from Nara period. I sent the Salz Tokyo tea ..read more

Recently we had the pleasure to visit and get an exclusive look behind the doors of Samurai armor maker "Marutake". Located in Sendai city, Kagoshima, the Southern region of Japan (not to be confused with Sendai city in Miyagi), Marutake welcomes guests with open gates - a little armor wonderland so to speak! Visitors can take a stroll among the castle looking grounds and see first hand how the armors are being crafted, visit the large Samurai armor gallery or even experience wearing one!     Currently you can see the original armor base model for the samurai movie,&nb ..read more

Last weekend, the Tokyo Kimono Show 2022 opened its doors to visitors again after a 3 year forced break (because of you-know-what)! On the 28th and 29th of May, the event was held at 3 main locations in the Ningyochō area of Tokyo. One could either see a Kimono Style Exhibition with as many as 177 kimono outfits displayed, learn new traditional skills at one of the workshops or enjoy some kimono shopping and kimono shows & performances. It was exciting to see that many kimono wearers streaming out of the train and flocking onto the streets of this neighborhood during sa ..read more

Hey! Hopefully you’re having a great week? みなさん、明日１１月２３日は勤労感謝の日ですね。いかがお過ごしですか？ Just wanted to announce a new idea to showcase the beautiful collaborative images I did in the past year with many international creators. 日本や世界中で大活躍されてるアーティストさんたちと一緒に作ってきた作品を形にしていきたいと思っていました。 As you know, I frequently style kimono photo shoots. Some just as an art form and in hope to inspire others to view kimono as a fun fashion item. Wearing kimono comes with a lot of challenges and can be intimidating, so we thought: How about printing kimono art on a shirt? So everyone can enjoy the aesthetics even without wear ..read more