Showing the knot I tied...

Showing the knot I tied..., a photo by dtk_guy on Flickr.

..No I'm not going to show the front view shot. Let's just say I'm not 100% sure about the expression on my face at the time the photo was taken.

Nonetheless, I'll be taking this ensemble out for a spin tonight. An acquaintance has asked me to hang out at the Yonezawa Joshien beer garden tonight. Supposedly there's a decent selection of food items at the beer garden so it might be safe to just munch there rather than making dinner before going.

I'll also be wearing my yukata when I head out to catch the fireworks on Monday. The reason why the fireworks display is on Monday is because it's always held on July 30th. Supposedly it's an hour long pyrotechnical display with a much earlier start time than the fireworks events back home in Vancouver (7:30pm start here as opposed to 10pm back in Vancouver).

Now if we could only do something about the over 30˚C heat...

The full set

The full set, a photo by dtk_guy on Flickr.

I got my new made to order yukata last Sunday. Right now it's still in the paper wrapping it was delivered in. One can't see the pattern of small crosses in the fabric until the photo is viewed in its highest resolution.

I got a quick lesson on how to tie the obi last night. Fundamentally it's not a difficult task but there are plenty of details which must be attended to for the final result to look right. I suppose I ought to be practicing nightly but right now I just want to toss myself back onto the sofa and relax. I guess practice can wait until tomorrow...

Obi and geta

Obi and geta, a photo by dtk_guy on Flickr.

These are the elements of my yukata ensemble which I picked up this week. How I got to here is a bit of tedious story so I'll spare my audience the details. Anyways, I now have a yukata on order from a local kimono and yukata making shop. It was interesting going through the process of picking out a fabric, picking out a matching obi (sash) and geta (wooden clogs) to my liking. I went with the bright light blue obi because it will be in contrast with my navy blue yukata. I could've gone with something a bit more staid but I figured I'd go with a colour which stands out.

One thing I found myself doing when picking out the fabric for my future yukata was that I was consciously using a set of rules I had learned when picking out Western style clothing. So in a way I found myself thinking that perhaps I ought to not go by those rules. After all a yukata is a bathrobe which over time has evolved into a form of outdoor casual wear for the summer months. It's humble beginnings are a few steps away from the kind of price I'll be paying for its distant offspring in the second millennium.

I expecting to receive my new yukata sometime close to the end of this month. So it will be a while before I post a photo of it here.