We spent the last Saturday in town being very big Barbies, but more in the sense of a Japanese dress-up doll instead of the blond and pink. We were invited to go for dinner with the Takikawa Soroptimist group, for a formal Kimono dress-up session, make-up, hair, and dinner. It was a fantastic invite that we jumped on immediately.
In case you are thinking “What is a Soroptimist? Is that like a Pianist?”
Soroptimist (”best for women”) is an international volunteer organization for business and professional women who work to improve the lives of women and girls, in local communities and throughout the world.
- Quote from Wikipedia
The event was hosted at the Hotel Suehiro. We went with our 2 gaijin friends who were also invited. (Matthew and Kaori) We got there at around 4 to prep for the dinner. 2 hours of Hair and make-up and then dinner + Japanese traditional tea ceremony at 6. Cathy had a beautiful and more traditional Japanese hairstyle that almost looked like a wedding hairdo. The hairstylist was going to give Kevin an old-school Japanese top knot but unfortunately (fortunately?) his hair was too short for that. After hair and make-up, the kimono dressing began.
Kimonos are really beautiful and elegant. There is a big reason why they are so elegant and why women act so proper in them. Many layers of clothes and hard shells are placed in different places of the body. Wait, not placed, strapped on tightly. The Japanese kimono is much like the western version of a corset, but there are towels and cotton pads all over the place for padding and strapping. After the dressing, it was impossible for Cathy to slouch or simply take a deep breath. It’s not easy being Japanese!
Kevin’s kimono was a Hakama. The one that was put on Kevin was surprisingly long enough. The skirt/pants are also strapped tightly with solid plates to hold it in place. It was tied lower on the hip to create the illusion of a bulging tummy. Cotton pads were also used for extra cushion on the tum.
We had a traditional tea ceremony on the stage where the lady served each of us Japanese Matcha. We were asked to sit in Seiza style. (Where the legs are tucked under the hip in a perfect folding position) It is very difficult for western muscles to sit in such a way. Briefly after sitting down, Kevin and Matthew both gave up and sat cross-legged instead.
We each had to give a little speech about where we are from. Luckily, 3 out of 4 are Canadians. Matt printed out a big map of Canada for us to point and talk. We introduced Vancouver and the culture of Canada. After, we gave out Canadian flag pins to all the women at dinner. It was a delicious dinner and a wonderful experience.
After the dinner, we couldn’t wait to get out of our beautiful outfits. We said our thank-yous and headed back to our apartment for a make-up removal session. Cathy also found pubes in her hair…. well, it was synthetic black puff balls to add volume to the big hair.
It was a really fun night. We were very lucky to have such an opportunity to be dressed in Kimonos and to learn Japanese culture in such formal but intimate setting. Normally people pay lots of money to get dressed up and have their pictures taken. We felt like guests of honor and truly welcomed to the community. Thanks for having us, Takikawa Soroptimist Association! (And thanks for taking us, Matthew)
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