At last I can get back to sharing my trip to Japan with you. When my old laptop died I could not access my photos, but now I am really enjoying looking through them again. A list of the previous posts are at the bottom of this post.
I went to Japan in November last year on an Arena Travel tour with Janice Gunner and 10 other wonderful women quilters, and one husband. P had come along with J, his wife, to see Japan, not intending to join in with the dyeing and sewing workshops, but he did join in and loved it.
In the last post I wrote about Japan we were at the Asakusa Kannon Temple, Tokyo,
on a special national holiday and the place was packed with people.
Wandering around the streets nearby there was a festival atmosphere, with fabulously garish food stalls
selling sweet potato chips
and rib sticking bananas coated in a sugary icing
I have been told by Golden Diamond that the Japanese generally have a horror of sugar and don’t eat much fruit as a result, but maybe this is put to one side on special holidays.
I went in search of a calmer place and walked towards a garden close to the Temple, where I came across a group of teenage girls all dressed beautifully in kimonos.
Sadly I only had my little camera with me so the photos are not great. I offered to take a photo of them all together with their cameras, they were delighted and this took quite a time. They were all so happy and giggly and when I asked if they were going to a special ceremony, they all laughed a lot and told me that they had gone to a kimono salon where they could hire the kimonos for the day, and have their hair and make-up done, just to go out and about and have photographs taken. Lots of people stopped to take photos of the group and there was a wonderfully friendly party atmosphere.
I was disappointed later when I realised I had not taken a better photo of them with my own camera.
Then a family came onto the bridge 
and I offered the same to them
remembering to get one with my camera too this time
Mum stood back whilst masses of photos were taken by passers by
I wonder what it feels like to be a star for a day when you are 3 and then again at 7 years old.
All over the city there were kimono clad young women being photographed
After a packed day, it was time to pack our bags and prepare to leave early the following morning to go to JR Shinagawa Station to catch the Bullet Train to Nagoya ……
Previous posts:
Japan Day Two: 5 Crazy Cats and a Hare in High Heels
Japan Day Two: 6 Doors and Windows
Ravelry
Wild Daffodil 
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A lot of them smoke, living in such crowded closeness means a lot of adrenaline is burnt, they don’t eat fatty foods e.g. dairy and red meats and junk food. Just a few ideas
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Gosh, I’m surprised to hear about the smoking as they all seem to be obsessed with tidiness and cleanliness. Interesting though.
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Great reminders of the early stages of your trip. From my experience the Japanese are sugar freaks its in everything.
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Interesting! I wonder how they stay so skinny (in general).
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What a fabulous holiday. In the seventies we did lots of fund raising to send my teenage son to the international scout jamboury in Japan where he stayed with a Japanese family. They also attended the national peace ceremony at Nagasaki. Awesome. Lovely posts. 💚💛❤️💜💙
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It is a wonderful country – I do hope your son enjoyed it. I would love to go back – so much more to see.
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Very pretty kimonos, disappointing the girls don’t have their own and wear them regularly!
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There are some women who own their own kimonos and wear them for tea ceremonies and special occasions. The pretty ones are VERY expensive.
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