1.Boy and Girl Festival

  November 15 is "Shichi go san"; literally seven, five, three. This is a holiday devoted to girls age seven and three, and boys age five. It is not one of the thirteen National holidays, so it is not a day off, but it is one of the best times to be at a shrine or temple if you want to take pictures of people in traditional dress; parents as well as children. Even adults who don't have children are there to take advantage of the photo opportunities. The girl below was very popular with the photographers and she seemed to loved the attention.

Parents can not expect their child to wear something as difficult to wear as a kimono without something coming undone. At this temple, a local kimono club set up a dressing area where parents could take their children to have their outfits put back together. back to the top

2.   The Princess Festival

   Every year around the time that cherry blossoms are in full bloom, Hosoe, a little town of about 20,000 people in Shizuoka prefecture, holds a festival. The center of attention is a 20 year women dressed in a beautiful kimono that a princess may have worn many years ago. She is accompanied by others in traditional garb along a winding route through the town. The procession, looking like what might have accompanied a princess during the Edo period, makes a main stop near the river that flows through town. There, the women and men do traditional dances to the delight of thousands who have been eating and drinking most of the afternoon under the blooming trees. (The photo to the left shows the princess, under the red umbrella, and some of the other young women dressed in kimonos.)   back to the top

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