{"id":2451,"date":"2016-01-01T12:46:28","date_gmt":"2016-01-01T17:46:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moonblossom.net\/blog\/?p=2451"},"modified":"2016-01-01T12:47:37","modified_gmt":"2016-01-01T17:47:37","slug":"%e6%98%8e%e3%81%91%e3%81%be%e3%81%97%e3%81%a6%e3%81%8a%e3%82%81%e3%81%a7%e3%81%a8%e3%81%86-akemashite-omedetou-happy-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moonblossom.net\/blog\/2016\/01\/%e6%98%8e%e3%81%91%e3%81%be%e3%81%97%e3%81%a6%e3%81%8a%e3%82%81%e3%81%a7%e3%81%a8%e3%81%86-akemashite-omedetou-happy-new-year\/","title":{"rendered":"\u660e\u3051\u307e\u3057\u3066\u304a\u3081\u3067\u3068\u3046! Akemashite omedetou! Happy New Year!"},"content":{"rendered":"

The new year is upon us! A time of renewal, change, and hope. I wish all of you the best for 2016 and beyond.<\/p>\n

To celebrate the beginning of a new year, I pulled out one of my favourite kimono to coordinate. I bought this one the last time I visited Vintage Kimono in\u00a0Boulder, Colorado<\/a>. At first glance it looks like a relatively minimalist kurotomesode, with a sparse design of chidori and matsu (plover and pine). However, it’s also got a smattering of chidori on one sleeve. This was a brief trend for kurodomesode, which traditionally only have patterns on the hem. As western-style seating spread through Japan, kimono designers realised that a lot of the artwork and craftsmanship of these most formal kimono were getting lost, as women sat up with their feet tucked away. They started putting a small design somewhere that would be visible in theatre-style seating, usually on one shoulder or sleeve.<\/p>\n

The trend has since fallen out of favour and kurotomesode have gone back to their hem-only design placement, but you can still occasionally find little oddities like this one. I’ve been told that at this point I can choose to wear it as a kurotomesode, or a very formal houmongi. Which is probably a good thing, seeing as how I’m 34 and still single.<\/p>\n

I paired the kimono with a fairly typical white-and-gold obi with auspicious designs, tied in standard niijudaiko musubi, to hopefully double my good fortune for the coming year. However, I’d forgotten what a complete and utter beast<\/em> this thing is to tie. It’s very long, even by modern fukuro standards, as well as being very slippery and floppy. It has a core, but it’s a very soft one. So unless I go in forearmed with a handful of extra himo and clips, it always slides around and loosens while tying it. Thankfully I had not only a bunch of tools but also a very helpful and cooperative father to hold bits and pieces while I tied other bits and pieces.<\/p>\n

[AFG_gallery id=’46’]<\/p>\n

I’ve decided that this year, I am not going to make resolutions. They never work for me. I am, however, going to set goals. If I attain them, fantastic! If I don’t quite succeed, at least I tried and progressed. There’s no point in making myself feel bad for not achieving relatively arbitrary marker points.<\/p>\n

Kimono-related goals I would like to set for 2016:<\/h2>\n