The Life of a Swordsman
During our time in Nanae for our homestay, our group was given the opportunity to try on kimonos. The kimonos we wore were mostly based on our height. For girls, they wore furisode-type kimonos, and for guys, we wore montsukihakama-type kimonos. We first put on the white under-kimono. Then we were wrapped in the sashes. After all the sashes were wrapped around us, they put on the black kimono top and the hakama, the “pants” of the outfit. After we all finished changing into our kimonos, we moved to the tatami room to have a photoshoot.
During the photoshoot, we were given the opportunity to pose with the 琴(koto), a Japanese string instrument. Our sensei even demonstrated her skills by playing us a song. It was very nice of her to do so. After the performance, we took a group picture and then our own pictures. The models of katanas, Japanese swords, were my favorite prop to use, because I watch too much anime with swords. I took a lot of pictures with my friends and we posed with the swords. I had a fun time doing this activity and I would gladly do it again if I were given the chance.
