Website Updates Coming Soon!

So, I'm not very good about keeping this blog up, am I??

But I do need a centralized location for my portfolio of work - examples of kimono dressing I've done, etc., so that's coming up. [Right now, all of it is buried on my Instagram feed: @britt_erinn ]

Keep an eye out for updates!

Privacy Policy Update

So, since these are EVERYWHERE and Blogger has informed me that I'm required to update y'all that the policy terms comply with European rules...

They do, because I haven't made any changes to any of the deeper workings of this platform. :)

Back to your regularly scheduled radio silence.  (I have ideas for posts but they never quite become anything substantial.)

It's official!

Well, it's official -- I'm a licensed kimono teacher through the YamanoRyu school of kimono.

*confetti*

A few snapshots of the big day, posted on Aiko Jane's blog: http://www.jane.jp/blog/2018/03/27/yamano-ryu-ceremony-and-party.html   (Aiko Jane is the head of YamanoRyu - so it's pretty darn awesome to be featured on her personal blog! I'm the third photo down, receiving my kaban from her.)  Also, take a look at Aiko Jane's kimono - it is EPIC and I adore it!! She designed it herself. The map of Japan with bling and stunning color contrasts is so pretty. Learning to sew kimono jumped up to the top of my bucket list after seeing her designs.

This means that now I can take students and help them achieve certifications at the shoden and chuden level of YamanoRyu.  I'm working on assembling handouts and information regarding that, because I'm a firm believer in having relevant data in one place.  Since the certificates are through YamanoRyu, there is a set textbook, course curriculum and pricing, as well as required and recommended supplies.  I've been learning about kimono since 2003 and I still had to go through the entire course from start to finish - there are no shortcuts. And frankly, it was a LOT of good information and training that helped me be much more efficient and neat in my kitsuke. YouTube and books are nice, but they are no substitute for the face to face dialogue available between a student and teacher. :)

More to come later  - stay tuned.

Hello!

So, with the advent of things like Google Domains and the ability to build prefab websites like this, I'm venturing outside my comfort zone a bit (Tumblr, LiveJournal, Facebook...) to try and put together my own space - complete with snazzy domain name!   The last time I tried building a website was circa 2003 with some freebie hosted space on college servers (back in the Olden Times when HTML code strings had to be typed out by hand! *gasp*)  Needless to say, this is MUCH easier.

So - a little about my current plan(s) for this blog:

• Japanese culture commentary as viewed by a non-Japanese person (with years of study and a formal degree) -- which will likely be more along the lines of "here's this thing that's considered normal or good manners in Japan, for those of you who are just joining us now" or "guess what I learned today!" than any sort of deep critique. [I already did my time in school with long, scholarly essays on culture. I'm not keen on revisiting those sleepless nights and endless scrambles for source citations.  Maybe someday I'll even dig up my senior thesis and post it for everyone to laugh at enjoy.] 
• Kimono adventures, shenanigans and coordinates -- I'm "Godzilla" sized at a plump five-foot-nine, which means a heck of a learning curve on getting a very straight-cut garment to fit an oversized, curvy frame.  If you know anything about kimono sizing, that's a 172cm height and a 79cm yuki. Anything ready-made will either fit in length or hips, but never both.
• I may occasionally direct folks to a co-kimono site, since I'll be a certified kimono teacher in short order along with a fellow Tea student and we'd like to establish a proper business of lessons and dressing in the Orange County, CA area. Spread the word! [She's busy setting up the domain right now - link to follow once it's live.] 
• Tea ceremony - Adventures, commentary, the occasional gripe of a long-time-student-and-forever-beginner with not nearly enough Japanese language comprehension.  For in-depth historical commentary and translations of Rikyu's original writings, I HIGHLY recommend checking out chanoyu-to-wa.tumblr.com  -- Mr. Burkus' work is exceptionally detailed, and exceptionally underrated. (And unpaid -- if you have the ability, consider sending a few dollars to his PayPal. He, like many of us, is not so lucky as to turn his passions into a paid career. Every penny helps.) 
• The occasional cross-post to my Etsy shop and domain: tezukuri-treasures.com  [Like I mentioned above, the advent of one-click site setup has made my entrepreneurial plans much simpler to execute.]

Me with a mannequin of 'average' Japanese stature. Did I mention I'm Godzilla-sized?

Placeholder Post

Hello, thank you for visiting my site! I will be updating this shortly. Stay tuned!

和 敬  西 洋