Japan : my new passion

Old pond
A frog jumps in
Water's sound.

Many Westerners are fascinated by Japan. They are attracted by the mix between age-old tradition, on the one hand, and cutting edge technology, on the other. Japanese gardens. Japanese cuisine. Japanese tea ceremony. Japanese kimono. You name it.

My fascination with it is new. Yuki's recent visit helped me open my eyes and I learned a lot about the life in postwar Japan from Ozu's outstanding films too. Everything seems to mesmerize me about it now: Japanese characters and the art of gift wrapping, Japanese sewing magazines and haiku, Hiroshima and Japan's toilets.. I've never loved rice so much in my life!

Yuki has brought me a kimono and 4 little pieces of silk crepe known as chirimen used for making kimonos. The kimono is too long for me and I have no belt to wear it so I'll keep it in my wardrobe until my trip to Japan or some other festive occasion. And here's what I made from the kimono silk fabrics. Oh, how gorgeous their texture and patterns are!