I finally got a Yukata! After all these years of wanting one, I finally got one! Although it was quite expensive, I spent my first day in my Yukata walking around a museum, strolling in a park, and running around with super active children!
I didn’t just get any Yukata, I got a custom-made Yukata. In Japan, the Yukatas come in all sorts of different sizes… mainly Japanese sizes. In Hawaii, I would normally be a Medium, however, here it is a different story. In Japan, I am not a Large but an Extra Large. Not only that, but all the Extra Large Yukatas were short in arm length. Every time I stretch out my arms, the sleeves would retreat back to my elbows. With that being said, I had to get a custom made Yukata that would fit to my body. Although it took two weeks to be made, it came out really nice!
The day I received my Yukata was the day I wore it! The first place I went to was an old-fashioned house that was built in the Edo period. It was perfect as I was dressed in the right fashion. The house we visited was extremely beautiful. The yard was huge, a majority of the rooms were tatami mat rooms, and each room seemed to open up to the outside. The house was once owned by a wealthy family known as the Nara. This house is so special that during the summer seasons, the emperors of the past would visit and stay at their house.
After pretending to live in such a fine looking old house, we went to the local museum where we got to see the art, plants, and animals that belong to Akita. It was really interesting to see the change in culture and landscape. The north part of Akita had a similar but very different culture compared to the south part of Akita. One thing that stood out to me was the way they buried their people. One side buried their people in a sitting position, while the other side buried their people in the same position but lying on his/her side.
After looking at all the exhibits, we ran off to the beautiful garden they had in the back. With a beautiful stream, a few small waterfalls, and a pond that emitted peaceful vibes, the place gave us a great sense of peace and relaxation.
After all that relaxation, we deserved to run around and play a little! Lucky for us, there was a huge park nearby with a huge playground for both kids and adults! Even though I was wearing my brand new Yukata, the playground there was so awesome, I couldn’t help but return to my child-like nature and run around like crazy! Of course, the kids there had to join along!
After a good 2 hours of playing on the huge playgrounds and running around the forest, we returned home. As we were walking to our car, every kid we played with waved goodbye to us as their parents drove them past us. The parents even slowed down so that they could wave even longer. It was an awesome day being that I brought a smile to the kids’ and parents’ faces and showed them the Spirit of Aloha! I have to deeply thank two people for the epic awesomeness of that day to Mieko and Chiaki, two of the awesome girls who came and studied abroad in Hawaii.
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