M A S A Y O : The Look

M A S A Y O : The Look, originally uploaded by mboogiedown.

This is mboogiedown's flickr post of a geiko Masayo of Gion Higashi.

Mboogiedown explains that the geisha is on a float as a part of the Hanagasa Kyoretsu, one of the many festivities that celebrate Gion Matsuri.

Mboogiedown has many great real world geisha pictures that are really worth viewing. You can see here pictures at: http://flickr.com/photos/mboogiedown/

I've been tagged: 8 Random Facts

I have been tagged!

Yes, by our adventurous SL blogger friend Eppie Hock of Eppie's Corner ! *smiles
She tagged me so that I would provide you 8 interesting things about me! lol!

Here are the rules:

(1) Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

(2) People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.

(3) At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

(4) Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

My eight random facts:

1. I love a little of everything: music, art, culture, technology, movies, crafts, etc (when time allows).

2. I love learning. I know this is a broad statement, but I didn't want to bore you with the details for right now. lol!

3. I tend to support the underdog......perhaps it is because I have been one, and overcome them inspite what predictions and odds are. This made me think of the weather....you know, I just may cheer good old sunshine on if the weatherman predicted a 70 percent chance of rain. giggles

4. I love the experience of meeting really great down to earth (excuse the pun) people in SL from all over the world.

5. I appreciate the people who have encouraged me to follow my dream....but I suppose I should also thank the nay sayers (but not as much) because theyindirectly inspired me to meet my expectation and exceed theirs. *smiles.

6. I love the simple things. I know that this will mean different things to different people.

7. I love the classic black and white movies and actors (The Charlie Chan, Bowery Boys, Bette Davis, Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Frankenstien, Werewolves, Mummies, Abbott and Costello, Dean and Jerry, Mae West, Bella Lagosi, Lon Chaney, Price, Plummer, Lee).

8. I love comedy....most of it anyway.

So there. Maybe there is something interesting in this post about me! *smile

I am going to tag: Rafael, Cherry Tokyo, Auberginefleur, Brangus Weir,dandellion, Cap'n Zori Fancypants, Skusting Dagger, Roxette Wise

Toot-a-loo!

Ayaka Hirahara こころ Beautiful Kimono

This is a youtube slide show video of a kimono fashion show. The kimonos look beautiful and the mood is feels elegant.
video by: yoshiyuki2236

SL Kimono Group Presents: Rythmnmuse!

Update, many of the Milla's pictures were no loger available, but you can still view her beautiful pictures at the link below!

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I am happy to present our Flickr SL-Kimono Group member Rythmnmuse aka Milla Alexandre! I absolutely love the way Milla has used lighting and textures in her pictures.

So relax, take your time and enjoy the pictures! lol!

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This set of pics is called "Rezzable Hallucinogen - as Misha."

Milla captions under her photos, " Incredible sim...it is as if falling into a dream of haunting ethereal quality. I 

Kimono2

Well, I hope you enjoyed my presentation of Milla's picture's as much as I have! I am still working on that historical RL/SL piece....RL has kept me a busy bee!bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

If you would like to see more of Rythmnmuse's work (and I suggest you do! lol), click: Rythmnmuse's photos.

To see more Flickr SL-Kimono Group pictures please click: Flickr SL-Kimono Group.

The Flickr SL-Kimono Group Members produce and submit fantastic kimono pictures.

I would also suggest you check out Felony Fabre's Flickr Group: Second Life Secrets of the Orient.

Ciao!

My Celebrity Look-alikes

This is a cool website that my Flickr friends shared.
Yes, Wesley Snipes is my celebrity look alike! ROFL!
Go to My Heritage Face Recognition to find your celebrity look alikes.

Maiko or geisha putting on face make-up in Kyoto

This yet another good Youtube post of a young woman applying Geisha makeup.

I posted this to share the many steps, time, and art of her tranformation into the Geisha look.

SL KIMONO GROUP PRESENTS: OOLA NERUDA!

I am proud to present Oola Neruda's kimono pics that is posted in the Flickr group, SL Kimono.

The pictures and poetry below is directly taken from the Flickr SL Kimono Group (click name to go to site).

(Forgive my formatting the poem quots. *smiles)

Please go to that site if you'd like to see the entire SL Kimono Flickr group pictures.

To see more of Oola's Flickr work exclusively, click Oola Nuruda.

In some of Oola's kimono pictures, she has include poems to share a mood or thought.

Geisha Dance

JOY RIDERS
Someone has picked all our flowers
That's okay
There's more where those came from
We have no music to buy
We have our heart beats
to dance to
We aren't afraid to be different
We know where our differences lie
& our love tells the truth
Whose mournful cries are these?
Whose yelps of approval?
When will our howls be answered?
Where is the rest of our pack?

Time is stuck on now
because now is
the only time that counts
We're eye ballers
always looking to get an eyeful
We leave no broken hearts or heads behind
We invite them along
We 're the connection
We're the trip
Something clicks when we come together
We don't just read or write poetry
We are poetry

There's nothing exclusive about us
We say what everyone wants
but is afraid to say out loud
Our eyes are kind of wild
We know how to make ourselves at home
We're a cloudburst of delight
pouring ourselves out under love's spell
We're joy riders of the roaring sunrise
We're what nothing can stop
Death won't live long enough to see
the fire go out of our eyes
Steve Toth

Dancer

Two Geishas

the geishas

fashion 7

Silohette 4

Anime Slideshow

I like the anime kimono girls. This nice presentation by savannahtourdot on Youtube.

Flower and Willow

My next kimono shopping trip took me to Flower and Willow owned by Hatsune Yoshikawa. In September, I arrived at her store in Java II to see what she had to offer.

This is the shop in Java II Island

There was a buy one, get one free sale at the time. If you join the update group, you will get a notice regarding sales and new releases, or you can click this link to see Flower and Willow's blog.

While looking at the kimonos, I found that Flower and Willow (F&W) offers a free Tomesode. I immediately put it on *giggles.
Sigh, which do I choose? lol!

Humm....I decided to buy the Jade Koi Kimono. Since there was a buy one get one free sale, I chose the Blue Crysantheum Kimono as my free item. I sent Hatsune an IM of my free selection, and she sent it to me in a very reasonable time.

I had to go back to one of F&W's shop and get more information saw that there were new releases. This photograph was at the Blue Lotus Okiya Location.

So I head back to the house to take some pictures. I start off with my Tomesode (free) pics.

Then, the Jade Koi Kimono.

I hope that you can see the koi, lilly pad embroidery detail on the kimono, and the white crane in the obi. Now it is time to see try on the Blue Chrysanthemum and Waterfalls Kimono that I selected as my free item.
Contact Hatsune Yoshikawa for custom work, she will be happy to do it, if she can.

Also, if you can't get their prim attachments to fit, she will be happy to do custom fitting if you send her a notecard with your shape details.

To go to the Flower and Willow Locations click any of the links:

Blue Lotus Okiya, Semple Truth, SL Exchange

To see more Flower and Willow kimono pictures, click Flickr sites:

SL Kimono, or Hatsune Yoshikawa

A peaceful way to end the day. Hope your day was wonderful also!

Wedding Kimono Prep Video

Kimono TchiTchi & Martin Wedding

This is a Youtube video of a young couple prepping for their traditional Japanese photos. Very beautiful

SL Kimono Group Presents: Lilith Lunardi

Today's post features Flickr SL Kimono Group Member Lilith Lunardi!

I would like to thank Lilith for her early participation in the Flickr SL Kimono group and allowing me to post her pics on my blog. *smiles She models the long and short kimonos and I love her poses. I love how she uses the background in her shots.

Lilith with kimono and sword at the gates of Moonlight Bay

Monarch Migration Kimono by SheOfTheSourSnailSuckers and Ashes Jin Geom katana.
Lilith lying in the snow in Nagaya in Juho

Lilith in the snow in Nagaya in Juho

Lilith on Syl's Beach in Cosy Cove

Lilith in the Romantic Ice Palace in Everfrost

Lilith with Shea Yue in her house in Henderson

Well, I hope you enjoyed seeing Lilith's pics. To see more of Lilith's work on Flickr, please click Lilith Lunardi

If you'd like to see more Second Life Kimono Group pics Second Life Kimono, and if you are looking for another place to post your SL kimono pics, we would love to have you join us and and to view your great work. Felony Fabre has a great Flickr group SL Secrets of the Orient also.

Sale! Cherry Tokyo's Kimono's

Cherry Tokyo Kimono's Shop is having a sale.
If you are in her update group, you already know, but if you are not-the following is for you! lol!
This is the SL post from the Cherry Tokyo Kimono Group:

Group Notice From: Cherry TokyoHeya! :3I am having a sale tomorrow and thursday. Everything in the shop will be discounted.. and then outside I will have a 50L wall of items I plan to discontinue after the sale.I've attached a sample furisode kimono just for my group members. I've made 20 of them so far and 20 more on the way :)See you at the sale tomorrow! <3>

If anyone knows of any other kimono sales, please email the details at artesiabe@gmail.com.
Happy Shopping

9/19/07 Update ******the sale will be extended to Friday!

Kabuki Hair Stylist

This is a Youtube video of a kabuki hair stylist. The title says that it is a Geisha hair stylist, but if you listen to the video, you will find that they are talking about Kabuki theater hair. I imagine that this type of stylist would do Geisha hairstyles as well.

Image II

I am stepping outside my tiny box. I love black and white photos. *smiles

New Release: Uchikake and Kimono Sets by Cherry Tokyo

Cherry Tokyo has a new Uchikake and Kimono sets. Here are two of her four recent releases that I retrieved from her blog: Cherry Tokyo's Kimono's

Each set comes with various options like the other sets I've released previously: Shoes, two types of obi, improved prim collar, optional prim uchikake (coat), optional flexi skirt prims, flexi sleeves, a modifiable shape and an instructions note card. :)

Please go to her blog site (Cherry Tokyo's Kimono's)or join her group in SL for more information and locations. In her blog, she also lists places you can get the hairstyles she is wearing in the pics. *winks

Japan Then & Now-Yukata Post

Auberginefleur is the author of the blog Japan Now & Then. She blogs about real world events, and places she visits in Japan, and she also blogs about wearing yukata.

I thought that Auberginefleur did a great job describing the pieces to the yukata in a way that most would understand (in particular me *smiles). Auberginefluer not only posts about yukata, she also wears them on various occassions (see her other posts). Her post, separated the yukata discussion into 7 parts; hada-juban, yukata, date obi, yukata obi, koshi-himo cord, obi-ita, and geta.

The following is a quoted from the Aubergineflueur's Auguest 5, 2007 blog post in Japan Then & Now:

How to Wear Yukata I: What You Need

1) One-Piece Hada-Juban for Yukata
This is worn over your underwear to prevent the yukata from sticking to your skin, and though I went years without bothering to wear one, it is much cooler if you do. The best is a 100% percent cotton or linen full-body shift. Avoid ones with a polyester skirt. Sales assistants will try to talk you into a large size if you are a gaijin to move the merchandise, but unless you are large, get the medium because the extra material of the skirt will make it hard to walk because it tangles around your legs. Appropriate underwear is a sports bra and panties for a woman and V-neck T-shirt and boxers for a man; men do not need a hada-juban.

2) Yukata

That goes without saying, but you put this on over the hada-juban. Do make sure you wash your hands before dressing, because make-up, hairspray, and other soil will stain the yukata. Hold out the sides of the yukata as you face the mirror. Line the vertical back seam with your back-bone to center the yukata.Raise it off the floor so the hem is just barely above your ankle bone. The lower the hem, the more elegant; the higher the hem, the easier to walk. Close youryukata right under left. Make sure the inner left hem does not show. Tie shut with a Koshi-himo cord at your waist.

3) Koshi-himo cord

These cords are used to tie shut the yukata and also if you need to hold something in place while you adjust your yukata or obi. Technically, you only need one for a yukata, but I would recommend buying at least a pair, if not two pairs. They come in very handy. You can keep an extra in your sleeve in case of emergency when you are out and about. The matching belts that come with inexpensive yukata bought at Asakusa or the airport, are basically koshi-himo's.

4) Date-Obi
This is a thin under-obi used to even out your yukata and fasten it in place for tying your obi proper. You can go without this and just use another koshi-himo instead, but the obi proper will be easier to tie and look smoother if you use a date-obi. Once you have fitted on your yukata to the proper length and tied it shut with the koshi-himo, stick your arms in the hole under the sleeves and push out the extra material to fold over the koshi-himo. Try to make an even hem-line at the waist. Now is the time to pull down the collar in back so it is not flush against your neck and make sure your yukata is closed properly at the breast. For first timers, I recommend a you now tie your yukata shut with another koshi-himo just under you rib-cage and do any final necessary straightening out. Otherwise, you can go directly to the next step of tying on the date-obi. Hold the date-obi so the center fold is aligned with your belly-button. Cross the two ends in the back and fold one side down so it folds smooth. Then pull the ends to the front and tie the date-obi in a bow in front, straighten out the bow, and then tuck the bow into the date-obi. Men do not need a date-obi.
5) Yukata Obi

The Obi for a yukata is half the width and also shorter thana kimono obi. It is often also called a han-haba obi or a ko-fukuro obi. There are basically no rules about matching a yukata obi with a yukata, so choose whatever one you like. The basic strategy is either to go with the same color scheme or choose a color in direct contrast. Unlike Western fashion sense, you can put different shades of the same color together with impunity. If you have a fancy koubai or ro-gauze weave yukata, you can dress it up by wearing a Nagoya obi, but then you start to get into the rules of proper kimono
attire.

6) Obi-ita
The obi-ita is not strictly required to wear with a yukata, but it keeps the front of the obi from wrinkling. It is placed between the two layers of the obi at the front. There are types that tie on, so you wear wear it over a koshi-himo in place of a date-obi. Men do not need a obi-ita.
7) Geta
Geta are the wooden sandals worn with yukata. Men can wear geta or the flat straw sandal called setta.

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Please visit her site for more links and information. She has a great post about yukata textiles. I hope you find her blog as enjoyable as I have!