καιρός remembered

Dream women

Had the gap between the trees in this Japanese garden been specially designed to grant me a glimpse of the two lovely young women who were posing so beautifully there?
As I drew nearer, I saw that they were clad in kimonos, those magnificent traditional robes that transform the women who wear them into mysterious, almost unapproachable beings. Dream women; women of the imagination.

One of the girls had got up and was walking around the garden, whilst the other was still sitting on the bench, engrossed in her book. Seeing her from behind, I admired her stately beauty, with the striking musubi – the graceful knot on her back – which stood in bold contrast to the pattern and colours of her kimono.

How fortunate that there are still young Japanese women who like to slip into a kimono every now and then and go out!

Photos of the week: Higashiyama, Kyoto, Japan 2008