#oldgooddays

The other day I took some photos of foreigners in my hometown, Iizaka town of Fukushima city, since I had the request from Iizaka Onsen (hot spring) tourist association and Fukushima Kenpoku development bureau.

Somehow the way they were strolling around the town in Yukata (Japanese traditional cotton summer clothes) suited the scenery of historical streets of old Iizaka town and it reminded me of good old days of Japan.

 When I was a little child, I used to go to public baths in our area, wearing Yukata or Jinbei (Japanese traditional informal summer clothes (only for men)). In those days there were so many geisya in beautiful kimono in our area, although I barely spot them lately. I mean, Japanese traditional clothes such as Kimono, Yukata or Jinbei were very common and essential for our town many years ago.

 Unfortunately, the scenery which is full of Japanese traditional clothes is vanishing from our daily life recently, maybe due to the globalization or some other reasons.

Of course even now we have some chances to spot people wearing Japanese traditional clothes whenever we attend some firework festivals or dancing festivals for “Obon period”(during this period we Japanese people are supposed to give our respects to our ancestors more than usual) in summer. And sometimes we bump into some people wearing those clothes when we go to shrines or temples to make a wish on the first day of the year.

Anyway, it seems Japanese people including me don’t prefer our traditional clothes anymore nowadays.

 From time to time, Western people teach us what exactly Japanese culture is in a way. (It is said western people are aware of their identity, compared to Japanese people).

On the day, I was taught it by the foreigners through the finder of my camera.

And they taught me that my hometown went so well with Yukaka. Therefore, I decided to wear Japanese traditional clothes more frequently.

 Takahiro Fujiwara,

(Owner of Atelier Utakata)

    先日、私の地元福島市飯坂町で、外国人の方の写真撮影をさせていただきました。

彼らが浴衣を着て町中を散策する姿は、歴史ある飯坂温泉街の風景に溶け込み、古き良き時代の日本の姿そのものでした。

 私も幼いころから浴衣や甚平を来て、飯坂温泉の共同浴場に通うのが日課でした。

今は少なくなりましたが、当時飯坂には着物を着た芸者がたくさんおりましたので、

和装は当たり前の日常着として、町の風景の一部だったのです。

 残念なことに、近年日本ではグローバルなどの影響で、

そのような光景は徐々に失われつつあります。

もちろん、夏の花火大会や盆踊り、また正月の初詣などの行事で和装の方を見ることはあります。

しかし、私を含め、多くの現代人は和装離れが顕著であると言わざるを得ません。

 日本文化の何たるかを、自身のアイデンティティーに対しての

意識が比較的強いといわれる欧米人の方から、逆に教え諭されることがあります。

この日も、私はファインダー越しにそれを感じました。

 そして我が故郷は、やはり浴衣がよく似合う町なのだと

改めて感じることができましたし、自分自身もっと和装を楽しもうと思いました。

 アトリエうたかた