Kyoto!!! My hometown wtf.

On this day, we left Osaka at some ungodly hour (like 8am) to drive down to Kyoto.  We were supposed to do a kimono shoot where we were gonna wear kimono then go to Yasaka Shrine to pray for new year!  But I was extremely grumpy (the earlier the grumpier) and tired because of all the filming that we had been doing so I was sullen and sleeping in the car wtf.

But when I opened my eyes I saw we were cruising down some street in Kyoto and all my memories came flooding back! And I immediately regretted being untalkative to Imai-san T_______T

If you’ve been to Kyoto you may realize that everything in Kyoto is meant to look as authentic and traditional as possible.  I think it’s even the law there that no neon lights or brightly colored buildings are allowed.  Even Mcdonald’s there is brown and yellow instead of red and yellow!

朝ごはんです。

I love onigiri! Even looking at the picture makes my mouth water. Some more so cheap like 100 yen.

Kyoto is usually colder than Osaka so I came fully prepared.  Wore like 9 items in total. 10 if you count the hipster specs. Simply wear as many things as I couldonly but in the end the outfit turned out quite cute!

It was really cold that day actually!  There were steam puffs coming out of our mouths when we talked so we tried to take a photo.  Fail end up look like leeches hahahaha.

Another view of a Kyoto sidestreet.

Salon where we did our hair! If you’re ever in Kyoto and wanna do mori hair, you know where to go now wtf.

First glimpse of my suki na hito (person I like) WTF. And Cheesie’s suki na hito who is no fight pfffft *hand wave

Actually they’re our hairstylists hahahaha.

I swear to god my suki na hito bears a striking resemblance to Hideaki Takizawa leh!  Who used to be my husband before er I annulled our marriage so I can marry Fatty WTF.

Check out the pins yo.  Alot of them went into our hair.  And I mean a lot.

Playing with the mirror.

Doing hair!  My suki na hito clipping my hair *swoons wtf

Hair done!  My suki na hito cute ornot!  Seriously in real life he is a billion times cuter than Cheesie‘s one plus a lot more talkative.  And we have something in common already! Which is… our age WTF.

But dunno why leh when Cheesie’s suki na hito took photo come out like a god WTF.  In real life I thought his features were way too sharp but freaking photogenic leh.  It also helps that he wears foundation and eyebrow pencil :X

Then next stop…

kimono wearing!  Picked out our kimono, obi and collar.  Cheesie picked a turquoise kimono and a gold obi which looked amazing D: Because I’m mode-obsessed I chose a black & red kimono -__- but pink obi Xiaxue would be proud wtf.

Pile of all our clothing items.

First is like a white cotton robe (not pictured)

Then a silk one on top chosen for the collar!  The collar will peek out from under the kimono wan.  My collar was red to match the flowers on my kimono.

Shit me to be honest I don’t think I looked very nice in traditional getup -_-  Somehow I look short and fat leh in kimono!  And mori hair makes my face rounder fml.  Cheesie looked damn cute though!

Luckily I live in contemporary times wtf.

Putting on the kimono.

Then the obi (on top of lotsa other sashes and towel and padding to make my body shape as tubular as possible.  i.e. traditional Japanese ideal of beauty.

Come to think of it, if I lived in ancient times I would so win at this ideal body shape thing wtf.

She pulled until I nearly couldn’t breathe!  And it was so tight my posture suddenly became damn perfect for the entire day.

My obi was folded into a rose shape 😀

Cheesie putting on hers!

Intense concentration cos I was trying to learn how to tie an obi hehehe.

All done!  Told you she looked gorgeous.

Me wtf.  On top of the kimono we could choose to wear a haori (an outer jacket kinda thing) or a shawl. Wanted to wear haori but couldn’t find any nice ones so shawl it was.

Then off we went to Yasaka Shrine!

A lot of people there cos it was the new year.  There was a lot of food and prayer memento stalls set up.

Had to learn the proper way to pray which involves tossing in a coin, clapping twice and bowing somewhere but I forgot the sequence already -_-

Every time I see myself standing full length beside someone else I scare myself cos like “wah you really damn short ah” WTF.

View of the camera 🙂

Wandered around and looked at some of the wishes..

Some damn funny!  This primary school student wished that he can be on good terms with everyone sounds a bit #foreveralone to be honest hahahahaha

This one wished that Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna and Selena Gomez will come to Japan WTF.  At first when I saw the JB LOVE I was like huh why Johor Bahru lolol.

#addiction picture

Then after that walk all through Gion and downtown Kyoto and nearly froze to death.  The kimono is actually super warm! All those layers of silk really insulated us lo even though so thin not cold at all. But my hands were freezing cos I didn’t have any gloves and it was cold enough that it snowed!

We also had an unfortunate encounter with a China tourist who quite rudely planted herself in front of us and started snapping pictures without asking or even looking at us in the face. All the while she was shouting to her friend in Mandarin (not knowing that Cheesie understands) that must be we paid people to take videos of us WTF who so rich and free to do that.

We saw a lot of other girls dressed up in kimono at the shrine too but cos we had cameras around people thought we were models and mumbled to each other “moderu san dayo” *big shiny eyes

Although I dunno what I can model for besides children’s clothes fml.

All in all it was such an awesome experience!  I’ve worn a kimono before for my study abroad program graduation ceremony but I don’t remmeber much of the process besides a lot of obasans fussing and tying stuff around me.  And this time we got to do our hair and everything!  Feel super lucky we got this chance thanks to Bailin Productions <3<3

And the reason why we had cameras with us – the trailer of LOVE JAPAN, a new online program by Bailin Production.  It’s about Cheesie (and me I guess cos I was there wtf)’s trip to Kansai!

As usual I looked bloody awkward in front of camera.  Luckily I didn’t talk much hahahaha.

P/S: i have a whole blog category called AudinKyoto (created to document my life in Kyoto last time)  and now I can add this entry to that category again!!!