Kimonos

Bear bell you ring on the trail.

Dave, 6' 6" and Zuzu, 4'11"

It was hard to keep a straight face when we first donned the kimonos. I felt like we were trying out for the Mikado every night. At each inn, we'd be assigned our rooms and immediately change into the K outfit with slippers (except for Dave). In the cities, Kyoto and Tokyo, they gave us either pj's or a night shirt to wear. If you're going to Japan, don't pack sleep wear! At most of the places we stayed, there was a soaking tub or an onsen available or there was a deep soaking tub in the room. Wonderful plumbing all over Japan. Rarely sat on an unheated toilet seat; all the faucets had temperature controls, even out in the country. Never saw anything dirty, no trash anywhere and there were few trash cans provided. You are expected to take your trash home with you and dispose of it properly yourself. And everyone does it!

Note the woman second from left. She has her sleeves tied up. I wondered how the Japanese women managed to work as we found managing the table - passing dishes, pouring drinks etc., difficult with the sleeves hanging. The solution is to hold back the sleeve of the working hand with the free hand, which is okay for eating a meal, but I wondered how they did any real work.

I included the last four pictures to show off our various kimonos. Sitting on the floor was a challenge for many of us but we muddled through, changing position every few minutes to keep the circulation going.

Here's a link to a Google+ photo site where our guide Yoshei posted his photos in which he caught most of our highlights. Another example of the attention to detail the Walk Japan company provided. 

Nakasendo Way photos