Shichi-go-san

M didn't feel confident about doing m's hair and kimono (it is a bit complicated) so we had it done at Morito Shrine in Hayama, just down the road.

They let me in to the room where they did m's hair and make-up (if I got bored, there was a poster with illustrations of every one of Japan's emperors on the wall) . . .

. . . but I had to leave when they began the professional job of putting on the kimono.

We took some shots at Morito Shrine before eating lunch and heading back home.

After the Shinto ceremony, they got all the kids together for a photo shoot. Hirota-san, the photographer knew enough to be incredibly quick in getting their attention and blasting away.

The girls loved being the center of attention.

It was like little Kyoto in Akiya.

And then it was time to go home. m was thrilled at the whole deal. She ate a huge meal at lunch, but the tight obi meant that it never made it to her stomach, so she was greatly relieved to take the kimono off. (Of course, after we made the rounds of the neighbors to show off.)

While I ponder the cosmic question of whether to do chemotherapy in order to add 5 percent to my five-year survival rate, I have nothing to do but to post pics from last weekend's shichi-go-san festival, celebrating kids aged three, five and seven (m will be 7 in January so she fits into the last category). There's no shopping street or commercial support for Akiya's shrine, so everyone in the village chips in to help.