Two notable things happened to me today I hit people with sticks, and I went shopping.

To explain the first part: Tuesday, as it has been every week,, had a cultural program in the afternoon. This time we were introduced to the wide world of Naginata. A naginata for those who lack my wide experience with Asiatic weaponry, is a type of pole arm with a five foot shaft, topped with a two foot long blade (much like a short sword). Back in the days of yore, only samurai were allowed the honor of carrying the honorable katana / wakisashi sword set, but samurai wives also frequently found themselves involved in violent situations, and needed some sort of formalized weapon training for protection. So they were trained in using the naginata. I've been aware of the weapon for quite a few years in a round about seen it in fiction kind of way, and I always thought it was pretty cool. It strikes me as a sensible weapon. You got this big sharp thing at one end for keeping people at a distance, but the way it is balanced you can use the haft much like a quaterstaff, meaning that it also works well for close in defense. Watching someone who really knows how to use it, it just seems so natural, where to my eye swordplay has always had the appearance that the person is working to control the sword, whereas with the naginata, the movement looks natural, with the momentum of one swing leading into the next. Very pretty. I've always been fascinated by martial arts. It's a shame that I've never had much inclination to pursue them.

Afterwards I went kimono shopping. Eve (whom I have mentioned before) discovered this quaint little used kimono shop (which, actually I wonder how it stays open, given the Japanese dislike for buying used goods - I suppose that it's a boon to schools looking for costumes though) that had lots of kimonos, cheap. Real cheap. I got a haiori (jacket), kimono, and obi (belt) for 1600 yen (the belt was the most expensive at 1000 yen). I think it looks rather nice. Although the jacket shows a bit of wear, the kimono and obi look great (they are all in varying shades of black and gray - men's kimonos tend to be dark; it's the women who get to wear the brilliant colors, which is something of a shame, because I found this really pretty one with silver thread fan patterns on it, only to realize that it was a woman's kimono). The clerk was extraordinarily helpful though, and spoke a little English, which eased the transaction tremendously.

Now, I just have to figure out the proper way to wear it all (although given that I am currently in Japan, living with a Japanese family, that shouldn't be a real big problem).

To those that have mentioned that my proofing has been a bit looser than usual, I haven't had the spare time over the past couple of days to even hand write my journal before hand, so this is all coming off the cuff and doesn't even get the chance for a cursory review before I need to run. Things should calm down a bit after this week, so it shouldn't be too long before I return to my previous standards of literary ekselense.