i would love to read a book by a japanese writer ( even not contemporary ) any suggestions?
i like fictions, novels or anything that discusses interesting themes. i don’t like horrors
thanxs
It depends on what themes you consider interesting!
My personal favourites are Junichiro Tanizaki, Yukio Mishima, Yasunari Kawabata, Kenzaburo Oe for classic literature.
For more contemporary stuff, Haruki Murakami is my current favourite..
I will just describe here a couple books I have read and really enjoyed:
Junichiro Tanizaki’s The Makioka Sisters is a novel about four sisters in post-war Japan, and the main theme is the clash between traditional Japanese values and Western values, which is illustrated by the elder sisters who are married vs. the youngest who is a kind of feminist.. It’s a long read, which makes the pleasure last! It’s really worth reading it!
A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami is a really fascinating novel, albeit very strange! A sheep disappears and has to be found by the narrator who seems to be the most average and ordinary person out there.. There is a lot of fantasy involved, nothing creepy, and nothing that really makes sense, and yet.. it seems that the fantasy is an extension of reality, so then you reach a more poignant reality.
If the idea of this novel doesn’t appeal to you, you could try Norwegian Wood by the same author. It is quite dark, but really good and doesn’t cross the limit between real and surreal.
Mishima I would also really recommend, esp. his Golden Pavilion, or The Sailor who Fell from Grace with the Sea.
Here’s a little selection by a journalist for the Guardian:
how long do you think this would take– makeing costumes?
ok, i need about 6 girl kimono and 5 Japanese style robes for guys about how long would it take to make them
I think it’s going to depend on a few things;
are the girls’ kimono(s) going to be the same size? Are the boys’? If so, then you can lay out the fabric you’re going to use and cut them all at once. If you’re careful to pin the layers together so that everything is flat, it should save you a lot of time.
Another time saver will be to pin everything you can first, and then sit down at the machine and stitch everything. Start with a darker color and go to lighter or the reverse. Then press everything you can at one time.
Even better, if you can have someone help you by pinning while you stitch, you can really crank them out. My mother & I used to do that -we’d make 3 or 4 outfits in a weekend that way.
Once everything is together then you’ll have to spend some time fitting -read, mostly pinning hems for each person?- and sewing by hand if you decide to hem them that way.
Depending on the detail you want/need to do, the faster you put the main pieces together, the more time you’ll have for the fine detailing (the fun stuff).
If you have to use slippery fabrics, you won’t be able to lay out as many layers together, but I think you can do two at a time if you’re very careful about pinning the patterns and cloth, and making sure the material is laid out exactly right. This is the one time that you need to “sweat the small stuff” because of the way kimonos have to fall to look right. Take your time there and you’ll be happy with the results later.
I hope this will help.
Best of luck, and I’d love to see a picture when you’re done or see a pictorial of the project. :0)
Rhonda Shear Sweet Nothings Butterknit Short Kimono Robe
Is Japanese straightening bad for highlighted hair?
I have naturally strawberry blonde hair, but heavy highlights and a couple low-lights. My hair is very poofy and curly. Sometimes it’s frizzy too. I REALLLLLLY want the Japanese hair straightening but is it bad for my highlights? I want to continue getting highlights.
And how long will the Straightening stay?
The Japanese Straightening system is a wonderful hair straightening system that will keep your hair permanently straight until it grows out…. HOWEVER YOU ARE NOT A CANDIDATE!!! You can not overlap the chemicals. YOUR HAIR WILL BREAK OFF!! You will have very straight highlighted hair on the floor if it doesn’t completely hydrolyze (MELT) in the process of breaking off.
