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Salon Series 2022/23: Kimono Culture in BC

Meet some of the kimono specialists in BC. Learn how they have made a life in kimono, why they love kimono, and what plans they have for the future. You may even learn a few special kimono tricks from the real experts. Evelyn Leung hosts three interview/discussions throughout the year.

All salons will be held online via Zoom starting at 2pm and run approximately 1-hour each (we may run overtime if the conversation is unstoppable!).

Please PRE-REGISTER for each session at the specific links below.

Entrance is by donation.

Hitomi Harama: preserving the beauty of traditional kimono and its culture
Sunday November 13, 2022 @ 2:00pm PST
ZOOM
REGISTER HERE

Hitomi Harama is a kimono and Japanese cultural specialist based in Victoria, BC. Having been raised in a family of kimono connoisseurs, and noticing that good old traditional cultural values and familiarities were rapidly diminishing, Hitomi strives to preserve the beauty of traditional kimono and Japanese culture, including its customs, designs, and craftsmanship. Her passion to conserve traditional beauty of kimono and Japanese culture has led Hitomi to various activities: she has curated kimono exhibits; presented talks and lectures at museums, universities, public and private schools, and at textile related corporate institutions; and she has worked as a Japanese cultural consultant for the film industry and design institutes in North America.

In 2020 Hitomi started her YouTube Channel "Kimono Japan" to introduce kimono and Japanese culture in more depth and to be more easily accessible for English-speaking audiences.

Please check her website for her most updated work and activities.

*CANCELLED* Miki Hayakaze - wedding kimono to period costumes
Sunday January 22 @ 2pm PST
ZOOM

due to circumstances beyond our control we are forced to cancel our January Salon.

Miki is a long-time master kimono dresser for weddings and seijin-shiki (Coming of Age Ceremony) in both Japan and Canada. She holds a 3rd Dan (highest rank) kimono dressing license, a bride dressing license, and a specialist certificate for dressing period costumes. She is also master teacher of Misho School flower arrangement and holds licences for teaching Japanese language and calligraphy. She currently runs a Kimono Salon at Tonarigumi in Vancouver. These are lessons in dressing kimono but also vehicles for discussions about Japanese culture, rituals, seasonal events, etc. In the latter half of each meeting, the group has tea and tea sweets and all enjoy learning about Japanese culture.

Fumiko Horan: dressing the Lower Mainland in kimono
Sunday March 5 @ 2pm PST
ZOOM
REGISTER HERE


Born in Taiwan, Fumiko Horan has been immersed in kimono culture ever since she graduated with a certificate from the most prestigious kimono school, Hakubi, in Japan 25 years ago. Fumiko currently teaches kimono dressing, and she makes kimono, yukata, and Japanese accessories. Besides teaching, she dresses people in kimono for various occasions such as weddings, shichi-go-san, and seijin-shiki. Fumiko has a large personal collection of kimono and accessories for rental for these occasions. Since 2019 she has been working in the film industry dressing the principal cast members for a variety of movie productions, In 2022 she joined the IATSE Local 891 as a costume dresser specializing in kimono dressing. Fumiko volunteers at the Nikkei Centre in Burnaby for various events such as Sakura Festival and frequently offers yukata and kimono dressing and demonstrations as well has coordinating and presenting various fashion shows of Kimono dress.

Please see her website for details.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Province of British Columbia