It's scorching hot in Kyoto! It's 38 degrees, but it feels like 40 degrees. In the sun, the glare is even hotter. My husband and I start our tea ceremony lesson at around 2:30 (just guessing), at the hottest time just after 2 o'clock, under the blazing sun (the eaves of the townhouses on Teramachi Street are short and there is little shade). It feels dangerous to walk in a kimono. It's only a 5 or 6 minute walk, so it's not close enough to call a taxi... I delayed my departure by an hour, leaving just after 3 o'clock. It just started to get cloudy and I was able to walk. This time, we were practicing placing two long boards. When I first heard about placing two long boards, I thought we were going to place two long boards. So you place two on the long board: a brazier and a water jar. It seems that it is preferable to use a large, time-honored water jar. There was a stately water jar with cut lead glass and about 1cm of the edge painted in gold. (Baccarat maybe?) The whole thing was cut into a hailstone shape, glittering in the light of the small light bulb lit on the tea room's tea ceremony seat. As the water shook as I scooped it up with the ladle, it sparkled more and more with rainbow colors and was very beautiful. It was just like a diamond, a diamond. When the teacher asked me what language "giyaman" originated from, I answered that it was Dutch or Portuguese. The digital dictionary says giyaman (〈Dutch〉diamant/〈Portugal〉diamante). (I'm glad I didn't answer the wrong thing.) For the lesson, I asked for a long rope for the Ohmi tea jar. It was my first time using a long rope. I said that at this time of year, I should tie a morning glory or bellflower knot, but he taught me how to tie the three strings normally. It's quite different from how to handle the strings on the Shino bag used in incense-smelling, and I couldn't remember how to handle the strings after taking out the tea container in one go. I secretly vowed to myself that I would practice watching YouTube videos later until I got it down... After I got home, I took out my Shino bag for the first time in a while and tried tying it into a bellflower while looking at a book on tying flowers. If you don't do it for years, you'll forget. Flower knot: bellflower The color of the strings on the Shino bag is red from January to June, and purple from July to December. Kimono: Echigo Jofu with a deep indigo and ikat pattern Obi: Light green comb weave with a wave and houndstooth pattern Obiage: Light pink, washed vermilion-colored willow Obijime: Pale pink and light green alternate colors The Echigo Jofu I got on Yahoo! Auctions a few years ago is made of ramie, not hemp, so it's not very smooth When I kneel down to serve customers, the area around the knees on the lower part of the kimono tends to spread out. The width of the body was a little narrow, so I thought it was no good After I got home, I widened the width by 2.5 cm each (10 cm in total). I'm relieved now that it's a generous width. It's an old Echigo Jofu that is an Important Intangible Cultural Property (hand-woven, hand-woven), so I'm going to wear it carefully without putting too much strain on the fabric. The drum part of the obi No one paid any attention to the kimono, but they said the obi was pretty. My husband is wearing a light green Ojiya Chijimi (a popular linen kimono) with brown summer hakama. The kimono was originally mine, but it didn't suit me very well, so I removed the sleeves, lengthened the sleeves, and altered the sleeves to fit men's style. He's happy that it's cool.