Nice to meet you. My name is Ranno Hana. This fall, I went to Germany and France with my beloved kimonos. First of all, I would like to share with you what happened in Munich, Germany!
Texts Ranno Hana
I watched the FC Bayern game in a kimono!
I attended a FC Bayern, a strong team that has won the Bundesliga (Football league) championship for 11 consecutive years. When FC Bayern visited Japan this summer, the people at Audi’s headquarters, the main sponsor of the event, invited us to visit Allianz Arena as well. We were invited to the VIP room and wore kimonos to show our appreciation and respect to our hosts.
When watching a game in the stands of a Japanese stadium, we often wear uniforms, but we sometimes wear yukata (浴衣) to show that ‘anyone can go out in kimono, anywhere, with ease’. I hope that the culture of going out to the stadium in style will spread so that more people can enjoy soccer.
The key point of the outfit is the kimono with the ‘Shippo tsunagi ni Ogi no e (Shippo pattern and fan pattern 七宝繋ぎに扇の柄)’. Doesn’t it look like an Audi emblem is hidden in the pattern? The obi (帯) has a Goshoguruma (Ox-cart 御所車) on the drum part, so I chose it with the meaning of ‘a car that carries victory’ in mind. I was happy that the German guests asked me about the meaning of the outfit before I could explain it to them. Everyone was delighted to learn the meaning. It was a moment when I once again felt the charm of kimono, which can give a story and a playfulness to the outfit.
The match was an impressive 7-0 win for Bayern! I was so excited to see Harry Kane’s hat trick (scoring three goals in one match) with my own eyes! Since I usually watch the games as a football nerd, to the extent that I consider the cause-and-effect relationship between football tactics, players’ play, and their private lives, it really felt like a dream come true.
Asano (浅野), a member of the Japanese national team, started for Bochum, our opponent. I was very proud and thrilled to see a Japanese player in a foreign league.
Entering Oktoberfest ♡
At Oktoberfest, many people enjoyed wearing German folk costumes. It was kind of like wearing yukata to a fireworks display in Japan. When I explained to the locals, “I heard that everyone is wearing traditional German ethnic costumes, so I wore a Japanese kimono too!” they were thrilled, and we became friends really quickly! I even took pictures with people who kindly asked if they could take some with me.
Some of them spoke to me in Japanese, and I was so happy and enjoyed myself so much that I couldn’t help but dance (lol).
The city of Munich is like a picture book!
I looked up Oktoberfest and found people there dressed in colorful traditional costumes. I chose a bright pink kimono, with the hope of fitting right in with the vibe. The obi has a phoenix on it, but since the kimono is an old one that I had purchased before, I am not sure if the pattern is a plover or a butterfly. …… Either way, it is a creature that flies in the sky, so it is more of a outifit that is ready soar into the sky….or rather, ready to get carried away!
There was a actually a moment I actually flew in the air! (I took off my shoes when I rode the giant swing because I didn’t want to hit anyone.)
I hope I was able to show you that you can ride the attractions even in a kimono! I hope I was able to show you that you can ride attractions even in a kimono. Sorry for being so boisterous!
We also strolled through the city of Munich. The cobblestone streets lined with roadside trees were like a tunnel of green. The sight of horse-drawn carriages loaded with beer barrels passing through the streets was like something out of a picture book, and I felt the cheerful autumn before the harsh winter.
This article is translated from https://intojapanwaraku.com/fashion-kimono/228377/
Profile
Ranno Hana
Actor and former leading female role, in the Hanagumi group, for the Takarazuka theatre group. She has played many heroines since her Takarazuka days, and after leaving Takarazuka, she starred in the musical ‘Elisabeth’ and began her career in the entertainment industry. In 2019, she passed the exam for the Ordinary Division (Natori (名取)) of the Hanayagi (花柳) school of Japanese dance, and performed the nagauta (長唄) ‘Sagimusume (鷺娘)’ at the National Theatre of Japan’s famous unveiling. In recent years, she has appeared in a variety of films and advertisements, and is scheduled to star in the film “TOKYO RED 鉛丹（Entan）” in 2024.
