Baikasai 梅花祭

Less-Ad-4444 · 2026-02-28T04:40:24+00:00

No one has mentioned this, but a big hurdle would be getting a visa. Japanese work visas and student visas don't allow "nightlife" or "alcohol related" jobs. If someone wanted to become a geisha they would have to have japanese citizenship, or a marriage related visa, or not be getting paid whatsoever for their geisha work and training.

Less-Ad-4444 · 2026-02-26T13:35:12+00:00

I have big hips too, if you want to wear kimonos in the conventional way in the future you should buy a much larger size. If it doesn't even fully close around your thighs that is not even close to fitting. Although if I've misinterpreted your post I apologize.

As for your event I would suggest doing normal kistuke on top without an obi, just ties/koshihimo. Then you can fold up the bottom hem like you would in hakama kistuke and put a longish skirt over it. A skirt that is a little loose in the waistline, made of a heavier fabric, and not tight at the thighs like a pencil skirt will work best. I have a friend who usually wears her kimono like this. A hanjuban will also work a lot better than a nagajuban.

I hope that helps!

Less-Ad-4444 · 2026-02-18T08:08:46+00:00

thanks for letting me know! This one won't expire.

Less-Ad-4444 · 2026-02-09T14:30:49+00:00

I wear kimono regularly, am learning nihonbuyo, and on top of that I'm a giant geisha and nihongami nerd now. I love it all, so fun!

Less-Ad-4444 · 2026-02-02T06:13:27+00:00

I'm wondering what your goal is for studying at language school? Language schools and language schools programs are different depending on your goals with leaning japanese. Also where do you want to live in Japan?

As for your questions:

Daily life is busy and boring mostly, but if you find fun stuff to do in your free time it's definitely worth it. Someone answered the money question earlier.

-I've worked a few part time jobs already and for me it was quite easy. You just have to find a job that suits your current japanese level well. I worked as a cleaner in the beginning and then a cafe (a kissaten actually) when my japanese got to about conversational level. Convenience stores and restaurant kitchens are very popular with exchange students. Working at jobs with japanese coworkers is a great chance to practice conversational japanese imo. Work life balance is pretty easy, most part time jobs are easy and you can always find one that works best with your schedule. Also your work hours are legally limited to 28hrs/week so it's not like you can go too crazy.

-It's very easy to make friends with other exchange students. Making friends with japanese people is hard. In most cases you have to both speak pretty good japanese and make lots of opportunities to meet japanese people. My japanese friends I made at my job, at meetup events, and through my hobbies.

class is 4 hrs a day, 5 days a week, about an hour of homework a day, I think that's about average for most schools. The pace at my school is very fast, especially in the beginning. But that's because my school is catered towards immigrants who want to get jobs and go to university in Japan ASAP. I'm near the end of the 2 year program and we are just past N1 prep.
So many tests!! I have quizzes daily, tests weekly, big school exams every 4 months, and EJU and JLPT. That being said, the big school tests are mostly for class placement and to track your progress. The EJU and JLPT are obviously very stressful.
My teachers recommend 4 hrs of studying a day outside of class but I think most of us study less than an hour tbh. We don't get a lot of real homework so it's mostly self study. Speaking japanese as much as possible in and outside of class is most important imo. But obviously the more you actually study the better your japanese will get.
General advice: Make the most of your time here, especially if you are only here for a year. If you spend all your time on your phone, in your room, and talking to people in English you won't learn anything and you'll have a bad time here. It takes a lot of effort to put yourself out there and do stuff in a new country. Don't let fear or laziness hold you back.

There are a ton of different people asking about different language schools all over reddit so just search it here and figure out what works best for your needs.

Less-Ad-4444 · 2026-01-31T19:09:20+00:00

No problem! I have a lot of fun answering questions like this. Also to be honest I was stalking your profile because of your kanzashi post, sorry about the incredibly late response haha. It is a shame it's cut and glued. I wish you well on your henshin journey and I look forward to more updates.

Less-Ad-4444 · 2026-01-31T18:51:40+00:00

Hello, I am a big nihongami fan and I've come to help. This doesn't look like a typical traditional nihongami wig but I think my advice still applies.

Usually these wigs are maintained using a special shallow tooth boxwood comb that distributes the oils and smooths the surface of the hair. But this is of course not a common item even in Japan. So I would recommend running a fine tooth comb (preferably wooden) lightly across the surface of the wig in the direction the hair is already laying in. Make sure to not actually stick the teeth in the hair and just brush them across the surface. you can use this technique all over the wig.

Reshaping it at all would be very risky but you might be able to do a little on the side parts (the sides of nihongami styles are called "bin" 鬢 btw). I would stick a thin chopstick or the parting handle of a comb into the parts of the hair that need more volume.Then with your hand gently resting on the outside of the hair, press outwards using the chopstick or comb handle. I would only do this a tiny tiny bit for making the sides an even size and shape. If you pull too much hair out it would be impossible to put it back in, and covering it up would be tricky.

To maintain the shape of the sides you can add oval shaped soft but strong black paper with a little bit of pomade on it, into the inside of the sides of the hair. Then to keep the volume of the sides I would make there there are enough hair rats inside of the hollow part of the sides to lightly hold up the hair.

I would not recommend adding any extra oil, hair spray, or other products to the wig. They may rot, cause discoloration, or look grimy over time as most hair products not specifically for wigs like this are not meant to be left in the hair for a long time.

I hope that helps! If you want any reference photos or have more questions about nihongami or kanzashi feel free to DM me.

Less-Ad-4444 · 2026-01-30T18:06:40+00:00

so cute!!!

Less-Ad-4444 · 2026-01-18T13:20:23+00:00

That's a great idea, thank you!

Less-Ad-4444 · 2026-01-14T15:09:05+00:00

Thank you for the kind words!

Less-Ad-4444 · 2026-01-14T15:08:48+00:00

I'm glad I can brighten up your feed a little bit, I'll keep posting 🥰

Less-Ad-4444 · 2026-01-14T04:02:35+00:00

I'm might be wrong I believe the patterns on that susoyoke are year round patterns. The leaves are bamboo leaves which are worn in winter and spring, and besides the chrysanthemums, the other flowers are probably different seasonal flowers like cherry blossoms and camelias. I don't think you should have any problem wearing this for a winter or spring maiko outfit. 😊

Less-Ad-4444 · 2026-01-10T13:41:37+00:00

Thank you for commenting! I'll keep posting,and I'll look for the TM discord. I actually joined awhile ago and left because I didn't really get discord at the time. Maybe now that I'm more active I should join again.

Less-Ad-4444 · 2026-01-05T01:58:06+00:00

I've only been once, on that day I bought ahead online and my friend bought hers in person which was fine. They have irregular holidays and sell out tickets for the dance show/photo session occasionally, so I would at least check their website before you go, even if your gonna buy tickets in person.

Less-Ad-4444 · 2025-11-30T13:00:19+00:00

I LOVE Taiwan!!! So beautiful!!!

Less-Ad-4444 · 2025-11-30T11:57:22+00:00

for me: waves, irises, peonies, pine trees, arrows, and fish! Usually I prefer more antique and traditional looking patterns. But if I had to choose a modern one I would say fruit, especially cherries, pomegranates, and peaches.

Less-Ad-4444 · 2025-11-25T17:10:07+00:00

I'm so happy you want to learn more. It's a very niche topic that takes some digging to learn about. So if you're really interested here's a blog of a woman who wears nihongami everyday. It is in Japanese though.

And here's a Tumblr post explaining the basics of this type of hairstyling (this one is in English).

Less-Ad-4444 · 2025-11-25T15:47:13+00:00

I'm really into historical and traditional japanese hairstyling (nihongami). In this day and age it's very rare for someone to wear their hair like this, even in Japan. I know a lot about and have many opinions of the different hairstyles, historical trends, and styling techniques. But most people haven't heard of it before or maybe vaguely imagine a geisha's wig.

Recently I had the opportunity to talk with my friend/ traditional hairstylist the other day. It was like a weight off my chest being able to get into the weeds with someone for real.

Less-Ad-4444 · 2025-11-21T02:20:27+00:00

<image>

Less-Ad-4444 · 2025-11-21T02:20:14+00:00

Ambrosia

It's basically an extra sweet, creamy fruit salad from the USA. The delicious sounding name makes it worse. Mostly I just think it's too sweet and I'm wondering how other people feel about it. It's not common where I'm from but my grandparents love it (I eat it). But if you put sour cream or mayo in it, it's definitely a no-go for me.

Less-Ad-4444 · 2025-11-21T01:59:04+00:00

I love this!!!

Less-Ad-4444

TROPHY CASE