Oh, the times!

Saturday was a very fun day!
There was the rice harvest festival in Hosoi! We talked and danced by the fire to the sound of the wind splashing the river against the bank.

Anneso, Sooki, Makoto and a fellow dancer.

We danced too! And then, we had a Sampan race! At first Anneso-han and Makoto-han and I grabbed a boat! At first Mako-han and I rode but Anneso-han was having touble... SO I TOOK THE REINS! ...Or rather... The paddle.

CRAZY ASIAN DRIVER! That is what Mako-han said. Crazy or not, I won the Sampan race!!

Tomohana-Neehan no Misedashi began at 7. I joined my Oneehantachi along with Kiyomi-chan as we watched everyone prepare for the big event!
At 7, I went to the Ochaya with Okaahan and began holding the door open and greeting the patrons that arrived. One by one, the Ochaya filled up!
Tomohana-neehan was displayed like a doll. She danced in the middle during the performance. It is so amazing to see all the Maiko and Minarai of Mitsuhana dancing at once.
Tomohana-neehan is a Maiko now. No longer is she restricted to the brightness of the Minarai's kimono. She may wear the full length of a darari obi rather than a minarai's short obi.
Where a Minarai wears slightly shorter sleeves, the Maiko's sleeves are down past her knees. The lovely swinging furisode attract the eyes to the lovely hues she wears as they flow when she dances.

Mamehana, Tomohana and Chisaki of Mitsuhana Okiya

When a Maiko debuts to a Geiko, she gets shorter sleeves so that her well practiced dance movements can be seen more dramatically. As a Minarai and as a young maiko, she will paint her lower lip. In the old days, a Wareshinobu was worn untill a girl was no longer a virgin, when she took the Ofuku hairstyle. Nowadays, as culture has changed this isn't really anyones business whether or not a Maiko has had her first sexual experience, which makes prostitution or mizuage absolutely unnecessary. So, nowadays, the Ofuku is changed as the girl advances in her studies. When a Maiko wears an Ofuku, She paints both her upper and lower lip. The obiage that used to be worn over the obi is now tucked in with the elegantness of a Geiko. Less pink is used in her make up and she uses less kanzashi than before. The younger maiko will wear a heavily embroidered red collar while the senior maiko's collar will progressively become more and more white untill she turns her collar and becomes a Geiko in a ritual we call Eri Kae.
Maiko are very colrful and made too look childish and doll like, as are minarai. They wear okobo that go "Kop Klop Kop Klop." Sometimes for added cuteness, a Maiko will put a bell or two in her okobo. 

The night ended with two performances by Tomohana-neehan, Okaahan playing the shamisen and the Gion Kouta- Gion's song!
Afterwards Kiyomi-chan and I had to clean up. It was scary by the lake so late at night, and we were tired but we managed to straighten the place up good.
When I returned to the Okiya, Okaahan congratulated me on getting noticed. ^^ It is true I was mentioned a few times in conversation, I was very happy to hear that she believes many people are also looking forward to my debut.
Afterwards, when I was painting my Imoutotachi asked me to come pose. We chose a pose and snapped away!

Candhi, Kiyomi and Sooki.

Last night, there was a second ozashiki in which I helped alone. No other shikomi were there to Aid me. There is a little Fox patron that I have come familliar with named Spot-sama.  My older sisters call him Oniisan so I guess he must be well known, and likely, a regular! ^^
Spot-sama, is a fox of mystery. He appears to like girls, sake and people's shoes. Why does he like stinky shoes? I don't know. My older sisters told me he was a wild animal. When my sisters rose to perform he tried to take the shoes off the rack to eat!
Luckily! I was there to protect the shoes in all their glory, as we do need some way to walk home tonight and wearing tabi alone while hailing a Jinrikisha is so unbecoming! However, as I held the shoes from the little fox I did feel bad. He only wanted a snack. I resolved in my head by deciding to give him my old shoes when I grow out of them.