Cosplay

Well, this is something you probably thought you would never see on this blog, and it is something that surprises me too. Cosplay!

Last week I went up to Enchoen, a huge Chinese garden in Tottori, and when I walked in I was surprised to see lots of kids dressed up in cosplay. Apparently I had stumbled in to the 11th Annual Pan-Asian Cosplay Competition.

There were kids from China, Taiwan, Korea, Thailand, and of course Japan. They all had tons of high-end camera equipment and spent their time posing and shooting....

I dont read manga nor watch anime, so I have absolutely no idea who any of these characters are...

Fake maiko.

These 2 young ladies in Gion were being photographed by a whole gaggle of foreign tourists who most probably believed they were seeing maiko or geisha.

In fact the 2 women were customers of one of the many "Maiko make-over" shops that are in Gion.

With prices ranging from 6,000 up to more than 40,000 yen. you can get made up and wear the costume and then wander around Gion.

So, how can you tell they are fake?

A simple rule of thumb is that if it is the daytime, then almost certainly they are cosplayers. Another thing to look for is how they walk. Very few non-maiko will be able to walk in the correct maiko way. The bags they carry and how they lift the kimono are also give-aways.