However, another man arrived, and as the rabbi introduced me, the man told me I should not wear a kippah. The rabbi intervened, saying that I'm from a different community in America, etc, people practice Judaism differently and such, but the man seemed very upset and I didn't want to cause a confrontation so I just took the kippah off and put it in my bag. The man (Yitzchak) then asked if I wear tefillin. I said no, and he said, "Thank god! When a man wears kippah and tefillin, he has a very direct and powerful connection to ha'shem. If a women were to do that, the connection would be too powerful, you would burst into flames. You would never come back." I thought this was a rather outrageous claim, but I just smiled and nodded, which is how I get out of most awkward situations.
After a while the rabbi's wife arrived and we talked a bit, she was also very nice. Because it was an orthodox service, the women sat behind a mehitzah and just gossiped in Hebrew while the men prayed. The rabbi had a young son of about toddler age and some daughters and a niece who were there too, and they were just running around and playing during the service which was nice and reminded me of how Zippy and I would play during synagogue services. It was quite sweet: during the service, the rabbi was praying with his son sitting on his shoulder and holding hands with one of his daughters. Even though I couldn't participate in the service, it was nice to see and listen to it.
The service was shorter than expected, and afterwards was a meal. Many more people showed up for the meal than the service, which was kind of funny. The congregation was mostly Israeli, with some Japanese converts and two or so Americans. I sat next to this one older Japanese guy who spent around thirty or so minutes complaining to me about the customer service at his credit card company.
After the dinner, which ended around 8:45, I went back to Sannomiya and walked around a bit. Sannomiya is a part of Kobe with lots of bars and restaurants and interesting nightlife, there's always something interesting to do at night. I ended up at a 70s music bar, which was a tiny room about half the size of our kitchen back home. The master was this older Japanese guy with a long ponytail, a giant leopard-print coat, a bright red bedazzled cowboy hat, and cowboy boots. The wall behind the bar counter was comprised of bookshelves which were completely crammed floor to ceiling with records. There were two record turntables, and while one record was playing, the master would find and prep the next record, so that there was no wait between songs.
He asked me what bands I like, so I told him David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, King Crimson, Deep Purple, etc. He nodded, got my drink, and then put on a record of Ziggy Stardust that was some single version I had never heard before. Next were a couple Led Zeppelin songs, and then he put on "In the Wake of Poseidon" by King Crimson! Dad has talked about how records and CDs sound different, but I never really got it until then. There really is a difference!!
It turned out the master is a big King Crimson fan and he has a huge collection of old records! He had this old bootleg of a live performance of Starless/Easy Money from 1974 called Heretic that was incredible. There was only me, the master, and one other guy in the bar, and everyone was nodding their head along to the music and getting really into it. I didn't want to leave, but I had to catch the last train, but I'll definitely be going back again.
The next day was a Christmas event put on by my favorite lolita fashion brand, Innocent World. Innocent World was founded in the early nineties by a fashion designer named Yumi Fujiwara, and she is still the owner and designer to this day. Yumi Fujiwara describes Innocent World as a "new brand of clothing inspired by classical European designs that embodies the ideals of elegance and cuteness but is suitable for young women of the modern era." The clothes are, as she writes, similar to old European fashion, with Victorian and Rococo influences, but with modern accessibility (shorter skirts, shirring panels in the back to accommodate many sizes, less corsets). Many also have prints with cute or classical motifs, such as old cathedrals, roses, stained glass windows, etc.
The event was rather small, I was very lucky that a friend managed to reserve me a spot. There were around fifteen attendees total, everyone decked out in Innocent World. We talked for a bit, had tea, and then were taken in groups of three to meet and talk with Yumi Fujiwara, the designer. I met and talked with some Japanese lolitas as well as my friends from the Kansai comm. Then I was taken to meet Fujiwara-san.
I was really nervous about meeting her since I really admire and respect her. She created her own store and brand when she was in her twenties and in the beginning would sew everything by hand herself. She also does all of the artwork and designs, which is really impressive, considering the intricacy of some of the prints. She was really sweet and kind, and talked with us a bit and then showed us some of the upcoming releases, explaining how she made it and what she was inspired by which was really cool.
After the event finished, we all went and got okonomiyaki, which is sort of like a savory eggy pancake. Then we went to karaoke. Needless to say, lots of Malice Mizer was sung. It was kind of a funny image: around five or so ladies dressed in cute frilly Victorian dresses, singing songs like "Beast of Blood" and headbanging furiously while holding onto our bonnets.
It was a really fun weekend, and I'm looking forward to the next meet this Saturday, an afternoon tea party to celebrate International Lolita Day.
My coord for the Innocent World event
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