Fifteen years ago, I arrived in Japan with a suitcase full of dreams and not much else. I knew almost nothing of the language, even less of the cultural codes, and had only a vague idea of how long I would actually stay.

As it turns out, 15 years go by pretty fast.

I’ve experienced so much since then. I’ve danced in local summer festivals, worn kimono for ceremonies I once only saw in movies, and slowly, layer by layer, built a life here that feels strangely — beautifully — like my own. Japan, with all its seasons and silences, became home in ways I couldn’t have planned for.

But despite all of that... I still mess up. Regularly. Often with just enough flair to remind myself: “Ah yes, you are still an outsider.”

Here are a few of my greatest hits:

• Shinjuku Station? I somehow keep convincing myself I’ve mastered it. And yet, I still end up at the wrong platform, walking in tight circles, muttering “this is impossible” under my breath.

• Going cashless like a Tokyo local… until I have to awkwardly ask the table next to me at a café if they can sell me ¥1000 via PayPay. (Bless them, they did.)

• Boarding the right train, in the wrong kind. Because in Japan, a train can go in the right direction… and still skip your stop entirely.

• Sunburn at Izu Beach in September. Every year, I underestimate the Japanese sun. Every year, the sun wins.

Even after 15 years, these small embarrassments make me laugh. They remind me how deep — and how delightful — the culture here can be. Living in Japan is like learning a language you’ll never fully finish. But that’s also part of the charm, isn’t it?

What I’ve gained over these years goes far beyond what can be photographed or posted. It’s in the gentle nods from neighbors, the seasonal greetings at the post office, the tiny shrines on street corners I pass every day and still sometimes stop at.

It’s also in the friendships — both old and new — that carried me through hard winters and hot summers. Some of you have been part of this journey from the very beginning, others I’ve met along the way. Either way, I’m grateful beyond words.

To Japan — thank you for these 15 years. To everyone who has been part of it — thank you, truly. Here's to whatever comes next. ✨

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👘 15 years of kimono memories
🫶 One heart, very full

Finally, please note that this is oiran cosplay and not necessarily an exact depiction of how oiran were dressed. If you're interested in the real thing please check out this post where I've written about my experience as the first foreigner participating as an oiran in the Tsubame Sakura festival.

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• All blogposts from Tokyo
• All blogposts from the Tsubame Sakura Matsuri
• Elected as Oiran for the Tsubame Sakura Festival! 第74回 分水おいらん道中のおいらん役に！
• The Tsubame Sakura Matsuri: Cherry Blossom PR & Last Minute Preparations
• Behind the Scene of the Tsubame Sakura Matsuri Festival - The Oiran Dochu
• Geisha vs. Oiran: The Characteristics of the Japanese Courtesans
• Try it yourself: An Oiran (花魁) Cosplay Experience in Japan
• All blogposts about Festivals
• Fukumusume: Behind the scene of the Touka Ebisu Festival

I looked deep into his eyes, and he looked back at me. I was beautifully dressed up in a Japanese wedding-kimono with vivid colors, and flowers in my hair. Both of us were smiling broadly, and to a stranger it would seem like we were very much in love.
But I had never seen this guy before in my life..

The whole thing started a couple of weeks ago, when my friend Dan told me that he had a friend looking for somebody who could help him and his company, Kyoto Weddings, with a photo shot. More precisely, they were looking for westerners who could do some modeling for a bridal shot they would use to market the company on their homepage. I thought it sounded like a fun experience, so I didn't wait long with sending an email to the friend, Eric, telling him that I would love to help out. I was over myself with excitement when I got a replay saying that they wanted me to do the job. It was the beginning of April, and this time of the year is famous among both Japanese as well as foreigners for the pretty sakura (cherry blossoms) that are in full bloom in Japan, usually in the month's first couple of weeks. In other words, being a wedding model in Japan in April must be one of the coolest experiences a student in Japan could possibly get.

Photo shoot in a traditional Japanese room

A couple of weeks later I met up at Kyoto Wedding's main office in downtown Kyoto, ready to be styled up. The professional team was ready for action, and before I knew it they had fixed my hair, done my make-up and even dressed me up in the stylish wedding-kimono. I almost felt unrecognizable in the pretty kimono and with the flowers in my hair; I was like a little porcelain doll. I'm still amazed by how fast everything was done.. If I should have fixed all that myself it would surly have taken all day and still not look half as good. After the styling was finished the work of the day started with photos taken in the studio's traditional Japanese room.
After a little while I was joined by my groom-for-the-day; a tall and handsome-looking guy who turned out to be Swedish. Although it was a bit awkward doing romantic photo shootings with a guy I hadn't even met before, it turned out to be quite a funny experience after all. I guess it helped a bit that he was Swedish too, as it felt more comfortable being able to communicate in our own language (Swedish and Norwegian is actually pretty close, so unless you use a very strange dialect the other person will usually have few problems understanding what you are saying). That made the situation more relaxed, and adding that Marcus was a really funny guy he turned out to be a really great match as a one-day groom. Haha..

Me and my Swedish groom-for-the-day

After about an hour of photo-shooting in the studio we were escorted out of the building, where a special wedding limousine was waiting for us. Here you might think that a Japanese wedding limousine is like any other limousine, but there are in fact 3 features that are special to a Japanese bridal car, according to the description from Kyoto Wedding's blog:

Ready for more photographing in the Japanese wedding limousine

From Kyoto Wedding's studio we drove towards an area in Kyoto called Gion (祇園), which among other things is famous for its traditional Japanese streets. This, and other places in the east part of Kyoto, was where we were going to do the photo shooting of the day, and with the cherry blossoms blooming and a light layer of clouds in the sky the setting was perfect for getting good pictures.
Walking down the streets of Gion it seemed like we had become celebrities in just a couple of minutes. We were basically stalked around by a group of people who wanted to take our photos, and this group mainly consisted of Japanese ladies in their 60s. It was quite funny, but embarrassing at the same time, when some of the local ladies asked our crew if we actually had gotten married, and they answered yes. Which resulted in a lot of congratulations from the viewers. If it weren't for the make-up on my face I would have been red as a tomato right then and there..
Also, we weren't the only couple walking around in Gion getting their wedding photos taken that day. There was a Japanese couple there too (probably not a fake wedding like ours), but with us around it didn't seem like they got a lot of attention at all. Which kinda made me feel a bit sorry for them, since they were the ones who actually was celebrating their wedding day.. I guess the people in Gion found it more amusing with foreigners dressed up in kimono than the real Japanese bridal couple..?

On the bridge on the way to the Heian Jingu-shrine

We went around taking photos for a couple of hours before ending the day with a quick lunch back at the studio. It was a bit sad having to leave the pretty kimono behind and going back to my normal "boring" clothes. I had a really fun day being a bridal model for Kyoto Weddings, and this is definitely one of the most memorable experiences I have had during my almost two years in Japan. In the future I'll hopefully have the chance to get married for real, and if the wedding is going to be in Japan then I have no doubt about who I'm going to contact..

Thanks again to Kyoto Weddings for a fantastic day, and not to mention the beautiful pictures!

My groom-for-the-day Marcus and our team from Kyoto Weddings

More info about Kyoto Weddings and their services can be found at their webpage.!

• All blogposts about wedding
• How to make a Japanese Wedding Profile Video (プロフィールビデオ)
• Happy Wedding: Reusing my Mom's Old Wedding Dress
• White Pigeon Wedding Modeling in Kyoto! 
• Modeling for Kyoto Weddings: My Japanese Wedding, or the day I (Almost) Married a Stranger

Getting ready for kimono!

Larissa gets help with her kimono

Both of us all dressed up! Yay!

Almost done!

Photo time!

Some of the kimonos you might end up wearing if you join the kimono-club

It was really nice to try out the kimono-club, and the members were friendly too. We did feel welcome, and I would have liked to continuing going to the club if it weren't for my shoulder. I haven't really decided what to do yet, but I do think that I'll have problems putting the kimono on because the movement of my arm still is quite limited x(
Anyway, it seems like a good club! If you become able to put on the kimono by yourself they might even let you lend the kimono some time! Would be nice for instance if you want to walk around in Kyoto in kimono, wear kimono at a hanami or something like that^^..


Some more facts about the kimono-club:
Membership: 6000 yen for a year
Meetings: Every Wednesday
Contact information can be found on Ritsumeikan's home page!

The Imamiya Ebisu Jinja shrine (今宮戎神社) in Osaka, where the Tōka-Ebisu Festival (十日戎) takes place

In the end of last year I was elected as one of 50 girls (out of almost 3000 applicants) to serve as a shrine maiden in the Imamiya Ebisu Jinja - shrine in Osaka during the famous Tōka Ebisu Festival which is being held from the 9th until the 11th of January. But it didn't end there. In fact, out of the 50 elected girls there was another round of competition where I was among the 4 girls who got the honor of representing the Fuku Musume girls as a so-called Fukumusume Daihyo (福娘代表, meaning Fukumusume Representative).

Me in front of a Tōka-Ebisu poster

Just being elected as a Fuku Musume in itelf is however a great honor, so you can imagine I was happy..! The Tōka-Ebisu festival is one of the most famous festivals in Osaka, and it attracts as many as a million visitors each year. Not too surprising, considering that the festival has been celebrated more or less annually since the Edo-period (Between the 17th and 19th Century).
In this blogpost I'm going to write about my experiences during the Tōka-Ebisu Festival.

Some of the items being sold at the festival

Visitors coming to buy lucky charms

Stands outside the shrine area selling lucky items

Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel

Superhotel Lohas Honmachi

Khaosan World Namba

The St. Regis Osaka Hotel

• All blogposts from Osaka
• All blogposts about Fukumusume
• I'm gonna be a Fuku Musume (福娘)!
• 第６０回福娘発表会 The Daihyou Fuku Musume-Election
• Hair Ornaments for Fuku Musume
• Fuku Musume (福娘): Behind the Scene of Osaka's Touka Ebisu Festival (十日戎)
• Day 1 of the Tōka-Ebisu Festival!
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• Fuku Musume (福娘): The Children's Ebisu Festival 子供戎祭
• Working as a Fukumusume (福娘): The Tōka Ebisu Festival (十日戎) 2013
• Fukumusume (福娘): Working at the Tōka Ebisu Festival (十日戎) 2015
• 第１５回Fuku Musume 同窓会 in Osaka!
• 商売繁盛で笹持ってこい！Behind the scene of the Toka Ebisu Festival 2016

• All blogposts from Japan