The way this image was shot an also the words accompanying it in the caption provided with the photo suggest that this area is essentially untouched by humans and technology. This lends to the myth of Japan as very old-fashioned, and extremely focused on nature.
This image also shows a romanticized view of Japan. The ladies are dressed in draping kimonos, and the folds of the fabric are quite evident. The one woman who is purring on the obi is also not placing that much tension on the fabric in order to put it on.
Your picture with the women dressing is really interesting because of the obi. I didn't think about it when I first saw the image, but you're completely correct. Especially for kimono of the time, a loose obi would mean her clothes would fall off. I kind of wonder why the other woman isn't tying it for her since the knot goes in the back.
ReplyDeleteThe first photograph is really pretty. I can see how it is used to connote a healthy relationship between humankind and nature.
ReplyDeleteI don't really know what's going on in the second picture. The woman on the left seems like she could be an assistant to the woman on the right. Both women seem to be of a higher class because of the quality of their kimonos. This photo, like most others, though, seems staged in order to portray some sort of Japaneseness.