I'm an American journalist and former senior editor on the staff of NPR's "All Things Considered." I spent last year in Japan on a Fulbright grant. I became interested in looking at Japan through the prism of the kimono, and I've been trying -- so far without much success -- to find a single kimono that has a compelling story behind it -- a kimono that may have defined a family over the generations; a kimono that somehow touched its owners in some poetic, life-altering manner; a kimono whose story reveals something important about Japan.
When I was in Japan, I became addicted to the drama Chiritotechin. My Japanese is pretty poor, but my wife is Japanese and she did simultaneous interpretation, allowing me to get the drift of what was transpiring.
I'm wondering whether you might know of some compelling kimono in the rakugo world, a kimono whose story I might report on. I'd be most grateful for any assistance or advice you can offer. I do my reporting in Japan with the assistance of able interpreters, so language is not a prohibitive obstacle.
By the way, I will be in Japan beginning mid-June for at least 3 weeks. I'm hoping to be able to begin to conduct interviews at that time.