Chapter 30

It isn’t every day that a second time hero walks through the portal with a man in tow. Ellen was surprised ... shocked ... when JW brought a fully dressed Japanese male wearing the traditional national costume.

Japanese men’s traditional costume consists of montsuki / haori (a halfcoat which has a family crest, called “mon”, as a decorative element), hakama (a kind of wide trousers worn over the kimono), obi (a traditional sash), tabi socks and shoes, and decorative elements, such as sensu (folding fan) or other.

The main piece in Japanese traditional costume is the kimono – a long robe. This item is the most popular, well-known and most used among people in Japan and other countries. And both men and women use it. But men’s kimono is simpler then women’s. It has 5 pieces + footwear. Also men’s kimonos are made of coarse cloth and usually are not colorful. Men’s kimono is black, brown, dark blue or green; it has few patterns.

Happi coat. It is a kind of traditional Japanese jacket with wide straight sleeves. Happi is usually made of cotton of indigo or brown color. It also has a print of a family crest or nowadays a crest of a shop or other organization (it’s an advertisement and affiliation 2-in-1). Happi coat is worn for different festivals. Adult men use a special undergarment called “fundoshi”. It is a piece of cotton fabric that is tied in a panties-like shape. But today fundoshi isn’t as widespread as it used to be. Modern underwear has replaced it. So, today fundoshi is worn usually to festivals, ceremonies and similar events, not in day-to-day life.

Hanten is a short winter coat. It is another item of traditional Japanese clothing for men and women. It has a thick layer of wadded cotton to warm the body. The collar of hanten is usually made from black sateen.

Japanese male shoes. People wear geta – shoes that have some features of clogs and flip-flops at the same time. They are wooden with thongs made of cloth (leather, rubber etc.) that pass between the big toe and second toe. Tabi socks are often worn with geta. Tabi boots are used by workers. Another Japanese shoes are uwabaki. They are slippers for indoor usage, worn at home or in buildings where street shoes are prohibited. Uwabaki are flexible and easy to take on/off. Also Japanese men use waraji, sandals made of straw rope (rice straw, hemp, cotton threads, palm fibers etc.). Waraji are rather popular among farmers, soldiers and monks, but they are worn even by ordinary people in Japanese towns. With formal kimono men wear zori, flip-flops made of rice straw, hemp, cotton threads, palm fibers, leather, rubber or other material.

WIKI

Ellen understood that the Flintkote portal had been destroyed and a new one takes time. Although, time between parallel universes is fluid and even optional. Still she realized that the short hiatus between visits wasn’t reluctance. JW had been as patient as a randy young man could be. Not very.