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Short short with English summary　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

コスチューム
明治神宮は、東京の中心、新宿・渋谷に接しているが、深山幽谷の趣がある。これが、１００年前には茫漠たる荒野で、現在の森林は、５０年後、１００年後、１５０年後を想定して計画され、若木を植樹されたものだという事には本当に驚かされる。神宮の御苑には菖蒲池がある。年一回の短い期間の花盛りに合わせて、実に丁寧に手入れされている。
私は、今まで何回も菖蒲池を訪れたが、最盛期が短く、その年の天候に敏感に支配されるので、今年初めてタイミングが合った。土曜日で快晴、予想していたとは言え、大変な人込みであった。外国人の数が過去になく多く、これも予期していた通りだ。
神宮本殿脇の参道で人目を惹くコスチュームの若者がいた。話しかけると、タイ国の大学生で、この９月に卒業予定で、コスチュームは、卒業式に着る習わしのものだという。この立ち話をしているところに、自転車で神宮の警備員が近寄ってきた。神聖な境内でコスプレは禁止と言われた。そこで彼のは、卒業式の式服で、日本の場合の角帽・ガウンとか、女子学生の和服・袴・ブーツ姿と対応するものと、今、聞いたばかりの知識で説明した。警備員はそうですかと自転車で走り去った。
浅草の三社祭では、和服・コスプレの華やかな外国人が目立っていた。初夏炎天に合わせた、ノースリーブ・短パンから、長衣・ヴェールの民族衣装。伝統から、機能さらに遊び心。東京の風景も楽しいものになった。いつかは、中近東の街なかも、自由な衣装で、緊張感なく歩きたいものだ。

Costumes
Meiji shrine is in the central area in Tokyo between Shinjuku and Shibuya. When you are in the sanctuary, you feel to be in a deep natural forest. It is difficult to believe the whole area was a wide- open field 100 years ago. The site of the shrine and surrounding garden were totally planned. The exactly chosen young trees were planted so that in 50 years, in 100 years and in 150 years the area would have become a deep forest. A part of the garden is an iris pond, which has been kept very well. Actually, the high season of iris flowers is only once a year and very short.
I have visited the iris pond many times. This year, I could hit the best timing. It was a Saturday, fine weather. There were many visitors as expected. There were many foreigners also as expected.
I met a young man in a bright gown. He was a university student from Thailand going to qualify this September. His costume with a gown was a formal wear for the qualification ceremony. While we were having this short chat, a guard approached us riding a bicycle. He told us no costume play in the sanctuary. I explained him that the young man wore the traditional ceremony gown just as student’s square caps and gowns or girl’s “Kimono and Hakama” at Japanese qualification days. The explanation the young man just had told me. The guard left us quickly on his bicycle.
In Asakusa, Sanja Matsuri festival, there were many young foreign girls in brilliant Kimonos. Today, in Tokyo’s street, we meet many different people in many different costumes. Rather bold sleeveless and shorts, which are functional in Japanese hot humid summer. Some people are in their ethic traditional costumes. Traditional, functional and playful, we can enjoy a lot in Tokyo’s street. One day, hopefully soon, we might walk in the costumes after our free choice and enjoy our promenade in the street of villages and towns in the Middle East without feeling any tension.
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