My Blog's Tenth Anniversary!
On July 14, 2011, I wrote my first post, a short entry about Gion Matsuri.
I am now approaching my 300th post, a little more than ten years later!
A lot has changed in these ten years. In 2011, I was photographing seven maiko and geiko on a regular basis: Yukako, Makiko, Mamehana, Takahina, Tanewaka, Mameharu, and Manaha.
In 2021, I have yet to photograph even a single maiko or geiko. I have to go back 20 years to 2001 since I have not photographed one, and that's because I didn't discover them until 2002!
Of course, much, much more has changed in the world in the last ten years, especially in the last two.
Through all these changes, I have done my best to stay consistent and to keep my promise to publish regularly, first on a weekly basis, and now on a monthly one.
Looking back over these ten years of blogging, two posts stand out to me.
The first, An Empty Room, So Full, is the only post I have written that is not about geiko, maiko, or some other aspect of my photography in Kyoto. It is about the death of my mother in 2017. I think the reason it is important to me is self-evident. My mother’s passing is one of the most important events of my entire life!
The second, The Geisha Teruhina and the Photo I Didn’t Take, is about my early encounters with a geisha as a street photographer and much, much more. If you are a photographer and want to photograph maiko and geiko, this is the post I would read to learn how to do it successfully.
Just last year, I heard from Teruhina, more than ten years after I saw her briefly at the West 4th Street subway station in New York City. Her real name is Akane Imai, and she is a kimono instructor now. She contacted me because she wanted to quote my blog post on her website.
If you are looking to learn how to wear a kimono, I can think of no better teacher than Imai-san. You can follow her on Instagram, and you should also check out her website.
The photograph I’ve posted today is of Momifuku of Ponto-cho as a maiko getting dressed by Yoko, the woman who helped her put on her kimono while she was a maiko. I love Momifuku’s bright yet deep purple kimono and wanted to share the photograph with you. It’s still relatively rare to see a maiko or geiko putting on their makeup or getting dressed, although it is not as rare as it used to be.
As I said, a lot has changed in the last ten years. Including me!
And that’s why I’ve decided that ten is a nice round number. It’s time I pause and take a step back.
This will be my last blog post on the last Sunday of the month every month, maybe for a short time, and maybe forever. I haven’t decided anything besides that it’s time to take a break.
If I do come back, I will be hitting the reset button. After ten years, it’s time to do something different. I’ll let you know what I’ll be doing differently when I know!
I will still be sending out my quarterly newsletter, and that will not change. If you’d like to receive it, you can sign up for my mailing list below.
My message to anyone reading this is, “Thank you, thank you, and thank you.” I am grateful that I have been able to do the photography I have done, been able to write about it, and have people like you to read about it.
I especially appreciate SB and MF and YVDK and others who have been with me since the beginning or close to it and who have commented consistently here. One of the reasons I have enjoyed blogging is that I have always wanted this to be a conversation. I wanted to hear from you, too!
I still do. If any of the almost 300 posts I have written in the past ten years has been meaningful or memorable to you, I’d appreciate if you would comment here or send me a private message. I’d like to know what you’ve liked and why!
I think I have gone on long enough. Maybe too long! I will close with a final thank you, and with the hope that we will encounter each other again, one way or another.
Until then!
John Paul Foster
July 25, 2021