Kimono Style | Living and Working, Wearing and Sharing All Things Japanese

Ohkanda Riki has been living in Japan for almost 25 years and working in the media industry for over 20. I knew her as PaprikaGirl on Instagram and X. Attracted by the girl in kimono who always reminds me online of seasonal somethings, I was pleased when she asked to meet. And I’m excited to share her unusual story.

Of Hungarian extraction, Ohkanda was born in the United States. However, due to her father’s work, she spent her childhood years living in various countries in the European Union. As a curious child, she enjoyed these moves and learning about different countries and languages.

She ended up graduating from an American high school in Budapest and then returned to the 'States for college. Although clearly, she is artistic and creative, she was studying the philosophy of science. The subject itself is unusual, but while she was studying she felt a bit dissatisfied with her life. Therefore, when a Japanese friend asked her to go to Japan, she began to research whether she could transfer her credits and continue her course of study there.

Finding Life and Love in Japan

That ended up being exactly what Ohkanda did. She found a professor whose work she respected and transferred her credits to a Japanese university to complete her degree. At first, she was studying similar subject matter, but in Japanese. She found herself asking her classmates the meanings of characters on the board. Most helped her willingly, but others, not quite so. Nevertheless, one of those ended up being her husband!

Through her local friends and associates, she was recruited upon graduation to do an assistant director job for a TV show. Since then, Ohkanda has not looked back.

*Ohkanda Riki "PaprikaGirl" at her desk. (©Sheila Cliffe)*

An AD is quite a varied and interesting job. Sometimes she will be looking for costumes, other times working with scripts, or organizing staff and locations. She is the person on the ground who is making things happen.

As this post entails a lot of communicating and liaising with all sorts of different people and organizations, it is an unusual assignment for a non-Japanese. She is freelance but has worked on many movies and with lots of TV companies. If she knows she will be hauling things around she will wear black pants. But more than often, she is wearing kimono. And in her leisure time, she also wears kimono or samue to relax.

*Ohkanda Riki in casual samue. (©Sheila Cliffe)*

Stories of Kimono

What she loves best about her job is the great variety of people that it introduces her to. She gets to meet all kinds of artists, performers, and people with various talents. There is also travel to interesting and unusual locations that the average visitor to Japan never gets to see. For each individual job, she has to study the background of the story, so she is always learning new things.

Ohkanda loves kimono, dance, and tea culture. Her husband’s grandmother was a Kagurazaka geisha and a great lover of kimono. She was very happy that Ohkanda liked kimono, and would regularly send her packages with kimono in them. There was always an explanation included about how they were made, where they came from, or where to wear them.

A Grandmother's Introduction to Dance

In this way, Ohkanda became a kimono fan. This grandmother also showed Ohkanda how to dance. She taught her Sakura Sakura, Iwai Medetai, and other basic Japanese dan c es. Then later in 2007, when working on a project, she became friends with the music composer. He asked her to a party at his house, and she met his wife, who is now her dance teacher.

She has been dancing for about 14 years. Ohkanda believes that dance has helped her to move gracefully when she is wearing a kimono. Ohkanda still studies Japanese dance once a week.

*Prepared for the tea ceremony* (*©Sheila Cliffe)*

Finding the Deeper Meaning of Tea Ceremony

Then one day when she was working in Gion, a tea master from the Chaya saw her in kimono and invited her to an exclusive tea ceremony. All the items used in that ceremony were very special and she learned the stories behind each precious item. The tea ceremony was no longer about bare rooms and a bitter drink with sweets. Instead, it was about centuries-old buildings and implements that could be traced back to shoguns and were given as gifts to important people.

Ohkanda is also very interested in the poetry, literature, and items used in the tea ceremony. Although she has been studying for about ten years, that first meeting with the teacher made a great and lasting impression and started her on this journey.

*Ohkanda Riki "PaprikaGirl" (©Sheila Cliffe)*

Life with the Arts

Ohkanda and her husband enjoy living simply in an old Japanese house. They enjoy human connections rather than things, and they often throw parties where talented people who share a love for Japanese arts can get together and meet each other.

Recently, Ohkanda took an ikebana teacher friend to look for a kimono at a flea market. In all kinds of ways, she looks for opportunities to share Japanese culture. Talking to her over sake or a cup of coffee is such a pleasure. Her enthusiasm for Japanese culture bubbles over naturally. This is also the reason why people follow her account, PaprikaGirl, on X and Instagram.

She opens a door on those subtle aspects of living in Japan that are often overlooked. Her Instagram gives me delicate reminders of those seasons or occasions that I may have begun to take for granted!