ためし５

A summer festival night.
Fireworks bloomed in the sky,
echoing deep within my chest.
Somewhere nearby, insects sang
their cool and gentle chorus,
blending with the soft splash
of water at the fair stalls.
Beneath red lantern light,
my eyes were drawn to her—
a Japanese woman in yukata.

Her sash fluttered in the wind,
moonlight falling on her neckAnd then—
her smile paused time itself.
The line between dream and real
began to blur and fade.
Lit by bursts of fireworks,
her profile seemed to belong
to a world beyond this one,
fleeting, fragile, and beautiful.
I stood there, frozen.

She said nothing, only smiled,
and like mist
in the night,
she faded beyond the lights
of the summer fair.
When the insects’ song returned,
all that remained was a wind
with no warmth,
and a quiet feeling
flickering deep inside me.

On a Summer Festival Night
Lanterns sway like fireflies
in the dusk,
casting golden whispers
on laughing faces.
The scent of grilled sweet corn
and fireworks
drifts through the warm,

Fireworks bloomed in the night,
lighting the maiko’s pale face.
Her powdered neck glowed softly,
like moonlight on still water.
She smiled—
graceful, distant,
as if from another world.
Without a word, she turned,
and vanished into the dark.
What remained was only
the scent of sparklers,
and a quiet echo,
lingering deep inside me.

She sat in silence,
dressed in white,
eyes lowered before the mirror.
The tsunokakushi softly hid
her joy, her fear, her heart.
A quiet breath, deep and slow,
as something stirred inside.
A faint smile touched her lips—
this white was not an end,
but the start of something new.

brief and beautiful as sparklers
in the dark.
On a Summer Festival Night
Lanterns sway
like fireflies in the dusk,
casting golden whispers
on laughing faces.
The scent of grilled sweet corn
and fireworks drifts
through the warm,

A Maiko is a traditional
apprentice
geisha in Kyoto, Japan.
She is typically a young woman
who is training in the
classical Japanese arts such as
traditional dance (nihon-buyo),
music
(especially
playing the shamisen,
a three-stringed instrument),
and the tea ceremony (sado).

Maiko are known for their elegant
and colorful kimono, elaborate
hairstyles decorated with seasonal
hair ornaments (kanzashi),
and their distinctive
white makeup with red
and black accents.

They usually start
their training in
their early teens
and live in an okiya
(a geisha　house),
where they learn from senior geisha
and attend special schools.

Maiko perform at traditional
teahouses (ochaya) and
cultural events,
where they entertain guests
with dance, music,
and conversation.

【Part One: After the Rain】
The rain had already stopped.
The sun still lingered above.
The stones were golden wet.
On the neatly paved path,
a maiko walked gracefully,
her steps light and soft.
Beyond the flower district,
a quiet street lay waiting.
Lanterns began to glow,
casting gentle shadows
across the glistening road.
The town was about to begin.
Just before the noise and light,
a moment of hush remained.
A sacred breath of calm.
She was ready for the night.
Hair, kimono, even fingertips—
everything, perfectly done.
And yet on her back drifted
a trace of tender youthfulness.
cultural heritage.

Unlike full geisha
(geiko in Kyoto dialect),
maiko wear more colorful
and decorative outfits
and have a more youthful,
lively appearance.

It was a summer festival night.
Lanterns swayed gently in the dark.
I stood in the middle of the crowd.
Then I saw her.
A Japanese woman
in a beautiful yukata
smiled softly at me.
At that moment,
fireworks bloomed in the night sky,
coloring everything
with bright light.
Her smile, the fireworks,
the yukata—
they all became one,

and time felt like it stopped.
But something was wrong.
I felt a strange unease in my heart.
There was no warmth from her.
She was there—but
I couldn’t feel her.
I looked again.Moonlight
shone on her neck. Her skin was
too smooth,shining like metal.
It wasn’t human.

It looked like a machine’s armor.
I couldn’t speak.She said nothing,
just smiled,
and faded into the dark.
Her yukata disappeared
into the night,
fireworks faded from the sky,
and what remained in mewas
a quiet fear
and a feeling I’ll never forget.