Kyoto of the 1930s and the 1980s

 by Mary Harrsch © 2025

I happen to see this interesting video about the Japanese artist Toshi Yoshida entitled "Walking through Kyoto in the 1930s" showcasing his paintings:

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Kyoto in 1982. Even though western-style dress was widely accepted, I still saw older people wearing traditional clothing. At one temple I asked an elderly gentleman who was walking with his granddaughter If I could take his picture and he agreed. He was dressed in a dark navy blue (known as "kon-iro") montsuki kimono (formal winter kimono) with hakama (divided skirt-like pants) for formal occasions.) His granddaughter, though, was wearing western-style T-shirt and shorts.

Here is my picture of the Japanese grandfather and his granddaughter feeding the pigeons at a temple in Kyoto in October 1982. I was the only female member of the first alfalfa products trade team to Japan and Korea. We had a day off so I caught the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto and spent a wonderful day there. I took one of those tours that took me to a number of temples so I'm not sure which one this was although it could have been Kiyomizudera (Pure Water Temple) as I faintly remember a fountain with an ornate dragon.

Grandfather and granddaughter feeding pigeons at a temple in Kyota in October 1982. 

I uploaded my picture to ClaudeAI and it observed:

"Given the timing (October) and color (dark navy blue), this was most likely a montsuki kimono or a formal winter kimono. Since you mention it was an elderly gentleman, it makes even more sense as older Japanese men were more likely to wear traditional formal attire in the 1980s.

The dark navy color (known as "kon-iro" in Japanese) is a traditional, dignified choice that was and still is very common for men's formal kimonos. October in Japan is moving into cooler weather, so it would have been appropriate to wear a lined silk kimono rather than a lighter summer yukata.

What's particularly interesting about your timing - 1982 was a period when traditional kimono wearing was already becoming less common in everyday life in Japan, so capturing that image of an elderly gentleman in traditional dress would have documented an important cultural moment.

Men's traditional Japanese clothing can be called kimono, though there are some specific terms and distinctions worth noting:

The general term "kimono" (着物) applies to both men's and women's traditional garments. However, men's kimonos tend to be more subdued in color and pattern compared to women's, and they're typically worn with hakama (袴, divided skirt-like pants) for formal occasions.

Some specific types of men's kimono include:

Montsuki - A formal black kimono with family crests

Haori - A hip-length jacket worn over the kimono

Yukata - A casual, unlined summer kimono typically made of cotton

The way of wearing a kimono also differs between men and women. Men's kimonos have shorter sleeves, and the obi (belt) is tied differently and is much simpler than women's elaborate obi styles.

Contacting your Congressional legislators urging them to stop Executive Overreach

 As a retired faculty member of the University of Oregon and a voter for the past 57 years, I remain committed to our democratic system, where all citizens are treated with equality and respect under the rule of law. However, after weeks of chaos and blatant constitutional violations by the executive branch, I am deeply concerned by Congress’s lack of action in restoring its legislative authority, particularly over national security, financial oversight, and civil service protections.

So I worked with artificial intelligence tools to develop a list of specific actions Congress can take to restore its constitutional role and block harmful overreach by the executive branch. I sent this to my senators and Congresswoman but I could not send letters to anyone else's representatives because their online contact form will not let you proceed when it verifies your address. So I'm sharing my letter here and urging you all to feel free to use it or any part of it to contact your representatives. The letter mentions legal actions your state Attorney Generals can take too, so you can copy and paste those sections and send them to your state AGs as well.

Dear [Legislator’s Name],

I remain committed to our democratic system, where all citizens are treated with equality and respect under the rule of law. However, after weeks of chaos and blatant constitutional violations by the executive branch, I am deeply concerned by Congress’s lack of action in restoring its legislative authority, particularly over national security, financial oversight, and civil service protections.

Below, I outline specific actions Congress can take to restore its constitutional role and block harmful overreach by the executive branch.

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1. Block Unauthorized Access to Government Records

Legislative Actions:

• Introduce/co-sponsor bills strengthening penalties for unauthorized access.
• Improve security clearance procedures via amendments to the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA).
• Include provisions in appropriations bills mandating enhanced security protocols.

Oversight Powers:

• Call emergency hearings in the House Financial Services or Senate Banking Committees.
• Request investigations by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
• Demand briefings from agency heads regarding security clearance compliance.

Administrative Pressure:

• Write formal letters demanding explanations from agency heads.
• Request Inspector General (IG) investigations into specific breaches.
• Push for immediate implementation of stricter access controls.

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2. Prevent Unsubstantiated Executive-Imposed Tariffs

Legislative Actions:

• Pass bills revoking/restricting presidential tariff authority under Section 232 and Section 301 of trade laws.
• Amend trade laws to require congressional approval for specific tariff actions.
• Restrict funds for tariff implementation through appropriations bills.

Oversight & Judicial Engagement:

• Hold hearings documenting economic/security impacts via Ways & Means and Senate Finance Committees.
• File amicus briefs supporting state/business litigation against harmful tariffs.
• Encourage state attorneys general (AGs) to challenge tariffs that disproportionately impact state economies.

Key Legal Precedents:

• Massachusetts v. EPA (2007) – State standing in federal cases.
• Wyoming v. Oklahoma (1992) – Economic harm as grounds for legal action.
• Administrative Procedure Act – Challenge inadequate cost-benefit analyses.

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3. Restore Critical Public Communications from Federal Agencies

Legislative & Oversight Actions:

• Mandate public health and safety disclosures from the CDC, NTSB, FAA, NOAA, EPA, and FDA, ensuring that such information is made publicly available to all news outlets and not restricted to any single platform.
• Use appropriations bills to condition funding on transparency.
• Request GAO investigations into communication restrictions.

State-Level & Administrative Options:

• Ensure State health departments can maintain independent reporting.
• Ensure Federal employees can use whistleblower protections to report suppression.
• Invoke Scientific Integrity Policies to protect public information access. These existing policies ensure that government scientists can conduct and share research free from political interference, safeguarding transparency in public health, environmental data, and safety regulations. Key policies include the White House OSTP Memorandum (2021), 42 CFR Part 93 (Public Health Service Policies on Research Misconduct), EPA Order 3120.5 (EPA Scientific Integrity Policy), NAO 202-735D (NOAA Scientific Integrity Policy), and 305 DM 3 (Department of the Interior Scientific Integrity Policy). These policies ensure that government scientists can conduct and share research free from political interference, safeguarding transparency in public health, environmental data, and safety regulations.

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4. Protect Civil Servants from Unlawful Termination

Congressional Oversight:

• Call emergency hearings, subpoena agency heads.
• Demand IG reviews of federal personnel actions.

Legislative Actions:

• Strengthen whistleblower protections through new legislation.
• Add job security provisions in appropriations bills.
• File amicus briefs supporting civil servant lawsuits.

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5. Limit the President’s Military Authority

Strengthen the War Powers Resolution of 1973:

• Require automatic funding cutoffs for unauthorized military actions beyond 60 days.
• Define "imminent threat" more explicitly to limit unilateral executive decisions.
• Eliminate loopholes allowing broad interpretations of military authority.

Restrict Military Appropriations:

• Prohibit funding for military operations in specific regions unless approved by Congress.
• Attach "sunset clauses" to military force authorizations.

Judicial & Legislative Actions:

• Allow members of Congress to sue the executive branch over unauthorized military action. If successful the court can issue Injunctive relief ordering cessation of military operations, issue an order freezing unauthorized military expenditures, declare military action unconstitutional and compel executive compliance with statutory requirements.
• Pass laws requiring congressional pre-approval for deployments beyond a certain threshold.

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Conclusion: Upholding Congressional Authority

Congress holds the constitutional power of the purse and the responsibility to check executive overreach. Failure to act now will allow further erosion of legislative power, placing critical national security, economic stability, and civil rights at risk. I urge you to take immediate action using the legislative, oversight, and legal tools outlined above to protect our democratic system.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Contact Information]