Anna's in the Newspaper!

The Kyoto Shimbun ("Kyoto Newspaper") ran an article the other day on the Kimono-Wearing Contest I mentioned a few days ago. It mentions the news about Anna's victory (along with the other winners), which also caused her name to appear in Japanese on Yahoo's search engine for the first time.

I will try to get a copy of the actual printed newspaper article for posterity's sake, and will post a scan here when I can. Here's my translation of the article, for starters:

Speedily and beautifully-worn Japanese clothing provokes admiration and wonder at the Kyoto Kaikan's "Kimono Contest"

At the Kimono Wearing Contest, the entrants competed to see how beautifully they could put on their kimonos (Kyoto Kaikan, Sagyō-ku, Kyoto City)

　The Kansai Regional Finals of the All Japan Kimono Dressing Contest and a Kimono Festival were held at on the fourth of December at Kyoto Kaikan in Sagyō-ku, Kyoto City, to see who could put on kimonos most beautifully and quickly. The reaction [from the crowd] in response to the participants' graceful, deft performances was one of admiration.

　The contest, which is sponsored by the All Japan Association of Kimono Consultants, had its 34th anniversary this year. It has been six years since the last time the contest was held in Kyoto. This year, about 160 competitors from all over Kansai appeared, divided up into seven categories, including divisions for furisode, tomesode, men, and foreigners.

　The marking criteria included the finishing touches and [aesthetic] sensibility with which the kimono is put on, one's behavior, etc. The competition began with the entrants having only draped the kimono itself on, and tied and put on the obi without looking at a mirror. Their speedy preparation drew a large applause from the visitors in the audience.

　The coveted top-spot of the women's divisions, the "Kimono-Wearing Queen," was won by Yoshiko Ohtuka (22), of Shirahama Town, Hyōgo Prefecture. The top-finishing winners of each division will appear in the World Championship to be held in April of next year.

　The other winners were as follows (only the first-place winners are mentioned; honorifics have been abbreviated):

　Associate Queen: Tomoko Tamura, Hiroko Higuchi, Satomi Iwasaki; Furisode Division: Yuka Yokoyama; Tomesode Division: Akiko Matui; Casual Division: Chikako Nishimura; Men's Division: Akira Nago; Foreigner's Division: Anna Dypold; School Competition Division: Kyoto Women's University and Junior College