Daily Life in Rokugan

Clothing
Peasants' clothes are made of cotton or hemp, while samurai
usually wear silk; other than that, the basic Rokugani
wardrobe varies little. Men wear a fundoshi, a loincloth which
wraps around the stomach and up between the legs, under the
kimono; women's kimono are longer, and usually worn with a
wrap-round underskirt. The cut and width of the sleeves, as
well as the length of the garment, determine the exact style -
this varies from peasant's garb, which is quite snug and often
barely covers the undergarments, to samurai court kimono,
which often trail a foot or more on the floor. Kimono have no
pockets - instead, personal belongings are tucked into the wide
sleeves, or behind the front flap of the garment. Bushi carry a
special cord for fastening up the sleeves of their kimono to
keep them out of the way before going into battle - a skilled
swordsman can do this in seconds. The left side of the kimono
is wrapped over the right - NEVER the other way around.
That's how the dead are dressed. The kimono is secured with
an obi, a band of fabric which is wrapped two or more times
around the waist. Men's obi are narrow and secured with a
simple knot, while women's are wider, often as elaborately
decorated as the kimono itself, and is tied up to form a flat
bundle (or, on formal outfits, a large, elaborate bow) at the
back.
While peasants usually stop with the kimono, and perhaps
cotton leggings or trousers if the weather is cold, samurai
often wear two layered kimono, and a variety of outer
garments as well. Male samurai usually wear a kamishimo,
which is a combination of hakama (wide trousers, similar to a
divided skirt) and a kataginu, a sleeveless, sideless vest which
exaggerates the shoulders. Alternatively, a haori (a short coat)
or a hitatare (a kataginu without the stiffened shoulders, but
with sleeves and a decorative string across the chest) can be
worn with the hakama. The hakama are impractical when
riding, so a samurai going out on horseback usually wears
kobakama, a more close-fitting type of trousers. Many Unicorn
wear these all the time. The daimon, finally, is a huge kimono
with very wide sleeves, decorated with oversized versions of
the wearer's mon in several places, including on the hem of
the sleeves.
In more formal circumstances, high-ranking samurai wear a
kariginu, a long overcoat with a high, round collar and huge
sleeves, which is either worn out or tucked into the hakama.
Those who really wish to impress onlookers with their style
also wear nagabakama, similar to ordinary hakama but with
legs so long that they trail on the floor, making them
extremely difficult to walk in. Needless to say, it is all but
impossible to move quickly in such clothes, at least not without
looking ridiculous; some courtiers claim that the styles were
introduced for that very purpose, to limit outbreaks of
violence in court. Eboshi (cloth caps) or hats are common
accessories for samurai. Peasants often wear simple rice hats
to keep the sun off their faces, or a hachimaki (headband).
Women of high rank wear at least two layers of kimono, and
often an unbelted outer kimono which is worn loose, like a
jacket. This outer garment may be pulled up over the head to
serve as a sunshade or umbrella. Court dress is an even more
elaborate version of the same thing - during some periods,
fashion has demanded that a lady wear no less than twelve
layers of kimono! The neckline of a woman's kimono may be
altered into a high, elaborate collar, or lowered to show a hint
of shoulder or cleavage if the lady wishes to be daring. (Of
course, the outfits of certain Scorpion ladies do more than
hint...) The sleeves are typically larger than a man's.
Onnamusha wear men's clothing while in the field, and often
at other times as well, but there are those (mostly among the
Crane and Phoenix) who wear more traditional outfits on
formal occasions.
The mon of the wearer's clan and family is incorporated into
the design of most clothes, either as a repeated pattern or
embroidered on the back, chest or sleeve.
Footwear for travelers and the lower classes is waraji, straw
sandals. Samurai often wear zori (thonged sandals) instead.
Tabi (split-toed socks) are worn under the sandals. Geta, high
wooden clogs, are worn in bad weather to keep one's feet out
of the mud. At such times, one may also use a paper umbrella
or straw raincoat to keep the rain off.
The Rokugani generally do not wear Western-style jewelry,
such as rings and bracelets. (The Unicorn do, sometimes, but
it hasn't really caught on.) Instead, they wear netsuke;
elaborately carved toggles which are slipped into the obi to
hold up the cord for the inro, a small lacquered box used to
hold objects too small to be tucked into the sleeves. Samurai
women use combs or pins to hold up their elaborate hairstyles.
Peasants usually wear drab colors, since they can't afford
bright dyes. For samurai, formal wear is almost always in clan
colors. Otherwise, young people wear brightly colored clothing
with elaborate patterns, while older people's clothes have
darker, more subdued colors. White is the color of death, and
red the color of birth; during the marriage ceremony, the
bride wears white clothes, which are gradually removed to
reveal a red outfit underneath. This symbolizes her death to
her own family and rebirth into her husband's.
Clothes are made in both winter and summer weights, and
everyone switches from summer to winter wear on the same
calendar date.

Hairstyles and Makeup
Male samurai wear their hair long, and bound up in various
styles. Though the classic style, in which the top of the head is
shaved and the rest of the hair oiled into a queue which is
folded forward over the crown, is popular, there are a
number of other hairstyles. The simplest version is tying the
hair into a knot or ponytail at the back of the head.
Alternatively, the hair is wrapped with a ribbon so that it
sticks out and up, like a brush; with this style, the crown may
or may not be shaved. Many helmets have an opening on the
back of the head through which the hair can be pulled.
Many Crane dye their hair white, in remembrance of the first
Daidoji, while some Lion dye theirs golden. The Dragon
frequently shave their heads entirely, monk-style, and
sometimes decorate their bald pates with tattoos.
Samurai women (and geisha) wear their hair VERY long,
either tied into a foxtail or piled up in elaborate braids and
loops, secured by combs and pins. For a woman, having her
hair cut off is a great mark of shame. Many ladies (and all
geisha) also wear a great deal of makeup, primarily face
powder and rouge. Pale skin is prized, and even peasant
women never expose their faces to the sun if they can help it.
Onnamusha usually braid their hair while in the field, or use a
sleevelike cloth tube with drawstrings at the ends to hold it in
place.

Food
Rice is the absolute staple of the Rokugani diet; it's a rare meal
that doesn't contain rice in some form. In addition, there are
many different kinds of noodles, beans, sweet potatoes, water
chestnuts, seaweed, pickles (vegetables are almost never eaten
fresh), fruit, eggs, fish and shellfish. Because the taxes are
paid in rice, the lower classes frequently eat millet or other
grains instead. The Rokugani equivalents of "fast food", often
eaten on the road, are onigiri (rice balls) and dango (millet
dumplings).
Only the Unicorn eat red meat regularly; the Fivefold Path,
with its ban on killing for food, was not yet universally
popular in Rokugan when they left, and most modern-day
Unicorn still follow the "unclean" ways of their ancestors in
this regard. Samurai of all clans still love to hunt, however,
and fowl makes a pleasant addition to the menu. Some even
hunt boars or deer, though they don't necessarily eat the prey
themselves.
Sake comes in dozens of different varieties, and can be served
warm or cold depending on type. It is drunk from small,
broad cups; in a formal setting, a servant or dining companion
pours the drinks. Only a barbarian would drink sake directly
from the bottle. There are also several kinds of brandy,
shochu (like sake, but much stronger) and uishi, a gaijin
beverage brewed by the Unicorn.
An average meal consists of a bowl of rice, soup, some
seaweed or pickled vegetables, and fish. There are no banquet
halls as such; food is served in whatever room suits the
purpose. Each diner has his own tiny table, and instead of one
large plate or bowl there is a small one for each dish. Soup is
drunk from the bowl. It's considered VERY bad luck to put
your chopsticks in your rice bowl so that they stand up - that's
how it's done when you offer rice to the spirits of the dead.
When passing food to someone else, you should pick it up
with your chopsticks and put it in his bowl, instead of holding
it out for him to take with his chopsticks; that’s how the bones
of the dead are handled after cremation.