1784
Ryo Shinyo was fixing his broken sandal in front of Midori Tamaki’s house. Despite being in love with each other, the young temple priest ignored the wealthy girl’s help because of their different social class.
1790
An adult geisha, Midori found a bouquet of suisen (Daffodil flowers) on her doorstep and yearned to her childhood when she often played with yellow bamboos. That morning, Shin left on a distant journey to the South East. Both have never confessed their love to each other.
1912
Kusno Sosrodihardjo was rushing out of Europeesche Lagere School towards a young girl carrying a paper umbrella. The girl carried his school bag as the two walked on a warm Mojokerto pathway.
1942
The Japanese drove away the Dutch and invaded Indonesia, starting a three years occupation in the archipelago.
1945
Early afternoon in a house of a Japanese rear-admiral, Kusno read the proclamation of independence and marked the birth of the country.
1947
Kusno’s book titled Sarinah was published and twenty years later, he officialised a shopping center of the same name.
2009
Angki Purbandono installed his work titled Sarinah: Nameless on a billboard in front of the shopping center as part of Jakarta Biennale XIII
2011
Fashioned as a wealthy yet regretful old lady, Katy Perry gently keep away a pair of high heels in her music video for The One That Got Away.
2012
Louis Vuitton unveiled its Yayoi Kusama collection as a collaboration between the artist and its creative director, Marc Jacobs. In one of the promotional videos, Kusama said, “Let’s go and see our boyfriends in high heels.” and she added, “I, in high heels. Love forever.”
2013
Katy Perry’s geisha performance at the American Music Awards was heavily criticized for putting on a kimono which was culturally inaccurate.