By YURI KAGEYAMA

TOKYO (AP) — The kimono, that elaborate, delicate wrap-around garment worn by geisha and samurai from centuries back, is getting a vibrant remake, appreciated these days for a virtue that’s more relevant than ever: sustainability.

A genuine silk kimono, which literally means “worn thing,” lasts a hundred years or more. In a Japanese family, it’s handed down over generations like heirloom jewelry, artworks and military medals.

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It never goes out of style.

The design of the kimono and accompanying “obi” sash has remained basically the same since the 17th century Edo period depicted in Akira Kurosawa samurai movies.

But today, some people are taking a different creative approach, refashioning the traditional kimono, and also taking apart and resewing them as jackets, dresses and pants.

“I noticed that a lot of beautiful kimono is just sleeping in people’s closets. That’s such a waste,” said Mari Kubo, who heads a kimono-remake business called K’Forward, pronounced “K dash forward.”

Hers is among a recent surge in such services, which also turn old kimono into tote bags and dolls.

The most popular among Kubo’s products are “tomesode,” a type of formal kimono that is black with colorful, embroidered flowers, birds or foliage at the bottom.

She also creates matching sets, or what she calls “set-ups.” A tomesode is turned into a jacket with its long, flowing sleeves intact, and its intricate patterns placed at the center in the back. She then takes a kimono with a matching pattern to create a skirt or pants to go with the top. Sometimes, an obi is used at the collar to add a pop of color.

Kubo said many of her customers are young people who want to enjoy a kimono without the fuss.

A remade kimono at K’Forward can cost as much as $1,000 for a “furisode,” a colorful kimono with long sleeves meant for young unmarried women, while a black tomesode goes for about $160

A woman displays a kimono in Tokyo Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Reuse and recycle

What Tomoko Ohkata loves most about the products she designs using old kimonos is that she doesn’t have to live with a guilty conscience, and instead feels she is helping solve an ecological problem.

“I feel the answer was right there, being handed down from our ancestors,” she said.

FILE – Young adults arrive at a venue to celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day, a centuries-old tradition and national holiday marking the milestone from childhood to adulthood, Jan. 12, 2026, in Yokohama near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

Recycling venues in Japan get thousands of old kimonos a day as people find them stashed away in closets by parents and grandparents. These days, Japanese generally wear kimonos just for special occasions like weddings. Many women prefer to wear a Western-style white wedding dress rather than the kimono, or they wear both.

Many of Ohkata’s clientele are people who have found a kimono at home and want to give it new life. They care about the story behind the kimono, she added.

Her small store in downtown Tokyo displays various dolls, including a figure of an emperor paired with his wife, who are traditionally brought out for display in Japanese homes for the Girls’ Day festival every March 3. Her dolls, however, are exquisitely dressed in recycled kimonos, tailored in tiny sizes to fit the dolls. They sell for $1,600 a pair.

Dolls dressed in miniature kimonos made by designer Tomoko Ohkata from recycled kimonos are pictured in Tokyo, on Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuri Kageyama)

The art of putting on a kimono

The original old-style kimono is also getting rediscovered.

“Unlike the dress, you can arrange it,” says Nao Shimizu, who heads a school in Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto that teaches people how to wear a kimono and how to carry oneself while wearing it.

“In half a year, you can learn how to do it all by yourself,” she said, briskly demonstrating several ways to tie the obi to express different moods, from playful to understated.

Nao Shimizu, representative director of Kimono Sunao Co., Ltd., left, demonstrates various ways of tying an obi on dressing assistant Emiko Terai during a kimono presentation in Tokyo on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Besides its durability, said Shimizu, that versatility also makes the kimono sustainable.

Younger Japanese are taking a more relaxed view, wearing a kimono with boots, for instance, she laughed. Traditionally, kimono is worn with sandals called “zori.”

Although it requires some skill to put on a kimono in the traditional way, one can take lessons from teachers like Shimizu, like learning a musical instrument. Professional help is also available at beauty parlors, hotels and some shops.

Nao Shimizu, Representative Director of Kimono Sunao Co., Ltd., left, demonstrates various ways of tying an obi on Emiko Terai during a kimono presentation in Tokyo on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Most Japanese might wear a kimono just a few times in their lives. But wearing one is a memorable experience.

Sumie Kaneko, a singer who plays the traditional Japanese instruments koto and shamisen, often performs wearing flashy dresses made of recycled kimonos. The idea of sustainability is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, she says, noting that the ivory and animal hide used in her musical instruments are now hard to obtain.

She calls it “the recycling of life.”

Nao Shimizu, representative director of Kimono Sunao Co., Ltd., left, demonstrates various ways of tying an obi on assistant Emiko Terai during a kimono presentation in Tokyo Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

“The performer breathes new life into them,” says the New York-based Kaneko.

“In the same way, a past moment — and those patterns and colors that were once loved — can come back to life.”

Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama

By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

If ever there was liberation to be found in the never-ending grind of nightly meal preparation, it’s got to be the ready-to-go product scorned by some but beloved by many: the supermarket rotisserie chicken.

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Personally, the plump and juicy birds have come to the rescue more times than I care to count in my own kitchen over the years, both as a last-minute main course served with veggies and rice and picked clean to star in chicken salad.

Groceries and warehouse clubs like Sam’s and Costco do flawlessly what many of us struggle to do at home — roast a whole chicken to golden-brown perfection on a rotating spit so that every morsel is cooked evenly and deliciously tender.

Admit it, you’ve torn into one with your finger while standing over the kitchen sink because you just! can’t! wait! to get a taste of that heavenly smelling, rich and flavorful meat, right?

Sure, it might be cheaper to buy a raw broiler and cook it yourself. But do you really want to invest two or three hours to roast a 4- to 6-pound chicken on a busy weeknight when you’ve got a much easier option right at hand? You’re likely at the store anyway trying to figure out something quick and easy, so why not give in to the convenience a precooked bird offers?

That, in a nutshell, is the beauty of a rotisserie chicken. It stands at the ready, hot, fresh and ready to eat. All you need is a carving knife and fork.

Already got that night’s dinner planned? If you pick and pull the meat from the bone — a process that takes about 10 minutes — then shred it or cut it into bite-sized chunks, you’ve got a terrific, cost-effective building block for several meals.

A 3-pound bird at Costco — which yields about 4 cups of meat, depending on how thoroughly you pick it — runs just $4.99, while a 2-pound chicken at Giant Eagle costs $7.99 and will net around 3 cups.

We’ve rustled up five recipes using rotisserie chicken that will make short work of dinner. They include a chili-forward chicken tortilla soup that will take the chill off a cold winter day; chicken enchiladas topped with a spicy roasted poblano sauce; a silky chicken pasta with a sun-dried tomato cream sauce; a tangy Asian chicken salad that gets its crunch from cabbage and also includes fresh citrus; and for fans in search of a quick and easy tailgate nosh for Super Bowl, buffalo chicken pizza balls.

None of them take more than a half-hour to prepare, including prep time, putting dinner on the table in about the same time it takes to watch an episode of my favorite predinner show, “Jeopardy.”

A few tips for choosing a rotisserie chicken:

—Larger is definitely better when picking a precooked bird, so look for one that feels heavy for its size. If it’s plump, it’s going to be moist.

—The skin should be evenly browned, with taut skin. If it’s shriveled, that means it’s been overcooked and lost moisture.

—Always look for a timestamp to see how long it’s been sitting out; a fresh bird will have a steamy package.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

PG tested

This soup is a family favorite. It comes together quickly and is so warm and comforting on a cold winter evening!

You can find ancho chilies in most larger grocery stores and Latin American markets like Reyna Foods in the Strip District. I add sliced tortilla strips to give it more heft and corn flavor.

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

3 ancho chilies, stemmed, seeded and torn into large pieces

1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes

1/2 medium yellow or white onion, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic

8 cups chicken stock or broth

2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded or cubed

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup canola oil, for frying

14 white or yellow corn tortillas, sliced into 1/4 -inch strips

2 avocados, pitted, peeled and cubed

1-2 cups shredded quesadilla or Monterey Jack cheese

2 limes, cut into wedges

Chopped fresh cilantro

Heat 1 tablespoon oil over high heat and fry the torn chili pieces quickly for about 1-2 minutes on each side. Be careful not to burn them or they will have a bitter taste.

Puree fried chilies with tomatoes, onion and garlic in a blender. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a deep pot over high heat.

Add blended ingredients and fry for about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add chicken and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a large skillet, heat canola oil over medium-high heat and fry tortilla strips until lightly browned around the edges, about 45 seconds. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Set out separate bowls along with avocados, cheese, lime and cilantro.

Ladle soup into bowls and top with a handful of tortilla strips. Each person can add avocados, a squeeze of lime juice, cheese and cilantro according to taste.

Serves 6-8.

— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

Enchiladas Pachuquenas

PG tested

If you love salsa verde sauce, you’ll adore this recipe. It comes from the stellar cookbook “Enchiladas: Aztec to Tex Mex” by Cappy Lawton and Chris Waters Dunn (Trinity University Press, $34.95) and hails from Pachuca in Hidalgo. It features a creamy green sauce made with roasted poblanos, peanuts and cream on top of corn tortillas stuffed with shredded rotisserie chicken. Queso fresco, a mild and milky cheese, balances spicy food exceptionally well.

With so many peppers, it sounds like it will be spicy. But it’s only mildly so, since poblanos have a lot less heat than, say, jalapeños.

For filling

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

3/4 cup queso fresco

For sauce

6 poblano chiles, fire roasted, peeled, seeded and deveined, divided

1 medium white onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

1 slice French bread, soaked in 1 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon vegetable oil for frying

1/2 cup heavy cream

Milk or water, for thinning sauce

Kosher salt

For assembly

12 corn tortillas

Vegetable oil

For garnish

Sliced radishes

Shredded iceberg lettuce

Reserved poblano chile, chopped

1/4 cup queso fresco, crumbled

Make filling: Mix shredded chicken with queso fresco and set aside.

Prepare sauce: Place 5 prepared poblano peppers, onion, roasted peanuts and bread with soaking milk in a blender and puree until smooth.

Strain through a medium-mesh strainer.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add poblano puree, reduce heat to medium low and cook 5-8 minutes, or until sauce slightly darkens.

Stir in cream. Taste and season with salt. Gently simmer for a few minutes longer to allow the flavors to meld. Add milk or water as needed to attain a medium sauce consistency. Cover, set aside and keep warm.

Assemble enchiladas: (Have the garnishes ready at hand.) Pour 1/2 inch oil into heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Heat to low frying temperature (about 300 degrees).

Place each tortilla in oil and fry for a few seconds, just long enough to soften. Drain on paper towels.

Dip a softened tortilla in warm sauce. Place 2 tablespoons filling on each tortilla. Fold in half and place, slightly overlapping, on a warm individual plate, 3 enchiladas per serving. Top with more sauce.

Garnish with radishes, lettuce, polano and queso fresco.

Serves 4.

— “Enchiladas: Aztec to Tex-Mex” by Cappy Lawton and Chris Waters Dunn

(Re)marry-Me Chicken Pasta

PG tested

This hearty riff on Marry-Me Chicken is a must-have if you love the rich flavor of sun-dried tomatoes. It’s probably not for the calorie-conscious — it includes both Parmesan and cream — but it will hit the spot if you’re looking for a creamy, rich dish.

I used rigatoni, but any favorite pasta will work.

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

1/2 pound cooked rigatoni or other favorite pasta

Fresh basil, torn, for serving, optional

In skillet over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Stir in garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes.

Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, tomatoes, cream, and Parmesan; season with salt and bring to a simmer.

Add shredded chicken to pan, and toss to combine. Cook over low heat until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Add cooked pasta and stir well to combine. Serve immediately, with additional Parmesan for dusting and torn basil.

Serves 4.

— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

Asian Chicken Salad

PG tested

It can be tough to figure out how to dress up crunchy winter veggies like cabbage. This crisp and tangy salad, which also features winter citrus, is both healthful and satisfying.

I shredded the rotisserie chicken, but you could also cut it into fork-friendly chunks or slice into larger portions. Add the dressing a little at a time to prevent sogginess and be sure to toss gently (I used my hands) so it’s evenly coated.

If you don’t have fresh mandarins, canned is great — just be sure to drain all the juice.

For dressing

2 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons unseasoned rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1-inch knob fresh ginger, finely minced or grated

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For salad

2 cups shredded green cabbage

2 cups shredded red cabbage

1 cup mandarin orange segments

1/2 cup shredded carrot

2 cups chicken shredded rotisserie

3 scallions, finely sliced on the diagonal

For garnish

1 cup fried tortilla strips or chow mein noodles

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Make dressing. In large bowl, whisk together soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, vegetable oil, sugar, ginger, garlic and black pepper until well combined. Set aside while you prepare salad.

In second large bowl, toss together green and red cabbage, orange segments, carrot, chicken and scallions.

Add to bowl with dressing, and toss well to combine. Allow to sit for 10 minutes to allow cabbage to soften.

Garnish with fried tortilla strips and sesame seeds, and serve.

Serves 4.

— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

Buffalo Chicken Pizza Balls

PG tested

These super-easy pizza puffs are filled with that quintessential pregame nosh: Buffalo chicken. If you can cut refrigerated pizza dough into squares, you can make these! A brush of garlic butter before baking adds a savory finish.

1 package refrigerated pizza dough

1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

4 ounces ( 1/2 package) cream cheese, softened

4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 cup blue cheese or ranch dressing

1/4 cup Frank’s RedHot Sauce, or more to taste

For topping

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon fresh parsley

1 clove garlic, finely minced

Generous pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and grease a baking sheet with olive oil or butter.

Roll a package of pizza dough onto the baking sheet and cut into 24 squares.

Prepare chicken dip. In large bowl, mix shredded chicken, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, blue cheese or ranch dressing and Frank’s RedHot until well combined.

Scoop 1 tablespoon of Buffalo dip onto each dough square, then fold the opposite corners to each other so they overlap.

Press the seams together, flip over so the seam is down, and shape gently into a ball.

Combine melted butter, parsley, garlic and salt in a small bowl.

Brush the sauce onto each dough ball. Bake for 10-12 minutes in preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Serve hot, with ranch or blue cheese for dipping.

Makes 24 balls.

— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

©2026 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and DAVID KLEPPER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged Wednesday that some Iranian air attacks may still hit their targets even as he asserted that U.S. military superiority is quickly giving it control of the Islamic Republic’s airspace.

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The U.S. has spared “no expense or capability” to enhance air defense systems to protect American forces and allies in the Middle East, Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon days after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in a war that has widened throughout the region.

“This does not mean we can stop everything, but we ensured that the maximum possible defense and maximum possible force protection was set up before we went on offense,” he said.

The acknowledgement that additional drone or missile strikes in the region could cause damage and harm to troops comes as President Donald Trump and top defense leaders have warned that additional American casualties were expected in a conflict that could last months.

U.S. service members “remain in harm’s way, and we must be clear-eyed that the risk is still high,” Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at the same press conference.

Six soldiers were killed when an Iranian drone strike hit an operations center Sunday in the heart of a civilian port in Kuwait, miles away from the main Army base. The husband of one of the slain soldiers, who was part of a supply and logistics unit based in Iowa, says the center was a shipping container-style building and had no defenses.

Hegseth also signaled a possible longer time frame for the conflict than has previously been floated by the Trump administration, saying it could last eight weeks but that the U.S. has the munitions and the equipment to beat Iran in a war of attrition. He declined to set a specific time range, saying the specific duration of the war would depend on how it unfolds.

“You can say four weeks, but it could be six, it could be eight, it could be three,” he said. “Ultimately, we set the pace and the tempo. The enemy is off balance, and we’re going to keep them off balance.”

More forces continue to arrive in the region, including jet fighters and bombers, Hegseth said, and the U.S. “will take all the time we need to make sure that we succeed.”

Tehran has vowed to completely destroy the Middle East’s military and economic infrastructure — signaling the war was nowhere near over and could expand further.

President Donald Trump said this week the campaign are likely to last four to five weeks but that he was prepared “to go far longer than that.”

Associated Press writers Ben Finley and Meg Kinnard contributed to this report.

By SARA CLINE

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — As people awoke to headlines over the weekend about deadly U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and potential of widening conflict, alerts, social media and conversations at the dining room table were consumed by the news.

While medical experts say it is normal for people to experience stress and anxiety — or feeling that the world descended into chaos overnight — it is important to find coping mechanisms and ways to responsibly take in the news in order to protect one’s mental health.

“Fear, sadness, confusion… these are very normal reactions to very extreme circumstances,” Michael S. Ziffra, a Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine professor and psychiatrist, told The Associated Press. “People shouldn’t feel guilty, or they shouldn’t feel like it’s wrong to feel anxiety. It’s a very normal human response. The key is to know how to manage it.”

Normal feelings

Since 2020 — a year marked by the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, social and political unrest and weather-related disasters — Ziffra said he has “absolutely, without question” seen an uptick in patients bringing up increased anxiety provoked by current news.

Some patients vent, some talk about obsessively scrolling on social media and others discuss feeling helpless and frustrated.

But, psychiatrists say those feelings are absolutely normal and to be expected. In fact, sometimes they can result in something positive — from getting involved in advocacy, joining a social or political organization or just contacting lawmakers.

Other’s may seek to learn more about what is going on. But like with most things in life, moderation is important.

“The problem is, for a lot of people, they just kind of wallow in it. They ruminate and obsess and just sort of stew in it,” Ziffra said.

Consuming distressing news

In today’s world, people are just a click away from learning about practically anything they want — sometimes even less, with a predetermined algorithm on social media pushing posts or alerts on their phone interrupting their day. People have access to 24/7 news cycles and phone cameras can capture, and disseminate, videos and images of disasters within seconds.

For years, Dana Rose Garfin, a psychologist and professor at University of California, Los Angeles, has been studying “cascading collective traumas” and researched how the media’s continuous coverage of COVID increased anxiety. Garfin said the reality is that people don’t consume the news how they used to. Instead of reading a newspaper or flipping on the evening news once a day, people are “much more exposed” to current events.

And as people learn about disasters or breaking news, they become distressed.

“In terms of any kind of crisis, people turn to the media for information. And that’s a very logical, rational and helpful reaction,” Garfin said.

“But, what we’ve seen in our research is there’s this sort of reciprocal effect. An event happens, people learn about it, they turn to the media to learn more about it, and they’re really distressed,” Garfin said, adding that what occurs next is a cycle that people have a hard time removing themselves from. “It sort of activates these processes where then they’re both more distressed and want to know more about this event because they’re distressed.”

Responsibly consuming media

While experts said they understand people’s need to continue to seek out news, there is a way to do it responsibly without becoming overwhelmed and emotionally exhausted. Their top suggestion was to eliminate or cut down on social media and obsessive “doomscrolling.”

“I don’t immerse myself in social media, and that’s a very conscious decision on my part to protect my own mental, and physical, health,” said Roxane Cohen Silver, a psychologist at the University of California, Irvine, and who co-authored the study with Garfin. She specifically raised concerns about graphic images and video that quickly circulate on social media that can cause distress and long-term anxiety when seen repeatedly.

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“I think that one can stay informed without immersing oneself in graphic images,” she said.

Garfin suggested finding more “enjoyable” ways to consume news, such as an informative news article, listening to a podcast or watching a news segment. “That’s different than this kind of letting the algorithm suck you in for eternity in a mindless fashion.”

Experts also urged people to set timers, when scrolling on their phone. Both iPhones and Android devices have controls to help regulate screen time.

Ziffra suggested choosing neutral news sources. “Try to avoid things where it’s very partisan and where there’s going to be a lot of inflammatory content, because that’s going to likely exacerbate your anxiety and make you feel anxious, angry, scared.”

Identifying coping mechanisms

Even if a worrisome news event is happening thousands of miles away, and even if it doesn’t directly impact a person reading about it, it can still cause intense stress and anxiety. For that reason, medical experts urge people to identify other ways to cope.

“People have a lot of inherent knowledge of what helps them… and things that they find comfort in, which is different for everybody,” Garfin said.

From breathing exercises, going for a walk, leaning into hobbies, getting together with friends, talking to a therapist, creative pursuits and self care, psychiatrists say it is important to redirect your attention in other ways.

“Things that are going to get your mind off of all of the obsessing and worrying and really putting your thoughts on something more positive,” Ziffra said.