The Lady in Black

Outside the home supply store from yesterday's post, a woman struggles to cart her dog through the makeshift gravel path. Dog strollers are de rigueur if you live in a strict apartment building, as it's forbidden to have dogs loose on the grounds. Strollers are usually used within the grounds, and left at the entrance when owners take their dogs for a walk. Glad to see that they come in handy in times like these as well. Pet dogs in apartments are invariably the small, yappy kind (dachshunds and chihuahuas galore), since it would be cruel to keep even a small-ish dog such as a schnauzer for a pet in a place that has no yard.

I'm fascinated by the woman in this photo. All dressed up in black and wearing pointy boots simply to run a few errands, with the black higasa (parasol) and gloves to keep out the sun. But if avoiding the sun is an objective, why is she wearing so much black?