One of the things about living as a Noble Woman in Heian japan is that they spent most of their life concealed by Shoji screens because it was not considered proper that she be seen in public. And that they really did not have true privacy back then. They wrote to pass the time, make incense balls, talked and gossiped about many things including fashion....I"m sure there is more to it but I haven't quite gotten to reading about the Heian era yet, just glanced at it.