Japanese Kimono is colorful and elegant clothing
worn by both women and men, usually for formal
situations.
The word kimono was once simply what the Japanese
called “clothes”, and has slowly evolved into the colorfully
patterned robe-and-sash garments we think of today. In
Japan’s feudal era, both men and women wore kimono,
and even warriors wore them in particular colors to
represent which samurai clan they were loyal to. When
Japan modernized, the country adopted more Western
attire, with kimono being reserved for especially formal
situations, such as New Year’s and other national
holidays, visits to temples and shrines, weddings, and
funerals.
With the recent increase of Western interest in Japanese
traditional culture, several rental shops have opened in
Kyoto to offer visitors to the ancient capital a “kimono
experience”. The proprietors assist their customers to
select and put on their kimono, then take pictures for an
especially memorable keepsake. Some shops will allow, at
extra cost, their customers to wear the kimono around
Kyoto for the day, granting them a deeper understanding
and immersion into this time-honored Japanese custom.
Please see below for tours that
include Kimono Experience
:
