Kimono- The Traditional Japanese Clothing

Kimono literally "something worn" is the national costume of Japan. Originally the word "kimono" referred to all types of clothing, but it has come to denote a particular type of traditional full-length garment.

Kimonos are T-shaped; straight-lined robes that fall to the ankle, with collars and wide, full-length sleeves. Kimonos are wrapped around the body, always with the left side over the right (except when dressing the dead for burial) and secured by a wide belt called an obi, which is tied at the back. Kimonos are generally worn with traditional footwear (especially geta, thonged wood-platform footwear; and zori, a type of thong-like footwear) and split-toe socks (tabi). Kimonos were developed in the early Edo Period (1603-1867). Japanese adopted from China, Korea, and Thailand traditional dresses to make the kimono.

Kimono is generally worn for such occasions as special ceremonies and parties. There are several kinds of ceremonial kimono.

Furisode (long-sleeved kimono) which sleeves are longer than a regular kimono, are worn by unmarried women.

Kuro tomesode (black fixed-sleeved kimono) whose sleeves are the length of regular kimono, are worn by both married and unmarried women. It has five family crests on the kimono.

Men wear the ceremonial clothes of Hakama and Haori (Japanese half-coat and pleated loose-fitting trousers).

Yukata is an informal plain unlined cotton kimono are worn by Professional sumo wrestlers.

Kimonos are a much less common sight these days and are usually only seen worn by older women or on special occasions. Part of the reason is the cost, as a decent silk kimono will set you back the best part of a million yen. But there are also the question of how to put on the kimono and tie the obi (decorative sash), a complicated procedure that is beyond the ability of many young women. They usually have to ask their mothers to help them or take course at a kimono school. Men wear kimonos most often at weddings, tea ceremonies, and other very special or very formal occasions. Professional sumo wrestlers are often seen in kimonos because they are required to wear traditional Japanese dress whenever appearing in public.

The traditional forms of japanese clothing or japanese clothes in general is called wafuku. Traditional japanese clothing can be broken down into the following clothing categories.

Kimono - meaning clothing or things to wear is the basic japanese clothing

Yukata - the summer kimono

Nagajugan - undergarments

Clothing Accessories - obi, shoes, socks, etc.

Haori - short silk jackets

Michiyuki - Overcoats

Hakama - japanese pants

Uchikake - most formal kimono

Shiro-maku - wedding kimono

Kimono hobbyists in Japan can take courses on how to put on and wear kimonos. Classes cover selecting seasonally and event-appropriate patterns and fabrics, matching the kimono undergarments and accessories to the kimono, layering the undergarments according to subtle meanings, selecting and tying obi, and other topics. There are also clubs devoted to kimono culture, such as Kimono de Ginza.