Kimono

The kimono (着物) in Japanese literally means a "thing to wear" (ki "wear" and mono "thing").

The kimono is the traditional clothing of Japan. Kimono styles changed significantly from one period of Japan's history to another, and today there are many different types of kimono worn by men, women, and children. The cut, color, fabric, and decorations of a kimono may vary according to the sex, age, and marital status of the wearer, the season of the year, and the occasion for which the kimono is worn.

Typically, color combinations represented either seasonal colors or the political class to which one belonged. It was during this time that what we now think of as traditional Japanese color combinations developed.

The kimono is traditionally made of silk, silk brocade, silk crepes (such as chirimen) and satin weaves (such as rinzu). Modern kimonos are also widely available in less-expensive easy-care fabrics such as rayon, cotton sateen, cotton, polyester and other synthetic fibers. Silk is still considered the ideal fabric.

The finished kimono consists of four main strips of fabric—two panels covering the body and two panels forming the sleeves—with additional smaller strips forming the narrow front panels and collar.

Today, kimono are most often worn by women, and on special occasions.

Traditionally, unmarried women wear a style of kimono called furisode, with almost floor-length sleeves, on special occasions. Boys wear a sahaori (half-coat) and a hakama with the family crest. Married women wear a tomesode. A tomesode only has a pattern on the bottom half. A colored tomesode can also be worn on formal occasions. Professional sumo wrestlers are often seen in the kimono because they are required to wear traditional Japanese dress whenever appearing in public.

A few older women and even fewer men still wear the kimono on a daily basis. But it is still widely worn on special occasions such as weddings (left) and graduation ceremonies. 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 is 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.