DO THEY STILL WEAR KIMONO IN JAPAN?

The kimono fell out of fashion for men in the first part of the 20th Century, but women continued to wear them until WWII, when it became less practical than uniforms in the factories.  After WWII, western clothing became sensible, affordable, and fashionable in urban areas, so kimono-wearing was reserved for traditional cultural events rather than every day wear.  It was still common for women to receive dozens of kimono and obi as dowry items, but opportunities to actually wear them were few.

In Kyoto, the cultural center of Japan, one is more likely to see a women in kimono on the street, in a restaurant, on the trains.  She may be on her way to a tea ceremony lesson, an ikebana exhibit, a koto concert, or to eat a traditional, seasonal meal. You might see an older woman in a casual kimono sweeping her front stoop or on her daily pilgrimage to the neighborhood shrine. These events and activities are part and parcel of life in Kyoto; and though they may occur less commonly in other towns and villages, you may still find women wearing kimono when the occasion calls for it.

The traditional occasions that still warrant a kimono include:

weddings - the family is obligated to wear kimono; it is optional for the guests

concerts for shakuhachi, koto, shamisen - the musicians will wear kimono; sometimes audience members do too

festivals - yukata for summer's Obon, furisode kimono for Adults Day, and colorful kimono on children for Shichi-Go-San

exhibitions of the traditional arts - tea ceremony, ikebana, calligraphy, dance - the practitioners will wear kimono; it is optional for the guests

resorts - it is traditional for hotels and resorts to offer yukata or nemaki to their guests.  At hot springs resorts, guests are encouraged to wear the robes not only in their rooms but around the hotel facilities

In recent years, young people seem to be re-discovering the kimono and updating it to modern taste, even modifying it to suit the current trends.  Japanese anime characters tend to wear stylized kimono, which encourages anime fans to don customized versions of the kimono for costume competitions and conventions.

Related Videos:

The Future of Japanese Kimono

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Slide Show of Modern Casual Kimono

 Find More Info Here:

Kimono Revival - Tokyo

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Learning to Wear a Kimono Today

Modern Day Shrine Visiting in Kimono