Kimono is a Japanese traditional outfit for ladies and it literally means a “thing to wear” (ki “wear” and mono “thing”). Japanese experts have to undertake training through 3 separate levels in order to qualify to be able to dress others in a Kimono. It takes around 20 minutes to don a normal kimono and 30-40 minutes for a more complicated one!

Kimonos are T-shaped, straight-lined gowns with a hem that falls to the ankle and collars that are attached with long, wide sleeves. They are wrapped around the body, always with the left side over the right (except when dressing the dead for burial), and secured by a sash called an obi, which is tied at the back. Kimonos are generally worn with traditional footwear (especially zōri or geta) and split-toed socks (tabi).

These garments are a highly respectable outfit for Japanese females to wear and today they are most often worn on special occasions. The level of formality of a woman’s kimono is mostly determined by the pattern of the fabric and its color. Young female’s kimonos have longer sleeves to signify that they are not married and tend to be more elaborate than those worn by more mature women. The Japanese ladies can adjust the long sleeves when acquainted with a man, to illustrate their acceptance. The woman waves her sleeves back and forth when saying “yes”, but for “no” it is a left to right motion.

In the past, a kimono would often be entirely taken apart for washing and then re-sewn for wearing. This traditional washing method is called arai hari. Because the stitches must be taken out for washing, traditional kimonos need to be hand sewn.

Central to Japanese culture is a deep seeded respect for tradition, Japanese people believe that being respectable as an individual allows for the creation of a much better nation as a whole.