Kimonos and yukatas are traditional Japanese clothing. Kimonos are formal, made of silk and have a variety of designs for specific occasions. Yukatas are casual, made of cotton, and are often worn at festivals or as lounge wear. Both are tied with an obi and worn with traditional Japanese footwear.
Kimonos and yukatas are two types of traditional Japanese clothing. A yukata and a kimono are robes, but they are made of different materials and are worn for different occasions. A kimono is usually made of silk and has an inner lining, while a yukata is unlined and usually made of cotton. The kimono is a more formal garment than the yukata and has a greater variety of designs for specific occasions.
A yukata and a kimono are long, straight robes with wide, long sleeves. They usually extend to the wearer’s ankles, although some kimonos are even longer and designed to trail on the ground. They are tied with an obi, a type of wide sash tied in the back. Both a yukata and a kimono are often worn with traditional Japanese footwear, such as the raised wooden sandals called geta often worn with a yukata or the more formal zori worn with a kimono.
One difference between a yukata and a kimono is where they are worn. The kimono in modern Japan is mostly worn on formal occasions, such as weddings. Some traditionalists do not reserve it for special occasions and still wear a kimono in daily life, although this is rare. Professional sumo wrestlers, who always wear traditional Japanese clothing when visible to the public, often wear kimonos.
Kimonos are most often worn by women in modern Japan, but can be worn by either gender. Women’s kimonos exist in a wide variety of different designs that vary according to the nature and formality of the occasion for which they are worn and the marital status of the wearer. The design of the obi worn with the kimono and the way it is tied is also significant. Kimonos and obis for men are simpler and more uniform in design, although different designs can still convey different degrees of formality. Men’s kimonos tend to be darker or more subdued in color than women’s, with younger women generally wearing brighter colors than older women.
A yukata is more casual than a kimono. It is frequently used at festivals and outdoor events, especially during the summer. It is also worn as lounge wear or after bathing and is commonly associated with the traditional Japanese inn, called a ryokan. A yukata is a simpler garment than a kimono, and its design does not convey as many shades of meaning. As with kimonos, younger people generally wear brighter colored yukatas.
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