Kimono Poll

[Koji]

In ancient Japan up to 2000 years ago people wore cloths called Kimonos ! Womens Kimonos where bright color normaly with flowers on them too. Mens where dark colors like Black, Blue or Brown . If you have seen or woren Kimonos[probly not becaus the cheepest traditional Kimonos are selling at $20,000.00]please vote if you like men's or women's better .

[moyashi]

HEHE ... you're gonna like this. Downtown a decent kimono runs about $1500 while the cheaper (cheaper fabrics / colors) run about $300.

Recently the kimono industry got hit hard but the bad economy so therefore have decided to return prices to only 300% markup ... no longer are there really 4000% ratios.

forexample: My student bought an OBI for $15 (yep!) which would normally go on a special discount at the store for $150 which the store would normally sell to customers off the street for $300 while about 5-6 years ago would have sold for $800. Now, you have just learned about Japanese economics.

voting for a kimono .... hmmmm. ... obviously the best kimono is the one that you are unraveling ;)

If you can't afford the lessons, the gear and the actual kimono you still can get a YUKATA which is similar to the ones that hotels layout for customers and is what folks going to summer festivals will wear!

I've got one of those. They're unisex so ... :D

Kimono and Yukata will be a problem for anybody over 176cm .... I'm 182cm and it looks like I'm prepared for a flood ;)

[halloalex]

Did ever try on a Kimono? Difficult to imagine, how it fits...right?

asks,
alex

[Tachi]

Well, naturally, since I am a guy, I happen to LOVE the beautiful kimonos that package those beautiful women in Japan! No big surprise, there, I suspect.

Seriously, like the difference between the typical women's dress in the West vs the dull, unchanging, suit worn by men, the kimono worn by the women in Japan is by far, more enjoyable than the relatively drab kimonos worn by men. I always love to be around the hotels in late March, to see all the girls preparing to graduate! Gorgeous!

I have not had the pleasure of wearing a real kimono - too expensive, as has been pointed out by others. I have several yukata, of course, but that is definitely not the same.

One of these days, I will have to break down and get fitted for a kimono. Maybe after I win the lottery......

Regards,
Tachi

[moyashi]

Take wedding pictures in one ;)

I did ... well men don't really wear the same type of kimono, it's more along the lines of an elobrate yukata.

Also, try kendo! then you can wear the hakama part any time.

[Kotonko]

I prefer woman's kimomos. I have a doll called Suiyou, who I make many kimonos for...I don't have the under skirt perefect, But I can usuly get the obi right.

[moyashi]

ahhh, getting the right length of a kimono is actually quite difficult and you can end up paying for many lessons just to get it just right.

[deborah gormley]

A mans kimono (elaborate yukata), now that I have to see,


I have never seen a man in a kimono, where could I get a picture or even an image? :confused:


Again i'm asking for help lolol



:blush:

[thomas]

Yukatas a-plenty, Debs...

=> http://images.google.com/images?q=yukata&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search

See the gentleman below wearing a yukata and holding an uchiwa (fan). Btw, most Japanese hotels offer yukatas to their guests.

[moyashi]

hmmmm you should've posted a picture of yakuza or a guy in a FUNDOSHI (phoon-doh-she)
a japanese ojisan (old uncle) isn't that interesting

:D


gee ... I better start working on getting my scanner to work with my OS.
I'll eventually post my wedding picture ... lol ... give me a while to do that though :o

[deborah gormley]

Its actually quite nice and masculine, which I did not expect
:bluush:hmmm lol.



Thank you Thomas :bow:


and we are going to get pics of moyashi in his finest, cant wait lol:clap:


moyashi you can be the young man instead of the uncle lolol

[tosh]

Channel twenty-five in my area used to have Japanese programming. One of the shows was called um, Aberenbo[?] Shogun, about life during the Edo period. They had some very interesting costumes. The actors and actresses that is. (i'm sure there are a different set of names to describe the clothing that they were wareing)

[moyashi]

yeah, that's the right name.

Hmmm costumes.... no no no... that's what folks used to wear back 70+ years ago.

Well yeah, the clothing is new and such. so the real look is a bit rougher.

The show still airs in japan. I guess the populace likes watching how each show will vary rather than the story since the stories are all basically the same :)

[Dluxon]

I wore my father-in-law's "college" kimono with the wooden shoes, one New Years Day going to Meiji Shrine with the family....That was a cold and windy (drafty) mistake!!!!:D

March is definitely the time to be looking a pretty ladies in pretty kimono though!!!!

Dana

[moyashi]

hehe... I know what you mean.

With a draft like that I could never pass as a Scotsman either :)

hehe

[Malaika]

Well since the polls are closed, I'm going to to vote in this post *shrugs*

I like women's kimono, because they are very pretty, but not to mention its sort of hard to put them one, I mean I've never worn one, but the process looks a bit hard, and its like layer upon another layer while wearing the kimono.

other then that they are very pretty.

I like furisode kimonos, I like the long parts of the sleeves *giggles*

[Row]

seems comfortable a kimono xD

[TwistedMac]

closed poll? :'(
I would've voted men's in any case... Looks fantastic.

[thomas]

Poll reopened. Sorry guys. :-)

[Mcspi]

I like womens Kimonos. I also like yukata's as well.

[kirei_na_me]

And I added the "I like both" option. I happen to like both men's and women's kimono.

[Rukasu]

I think Hakamas look really cool.
If I ever make it to Japan , I want to take Kendo lessons.
BTW, Is it expensive to get a hakama for a foreigner (1.92 m)?

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

I think Hakamas look really cool.
If I ever make it to Japan , I want to take Kendo lessons.
BTW, Is it expensive to get a hakama for a foreigner (1.92 m)?
(KENDOUGI, HAKAMA, OBI) it is 9,450　YEN with kendo clothes set. :wave:
http://www.mitsuboshi-web.com/price/ken_price1.html
http://kendo.tozando.com/gi/index.html

By the way, kendo clothes are hot in the summer :relief:

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

A Japanese boy can wear a kimono in the Seven-Five-Three Festival.

[epigene]

It's graduation season in Japan, and girls graduating from high schools and universities like to wear hakama like girls did in the old days:
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~fd5s-fjmt/images/illust/o/o_hakama.jpg

BTW, I like both. :cool:

[Dutch Baka]

i like woman take off there kimono.... :blush:

no i think the kimono is a beautifull thing, how to wear the 3 layers, the obi. and the open back... the colors of the season

( am i right?)

[Silverbackman]

I like the kimono on women only, it looks pretty. I think it looks ridiculous on men. Except maybe on male monks.

[Chipi]

I think theyｴre both gorgeous, absolutely, gorgeous. Among the most beautiful garments in the world! The traditional Japanese clothing is genious in my opinion, at the same time itｴs very traditional but also very modern.. and some of todayｴs Japanese designers(Junya Watanabe for example) get their inspiration/ideas from those traditional ideas and ways of making clothes. Especially the way the clothes are folded, they are flat when youｴre not wearing them, and then when you put them on theyｴre like sculptures..amazing! In a way very simple, and genious in that simplicity, and on the other hand very complex (the rules in making&wearing them).
And I do also think that theyｴre nice to wear. I love the obi in kimono, when it fits you tightly, keeps you straight. Now i go to kendo 2-5 times a week so i can wear the hakama&keiko-gi then, even though I canｴt wear kimono&yukata here in Finland..so some comfort at least ;)

P.S. ...btw, someone asked about hakama. You can easily order those via internet, for example www.kendoshop.com, www.tozando.com, www.e-bogu.com.. Price depends on quality, dying method, freight etc..

[pinkkillerkisou]

Gosh so expensive... they are lovely though. I can see why they would be. I would love to own one some day.