Yukatas

So when you think of Japan you probably think of sushi, sumo wrestling and maybe even kimonos. But in the summer it is actually more common to see young women in Yukatas. What are you yukatas you ask?? They look kind of like a kimono but they are worn during the festival season (July and August) mostly by young women. This year I was lucky enough to find a place that sold yukatas long enough for me so I bought one! I didn't really get to wear it at a festival but a bunch of us wore them to the Welcoming party for the new ALTs in August. Yukatas are significantly easier to wear than a kimono but even after the welcoming party I still didn't really know how to wear it properly. So, when my friend Nina and I were invited by a Japanese friend to take 'Yukata wearing' lesson, I jumped at the chance.

Nina and I met our friend and drove about 20 minutes to a small Japanese style community center (with tatami mat floors etc.). There, we met this older lady who taught women how to wear Kimonos and the like. She was very friendly and easy to understand. She gave step by step instructions for wearing our yukatas and taught us tricks to make the whole dressing process easier. We followed the little lesson with some green tea and some snacks. It was a lovely Japanese experience and I will definitely be more comfortable wearing my yukata next year.