Yukata what? Buying a summer kimono in Tokyo

So I was a bit hesitant to go out and buy a yukata. I thought I would look like a tryhard gaijin knob. I know I am nowhere near as elegant or glamorous as the Japanese ladies. And food tends to attach itself to my clothing no matter how hard I try to manoeuvre it directly to my pie hole, which is probably not a good look for the crisp, clean lines of a yukata. But then I kept seeing all these gorgeous colours and patterns and I decided what the hell? You only live once and all that.

We are also going to watch fireworks (hanabi) in a couple of weeks with a bunch of mates and I know most people would be out and about in their yukatas. The summer kimono is worn outdoors from mid June till the end of August, especially at hanabi, summer festivals and beer gardens. It is also worn during the rest of the year indoors after you have had a soak in the onsen. The word Yukata translates as 'bath clothes'.

After reading a few online guides such as Yukata shopping for Hanabi season I headed to the Marui City (O1O1) department store in Shibuya. This decision was pretty much based on pure laziness. I couldn't be bothered shopping around for second hand bargains or attempting to use my awful Japanese on some poor shop assistant. So I went along to the department store and found English speaking staff with no problemo.

Now, to be honest, I could have probably found a better bargain but I really just wanted a basic, easy to wear, all cotton yukata set. The department store lady informed that they only sell yukatas till the end of August and then they switch over to heavier kimonoes for autumn and winter, so I was really down to my last opportunity to snap one up. There wasn't really a heap of larger size options left, being the end of the season and all. I liked how they label their yukatas, small, medium and tall. Who wants to be a size large when you can be a size tall? (For the record, I'm 5 foot 7, not usually considered Tall by Australian standards).

After explaining to the helpful assistant about my issues with food vs clothes, we rejected the white based options and selected a few of the darker coloured styles to try on. I ended up with this cute flower/goldfish pattern.

And the set I chose came with a red obi belt and bow.

The beauty of buying this type of yukata set is that it designed to be easier to wear and put on than the regular kind. The obi belt has velcro and is pre folded. The yukata itself has the inner sashes already attached so there is no need to tie, fold or tuck they way the traditional version requires. Despite being the simpler version, it still comes with a lengthy list of instructions.

I also bought a small red hair ornament but I skipped the traditional wooden sandals, at $80 a pop I thought I could get away with something cheaper elsewhere. You can also buy cotton shifts to wear underneath the yukata but other people had told me to skip those as well and just wear a cotton t-shirt and leggings underneath. Other add on items include bamboo purses or handbags, paper fans with bamboo handles and decorative strings and charms to go around your obi belts. Having already spent close to $200 on the yukata/obi belt & hair ornament I decided to skip all the extras and stick to the basics.

I made it home and attempted to dress myself as easily as the shop assistant had managed. Hmmm.... didn't quite work out as neatly as she had done it but with the help of some youtube videos and a few long stares at the instructions sheets I managed to get myself yukataed up.

Ta da! That's me waiting at the door with a beer for Chris, like the shop assistant told me I should. I gave up waiting after awhile and drank it myself. Just as well because he didn't get home till about 5 hours later....

PS Ended up getting these geta from Donki's (discount department store) for about $18. They also had clearance rack of men's and women's yukata sets for as low as $50.

Also did some present shopping at Oriental Bazaar on Omotesando and they had a range of cheap to mid level price ranged yukatas on the basement level as well as gorgeous second hand antique kimonos on the 2nd floor.

PPS So turns out I had my yukata tucked in the wrong way in that photo above, should be tucked right side underneath, left side on top. The way I had it was they way you dress dead people for their funerals! Whoops! Only found out this information after I had been wearing my yukata in public for about 6 hours. Had wondered why so many people asked me who had dressed me.