First of all I need to let you know I’m not Japanese and I do not live there. As of lately I have been really becoming interested in the beauty and culture of Japan and it’s way of life. I love the respect that it preaches. I have also been interested in the clothing known as kimonos and love the beauty of that type of clothing. I am male and I have been wondering If it was okay for someone like me to wear one. Like would it cause offence to a Japanese person? And if not what ones should I wear? Are there specific kimonos for specific occasions or ones you wear for normal indoor occasions?
https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/16offw9/is_it_offensive_for_a_non_japanese_person_to_wear/
38 comments
No.
Not offensive. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
No Japanese person would be offended. Almost all of them would be ecstatic to see a westerner wearing their traditional clothes provided they’re wearing it correctly.
Japanese people for the vast majority like it when or at least don’t mind when foreigners wear kimono or yukata. The rule to it is don’t be a dick when wearing it and wear it appropriately and all is good. The cultural appropriation thing isn’t really in Japan but acting within normal societal rules and customs is. So enjoy and explore.
Tell me you’re a white american without saying you’re a white american!
Unless you live on Twitter I wouldn’t worry about it.
Not at all. Big cities like Kyoto and Osaka even offer kimono rentals for tourists.
Stop the white guilt
Japanese people are THRILLED if you come wear their stuff. They have rental places in most major tourist destinations that will happily set you up, show you how to wear, and let you take pics, or even trot around town in one. One of the nicest ones is right outside Kamakura station. Theres a couple in Asakusa as well.
Leave your weird American fears of cultural appropriation at home. Not only will it make them happy, these rental places are providing good income for a dying art, and keeping the tradition alive in Japan. You’re actually HELPING by coming over here and renting one.
No. Don’t be misled by the incessant gatekeeping of other cultures in the west. Cultural appreciation is not cultural appropriation.
If you wore one in Japan, I doubt many Japanese would comment. They may or may not think it odd, but it’s a very non-confrontational society, so even if they thought it was strange they’d keep it to themselves. I think you’d be more likely to run into trouble in your own country (wherever that is).
Personally (as a westerner) I think that Japanese clothes don’t look good on western people, but that’s just an aesthetic observation. It doesn’t bother me in the slightest to see foreigners in my neck of the woods (Tokyo) wearing kimono, yukata, etc. If they enjoy wearing it, more power to them.
If you’re in Japan and wearing a kimono during a festival or having the Kyoto experience, it’s about as offensive as a Japanese person in the US making pumpkin pie for a Thanksgiving celebration.
If you’re talking about walking around your own country in a kimono because you’re just that infatuated with Japan’s culture, you’re more likely to make everyone around you cringe than you are to offend a Japanese person.
I have never personally encountered Japanese individuals who were offended by non-Japanese people wearing kimonos. If Japanese people were to get offended by this, we would have already gone crazy and become extinct because of the many foreigners wearing kimonos.
This controversy often arises from American individuals, particularly Asian Americans.
About as offenive as when Japanese people wear jeans and a T shirt,
Definitely not, if done right it’s even respectful and expected of you. I’m North American Caucasian and when I studied in japan I attended events where I was asked to wear yukata or kimono and people dressed me in yukata. It’s a part of Japanese culture and wearing it is a sign of respect and appreciation, not appropriation.
Is it offensive for a Japanese person to wear jeans?
I did the kimono rental experience about a decade ago and asked the ladies in the shop about this out of curiosity. They told me that so long as you’re wearing it with the respect it deserves, all is good. They jokingly added that paying to get it put on you is even better since then you’re also contributing to the economy, and you can guarantee that it’s going to be done right. The most interesting thing they pointed out is that some Japanese people take fashion liberties with traditional clothes, like wearing it off the shoulders or adding tulle and such (I see this more with yukata, but it’s still traditional), so they said they prefer to see foreigners wearing it respectfully than that.
No
I frankly had the opposite reaction. My wife is Japanese. I’m American. We had a small traditional wedding in Tokyo and I wore a Hakama. All the old ladies and neighbors thought it was great with a little pinch of silly but were very very happy to see me in it with my wife.
Participating in other cultures is not always appropriation. Frankly, I don’t see how being aware of other cultures enough to borrow what you admire about them is considered bad. We win as a species when we learn about each other.
I don’t think people get offended at all.
There’s difference in male and female kimono though. Male wear less vibrant darker ones without pattern, often with hakama, like you see in the films.
I think western people, especially male wearing a kimono perfectly is quite stunning.<edit:spell>
edit 2: You can go for Yukata too, summer kimono made with cotton, and more casual and easy to care.
Do you get offended when Japanese people wear blue jeans?
Hi Im japanese. And big NO
I love seeing non japanese wearing kimono bc it shows they are interested in our culture! How can we be offensive???
You’ll be fine, just don’t try to [trademark the word](https://www.wmagazine.com/story/kim-kardashian-kimono-trademark-controversy-explained).
No, but please know that a kimono is a specific type of formal attire. It’s not an umbrella term to describe a category of clothing. I am only saying this because I have seen jinbei, yukata, and Japanese-themed nightgowns all mislabeled as kimono.
I wear them at the appropriate times and Japanese people love it. There are also businesses that dress foreigners in kimono for the experience!
Not Japanese, but I have an MA in Japanese ANDI have experience living in Japan.
Most Japanese (citizens on Japan) seem very happy that anyone takes an interest in Japan, Japanese culture and so on. They’d be glad to see you in a kimono enjoying your time in Japan, especially as a tourism experience.
Most Japanese don’t wear kimono daily outside of some professions, usually those tied to traditional Japanese culture somehow. If you decide to live in Japan, you’d likely be wearing a kimono for festivals and maybe some special occasions.
For people who have Asian heritage, to see non-Asians dressing in traditional Asian attire can be seen as some form of appropriation or fetishizato.
So the issue isn’t with Japanese people in Japan. Japanese people in Japan haven’t dealt with the oppression and racism that comes with being Japanese/Asian in the US or Canada. The context is different outside of Japan. I’m not going to speak for all Japanese Americans/Canadians, but I think it can be hurtful because historically, Japanese people here were punished for being/looking/acting Japanese. They were literally forced to sell all their possessions (including houses and cars) for pennies and then locked in internment camps just for being Japanese. They were made to feel like they had to be as American/Canadian as possible and that they had to hide their Japanese culture, language, and clothing. I think it’s important to understand that if you do something like wear a kimono for fun.
I do sewing. As a variation of this question, is it offensive to call sewing pattern features like “kimono sleeves” or a cardigan/robe pattern a “kimono style jacket/cardigan/robe”?
In recent years there have been a few indie designers that have taken down patterns, renamed, and/or issued statements about it being inappropriate but I feel like it is still the most popular way to describe that style of clothing/sleeve. Searching for pattern feature terms is a pretty huge thing in the sewing and other terms like “grown on” or “dolman” sleeves can be a bit more broad.
Example: [https://peppermintmag.com/sewing-school/kimono-robe/](https://peppermintmag.com/sewing-school/kimono-robe/)
Wearing other cultures clothes/attire is NOT offensive unless you are purposely being offensive whilst wearing them.
Don’t listen to any of those “cultural appropriation” views that are MAINLY from the USA. They think they’re being “smart” but they’re just proving how idiotic they are.
Apparently, it’s offensive to the CCP.
Offensive to who? Japanese don’t care. They care if you act like an ass. Westerners will have a problem with it because it’s the culture now to drag everyone down.
I don’t think it is white people who are complaining about cultural theft regarding this kimono thing.
They are mainly Asian people living in English-speaking countries.
My guess is that the main complainers are Asian people who hate Japan.
They are jealous of the popularity of kimono and Japanese culture in the West. Because in Asian culture, Japanese culture always gets all the attention.
So they want to interfere somehow.
Almost no one cares about “cultural appropriation”, except some Americans maybe
I’ll never understand why people think that wearing clothing from a culture that’s not their own is offensive. Just wear it if you want to? Anyone who gets offended by that has too much free time and a couple of screws loose
If you wear a kimono, you will get praise from just about every Japanese person you meet. Old women will stop you to complement you all day. Cultural appropriation is a real thing but I think in the west we really take it too far sometimes.
Offensive is what netflix does with shit like cleopatra, an individual wearing a traditional dress is not
No. If you’re going to wear them, it’s best to learn HOW to wear them, but at the end of the day, they’re just articles of clothing.
There is some level of etiquette associated with wearing kimono, and there are lots of online resources to learn more about that. If you like watching videos, Billy Matsunaga on YouTube would be a good place to start.
Actually, we japanese don’t care even whether forengners wear it correctlly or not
U can wear whatever u want