yukata.

What a poor correspondent I am! Another busy week has come and gone. For those of you fortunate enough to be my Facebook friend, you will have seen some pictures of the highlight of my week – dressing up in traditional Japanese clothes. I was wearing a yukata, which is a lightweight form of kimono for the summer. Today, these are rarely worn on a day-to-day basis, although they are used for special occasions or festivals.

The women wrapping us up into these dresses where amazing. No two yukatas were the same, each bow was tied in a different way, and there were a myriad of accessories and shoes to add flair to the already extravagant outfits.

After getting frocked up (which was quite the process), we partook in some traditional Japanese dance. I think the dances we learnt are ones similar to those used at Gujo Odori (a big summer festival dance). Whilst the moves weren’t so complex, manoeuvring in the yukata was the true struggle.

Despite yukatas supposedly being designed for summer-wear, by the end of the afternoon I was feeling so hot and uncomfortable. Nonetheless, it was well worth it and a delightful afternoon of playing dress-ups!