How should you walk when wearing a kimono or yukata?
Throughout the year, opportunities to wear kimono or yukata are quite rare, with occasions usually limited to when visiting Kyoto as tourists, attending children’s entrance and graduation ceremonies, or wearing yukata for festivals and fireworks.
For those who are not accustomed to wearing traditional Japanese clothing on a regular basis, it can be challenging. Often, people who have never worn kimono or yukata before find themselves struggling with issues like walking gracefully without causing the outfit to dishevel.
Mastering the art of walking in traditional Japanese clothing can be beneficial for such occasions. Not only does it make you look elegant and poised, but it also leaves a lasting impression, especially if you are already familiar with wearing kimono.
Walking in Kimono
When walking in kimono or yukata, it’s essential to take small steps and maintain a gentle, swaying motion. The reason for taking small steps is to prevent the clothing from opening up too much and to avoid revealing your legs as you walk. It’s important to be cautious because walking with wide strides can sometimes lead to the clothing gaps exposing your legs.
Walking with a gentle swaying motion also serves a purpose. For instance, when wearing traditional wooden sandals like geta or zori, making too much noise with your steps can be considered impolite. Therefore, maintaining a graceful and discreet walking style is advisable.
To ensure that your geta or zori sandals stay securely attached to your feet, it’s important to apply a slight pressure with your toes to grip the thong (narrow strip) firmly while walking.
Furthermore, regarding your stride, aim for about 10 cm as a guideline and make sure that your toes don’t point outward. If your toes point outward, it can give the impression that you are walking with your feet turned sideways, similar to a crab’s gait. Therefore, focus on keeping your toes pointed in the direction you are walking or slightly inward.
When wearing geta or zori sandals, a key point for walking gracefully is to slightly angle your toes inward and walk with a sliding motion.
When walking for an extended period, kimono or yukata can be more prone to disarray. In such cases, try gently holding the edge of your kimono or yukata with your right hand while walking.
By adopting this walking style, you can prevent your kimono or yukata from disarray and convey a graceful impression.
For more details on walking to prevent kimono disarray, you can refer to this article: Walking Techniques to Avoid Kimono Disarray When Renting Kimono for Kyoto Sightseeing (Japanese article).
Be Cautious on Stairs While Wearing Kimono
When wearing kimono or yukata and climbing stairs, it’s essential to be mindful of your usual way of ascending and descending. If you ascend or descend stairs in your usual manner, it can cause disarray in your kimono or yukata. Stairs can be particularly risky as stepping on your hem might lead to a fall, and there’s a possibility of accidentally soiling your kimono without realizing it.
When going up or down stairs, slightly angle your body and lift the front hem of your kimono or yukata a little while walking. It’s important not to lift the hem too much, as revealing your feet excessively can appear unseemly.
Furthermore, if the sleeves of your furisode are long, there’s no need to worry about getting the hem or sleeves dirty when going up stairs. It’s even possible that focusing your weight on the toes might make it easier to ascend.
Especially when renting kimono or yukata, be cautious when going up and down stairs, as soiling the outfit can result in additional cleaning fees, which can be quite costly. Therefore, attention is required when navigating stairs.
Rikawafuku Kimono Rental offers a Kimono Safety Insurance for those who are concerned about accidental soiling. If you’re unsure while renting, you can make use of this service.
Be Cautious of Kimono Disarray When Getting into a Car
When wearing kimono or yukata and getting into a car or taxi, you need to exercise caution.
When getting into a car, the typical approach is to enter with your head or legs first. However, when wearing kimono or yukata, this method can lead to disarray.
The key is to be conscious of sitting down from your buttocks after opening the car door and moving as close to the seat as possible. Afterward, gently lift the hem of your kimono with your right hand and settle your buttocks onto the seat.
Once your buttocks are on the seat, place your legs inside while ensuring the hem doesn’t slide down. Sit down as if you were sitting in any other chair, avoiding leaning against the car seat.
If your sleeves are long, hold them with your left hand and keep your head down to prevent disturbing neatly arranged hair.
For more details on how to sit while wearing kimono or yukata, you can refer to this article: Proper Sitting Techniques When Wearing Kimono: Preventing Kimono Disarray and Correct Etiquette (Japanese article).
When exiting the car or taxi, follow the same steps in reverse to avoid disarray or soiling your kimono. Even with careful walking, stair navigation, and car entry/exit, there’s still a possibility of kimono disarray if you’re not accustomed to wearing kimono or yukata.
If you experience disarray, such as the collar coming loose or the hem slipping down while walking, a simple technique can help. When you notice the collar lifting while walking, first lift the kimono slightly and hold the nagajuban (inner garment) around the buttock area with both hands.
Afterward, if you notice disarray, pull it straight down, and the collar should snugly fit around your chest, correcting any disarray.
If the hem starts to sag, flip the ohashori (tuck) upwards and gently pull the fabric on the top part of the obi (sash) at your waist.
When you feel the hem is at the right length, be sure to untie and retighten the knot of the obi cord to prevent it from loosening, and you’re done.
Experiencing disarray can dampen your mood and make you regret wearing a kimono or yukata even in a fun atmosphere.
However, if you remember how to fix it, you can quickly correct any disarray and enjoy events like trips, summer festivals, and fireworks displays without worry.
Since you don’t have many opportunities to wear kimono or yukata, it’s convenient to learn how to walk, navigate stairs, and make adjustments in order to fully enjoy the experience.
Author of this article
Kyoto Kimono Rental Rika Wafuku operates four kimono rental shops in Kyoto city, including locations in Arashiyama, Gion, Kiyomizu Temple, and in front of Kyoto Station. In 2023, they served over 230,000 customers in the Kyoto area!
They offer affordable plans, with a kimono dressing plan starting from 3,500 yen, and a hair setting plan from 5,500 yen.
Close to popular tourist spots such as Togetsukyo Bridge, Kiyomizu Temple, Yasaka Koshindo, and Yasaka Shrine!
Kyoto Kimono Rental Rikawafuku
Kimono Rental Rikawafuku Gion Store
Kimono Rental Rikawafuku Arashiyama Store
Kimono Rental Rikawafuku Kiyomizu Temple Store
Kimono Rental Rikawafuku Kyoto Station Front Store
