Sometimes we may wear a yukata (simplified traditional summer attire) at events like summer festivals or at hot springs resorts. But a full blown traditional kimono would be much rarer.
One may perhaps rent and wear them at a seijinshiki (coming-of-age ceremony) or if one chooses to do a Japanese style wedding ceremony.
Outside of those one-and-done events, people today hardly ever wear full kimonos.
You can get cheap yukata during the summer for like $100 USD, give or take. Some kimono can be in the thousands (USD) depending on exactly which style of kimono one is purchasing, so rental is preferred although those can also be quite expensive.
While they may be an option at some school, at other schools ban students from wearing kimono at graduation ceremonies because of concerns about them being too showy, inhibiting the student’s mobility or concerns about highlighting/exacerbating wealth disparity which might lead to bullying. Parents may still wear kimono. At other formal events most men wear suits while women are split between kimono and other formal dress.
I don’t have children, but I’ve seen children wear (likely rented) kimono for Shichi-go-san shrine visits in November.
Kimono is my hobby sort of, so I wear them regularly. I have kimono that have been passed down as well as ones I bought myself, both anew and secondhand. I prefer to make use of the kimono I own so I have never rent one.
I’m always looking for an occasion to dress in kimono. So if kimono is an option, I’d always prefer to wear kimono over western clothing.
I grew up in a family who loves kimono. My great grandmother, my grandmother, and my mother all loved kimono. So when I was little, they’d let me wear kimono on many occasions from shichigosan and new year’s hatsumode to a totally normal day where we’d just have fun wearing kimono.
1.Rent. Most of my friends do the same. Even among those who don’t rent, many wear kimono that were passed down from their mother or grandmother. I honestly don’t think I know anyone who bought a new one for themselves.
2.Depends on the occasion. For Coming-of-Age Day and graduation ceremonies, almost every girl wears a kimono.
For weddings, I’d like to wear one if it’s a very formal venue or a traditional Japanese-style wedding.
3.Yes of course. Shichi Go San, girls celebrate at ages 3 and 7, and boys at age 5, children wear kimono for it. Also, many children wear yukata or jinbei to summer festivals.
If you want more detailed answers about something I'm a kimono teacher. Seems like you've mostly got your answers though.
It's pretty rare for people to go out of their way to wear kimono except for ceremonues and even then I don't see it that much. I was the only one to wear kimono to my son's school entrance ceremony out of hundreds of parents. Also the only foreigner so that was fun. People will make more effort to wear kimono for wedding ceremonies and things like shichigosan. Kimono have different level of formality and unless you're really into kimono no one wears casual kimono. Of course us in the kimono community do have and wear casual kimono
I’m not Japanese but I have a few middled-aged Japanese students of English and kimono comes up in conversation sometimes so I’ll share their experiences:
Student 1, woman in her 40’s, Kantō region
She does not own kimono, she would have to rent one.
No, I do not think she’d choose to wear kimono to any event, she strongly prefers trousers.
She probably wore kimono for shichigosan but that’s it. I’m sure she’s worn yukata to matsuri.
Student 2, woman in her 40’s, Shikoku region
She has access to kimono through her mother, she’d have to rent one depending on the event, season, etc and the style of kimono necessary for the situation.
She does not wear kimono unless it’s a special occasion, so very rarely
I’m sure she did but she was living abroad when her coming of age ceremony occurred so she didn’t wear it then. Just a few years ago her daughter celebrated shichigosan and they bought her the kimono, obi, and all the necessary accessories.
Student 3, woman in her 50’s, Kansai region
She has kimono gifted to her from her mother in law, buys kimono from 2nd hand shops and a few years ago had a kimono made for her. She can dress herself in kimono and is relatively well versed in, at least, the styles necessary for her interests and hobbies which are chadō and noh. She developed these interests only in the past 10-15 years so this isn’t something she’s done since childhood.
She wears kimono a few times a month because any time she goes to her tea ceremony and noh lessons she wears kimono. She does not wear kimono to Hatsumōde, death anniversaries at the temple, etc. She hasn’t been to a wedding, funeral, etc for at long as I’ve known her so I don’t know if she’d wear kimono to those events. She did not attend her coming of age ceremony.
Given her age and her family background she probably wore kimono for shichigosan but I don’t think much else.
Student 4, woman in her 50’s, Kyūshū region
No, she does not have any kimono. She’d have to rent one.
She wore a kimono for wedding photos but not to the actual ceremony. She does not wear kimono to her sons’ school ceremonies. I’ll have to ask her if she’d wear kimono to her sons’ wedding ceremonies but knowing her it’s probably unlikely.
She’s never shared if she wore kimono as a child. I need to ask her if she bought kimono for her sons for their shichisango celebrations because I realize it’s not something we’ve discussed.
I do not have male adult students so I cannot give the male perspective.
Based on observations when I lived in inaka in Kyūshū and returned to visit Kyūshū, Kansai, and Kantō for travel I saw the occasional groom wear it to their wedding (or wedding photos), men wear it at coming of age ceremony or as part of their job (ryokan, shrines, etc). I saw some men wear yukata to matsuri, typically younger men - older teens/lower 20’s.
At my school, a small number of mothers wore kimono to school for graduation ceremonies but I never saw a father wear kimono. I saw the mothers of the bride and groom wear kimono to weddings at shrines but never fathers. I’ve seen mothers wear kimono at shrines for shichigosan but again never fathers. But my observations are limited to a few specific events 10-20 years ago. I have not spoken in depth with a Japanese man about kimono then or now like I have with my adult female students.
I am 40s male Japanese.
1. I bought my own kimono via online because it was washable.
2. I bring it to go abroad. I learned footware should not be changed because Geta or Setta hurts feet during walking long.
3. No for me. I first wore it at around 30 yo.
1) Started out with grandma's, then started collecting myself since second hand kimono is extremely cheap, like $5 a piece. Also older Japanese women love it when they see a younger generation wearing kimono so I've been gifted by people who don't wear anymore. I think I have about 30 kimono at this point.
2) Depends on whether I have the energy. Even after 15 years of practice it is still way more exhausting than wearing western clothes. I've also become disabled so I only wear kimono when I have ample energy. I've heard other disabled folks say they prefer kimono over western clothes though so maybe I just need to figure out how to adapt it.
3) I don't think so? Maybe shichigosan? I started wearing them when I was 15 because it was related to another hobby I was into at the time.
I rented a kimono for my seijinshiki. While my mom kept hers, I’m a lot taller than her so renting one was much easier
I currently don’t own any (I do have a couple of yukata) and the next possible time I think I may wear one is if I have kids and when they they married
I did wear children’s kimono for my shichigo-san when I was 3 and 5
I do have two friends whose hobby is kimono (one has been doing it for at least 10 years, the other recently started) though
Sometimes we may wear a yukata (simplified traditional summer attire) at events like summer festivals or at hot springs resorts. But a full blown traditional kimono would be much rarer.
One may perhaps rent and wear them at a seijinshiki (coming-of-age ceremony) or if one chooses to do a Japanese style wedding ceremony.
Outside of those one-and-done events, people today hardly ever wear full kimonos.
Thank you very much!
Since my family doesn't wear Kimono, I bought it by myself.
I do not have a fancy Kimono, but dress. So I prefer to wear a dress. I wear Kimono when I go to theater mostly.
I worn it when I was young in the school when we had Kimono class.
Not Japanese.
You can get cheap yukata during the summer for like $100 USD, give or take. Some kimono can be in the thousands (USD) depending on exactly which style of kimono one is purchasing, so rental is preferred although those can also be quite expensive.
While they may be an option at some school, at other schools ban students from wearing kimono at graduation ceremonies because of concerns about them being too showy, inhibiting the student’s mobility or concerns about highlighting/exacerbating wealth disparity which might lead to bullying. Parents may still wear kimono. At other formal events most men wear suits while women are split between kimono and other formal dress.
I don’t have children, but I’ve seen children wear (likely rented) kimono for Shichi-go-san shrine visits in November.
Kimono is my hobby sort of, so I wear them regularly. I have kimono that have been passed down as well as ones I bought myself, both anew and secondhand. I prefer to make use of the kimono I own so I have never rent one.
I’m always looking for an occasion to dress in kimono. So if kimono is an option, I’d always prefer to wear kimono over western clothing.
I grew up in a family who loves kimono. My great grandmother, my grandmother, and my mother all loved kimono. So when I was little, they’d let me wear kimono on many occasions from shichigosan and new year’s hatsumode to a totally normal day where we’d just have fun wearing kimono.
1.Rent. Most of my friends do the same. Even among those who don’t rent, many wear kimono that were passed down from their mother or grandmother. I honestly don’t think I know anyone who bought a new one for themselves. 2.Depends on the occasion. For Coming-of-Age Day and graduation ceremonies, almost every girl wears a kimono. For weddings, I’d like to wear one if it’s a very formal venue or a traditional Japanese-style wedding. 3.Yes of course. Shichi Go San, girls celebrate at ages 3 and 7, and boys at age 5, children wear kimono for it. Also, many children wear yukata or jinbei to summer festivals.
If you want more detailed answers about something I'm a kimono teacher. Seems like you've mostly got your answers though. It's pretty rare for people to go out of their way to wear kimono except for ceremonues and even then I don't see it that much. I was the only one to wear kimono to my son's school entrance ceremony out of hundreds of parents. Also the only foreigner so that was fun. People will make more effort to wear kimono for wedding ceremonies and things like shichigosan. Kimono have different level of formality and unless you're really into kimono no one wears casual kimono. Of course us in the kimono community do have and wear casual kimono
I’m not Japanese but I have a few middled-aged Japanese students of English and kimono comes up in conversation sometimes so I’ll share their experiences:
Student 1, woman in her 40’s, Kantō region
She does not own kimono, she would have to rent one.
No, I do not think she’d choose to wear kimono to any event, she strongly prefers trousers.
She probably wore kimono for shichigosan but that’s it. I’m sure she’s worn yukata to matsuri.
Student 2, woman in her 40’s, Shikoku region
She has access to kimono through her mother, she’d have to rent one depending on the event, season, etc and the style of kimono necessary for the situation.
She does not wear kimono unless it’s a special occasion, so very rarely
I’m sure she did but she was living abroad when her coming of age ceremony occurred so she didn’t wear it then. Just a few years ago her daughter celebrated shichigosan and they bought her the kimono, obi, and all the necessary accessories.
Student 3, woman in her 50’s, Kansai region
She has kimono gifted to her from her mother in law, buys kimono from 2nd hand shops and a few years ago had a kimono made for her. She can dress herself in kimono and is relatively well versed in, at least, the styles necessary for her interests and hobbies which are chadō and noh. She developed these interests only in the past 10-15 years so this isn’t something she’s done since childhood.
She wears kimono a few times a month because any time she goes to her tea ceremony and noh lessons she wears kimono. She does not wear kimono to Hatsumōde, death anniversaries at the temple, etc. She hasn’t been to a wedding, funeral, etc for at long as I’ve known her so I don’t know if she’d wear kimono to those events. She did not attend her coming of age ceremony.
Given her age and her family background she probably wore kimono for shichigosan but I don’t think much else.
Student 4, woman in her 50’s, Kyūshū region
No, she does not have any kimono. She’d have to rent one.
She wore a kimono for wedding photos but not to the actual ceremony. She does not wear kimono to her sons’ school ceremonies. I’ll have to ask her if she’d wear kimono to her sons’ wedding ceremonies but knowing her it’s probably unlikely.
She’s never shared if she wore kimono as a child. I need to ask her if she bought kimono for her sons for their shichisango celebrations because I realize it’s not something we’ve discussed.
How about men's perspectives/experiences?
I do not have male adult students so I cannot give the male perspective.
Based on observations when I lived in inaka in Kyūshū and returned to visit Kyūshū, Kansai, and Kantō for travel I saw the occasional groom wear it to their wedding (or wedding photos), men wear it at coming of age ceremony or as part of their job (ryokan, shrines, etc). I saw some men wear yukata to matsuri, typically younger men - older teens/lower 20’s.
At my school, a small number of mothers wore kimono to school for graduation ceremonies but I never saw a father wear kimono. I saw the mothers of the bride and groom wear kimono to weddings at shrines but never fathers. I’ve seen mothers wear kimono at shrines for shichigosan but again never fathers. But my observations are limited to a few specific events 10-20 years ago. I have not spoken in depth with a Japanese man about kimono then or now like I have with my adult female students.
I am 40s male Japanese. 1. I bought my own kimono via online because it was washable. 2. I bring it to go abroad. I learned footware should not be changed because Geta or Setta hurts feet during walking long. 3. No for me. I first wore it at around 30 yo.
Been wearing kimono for 15 years.
1) Started out with grandma's, then started collecting myself since second hand kimono is extremely cheap, like $5 a piece. Also older Japanese women love it when they see a younger generation wearing kimono so I've been gifted by people who don't wear anymore. I think I have about 30 kimono at this point.
2) Depends on whether I have the energy. Even after 15 years of practice it is still way more exhausting than wearing western clothes. I've also become disabled so I only wear kimono when I have ample energy. I've heard other disabled folks say they prefer kimono over western clothes though so maybe I just need to figure out how to adapt it.
3) I don't think so? Maybe shichigosan? I started wearing them when I was 15 because it was related to another hobby I was into at the time.
I rented a kimono for my seijinshiki. While my mom kept hers, I’m a lot taller than her so renting one was much easier
I currently don’t own any (I do have a couple of yukata) and the next possible time I think I may wear one is if I have kids and when they they married
I did wear children’s kimono for my shichigo-san when I was 3 and 5
I do have two friends whose hobby is kimono (one has been doing it for at least 10 years, the other recently started) though