Buying the extras for a kimono cheaply

Not everyone will know that when you buy a kimono in Japan, often it does not come with the necessary undergarments. If you are buying in a kimono shop and have got fitted etc, it will come up naturally in conversation about the layers of the kimono. But if you buy a pre-packaged kimono and / or buy at a souvenir shop, there is a high chance there will be no under garments.

I know someone who bought a kimono without trying it on or having a discussion with the sales person about wearing one. When she got back to America, not only did she realize she had no idea how to put it on (it was in the age before Youtube tutorials), but that there were no undergarments and / or obi provided. This is less likely to happen in this day and age, but what you realize when kimono shopping is that the price really adds up. The kimono themselves are expensive enough, but by the time you add in all the undergarments, the obi and accessories the price can become unexpectedly higher.

I understand why people would want to buy at least one new kimono in their lifetime, regardless of the cost, But if you want to keep the overall costs down, I strongly recommend going along to a kimono second hand store for all the extras involved. You can buy things like juban, haneri, obi, datejima, geta etc at a fraction of the cost. You can also sometimes get cheap tabi socks that were never used, although do double check that they were never used! The photo is of juban and haneri at a second hand kimono shop in Kawagoe, where I have bought obi and haneri for as little as 500 yen.

Have you ever bought at a second hand store? And did you just buy the extras or also buy a kimono / yukata / haori hakama or equivalent?