A day for kimono

Today, and November 15th annually, is Kimono Day, きものの日, in Japan. "Kimono" literally means "something to wear", but as you know, it came to mean the traditional style of Japanese clothing. In principle, women's formal kimonos are worn at ceremonies such as weddings and awards, tea ceremonies, and celebration ceremonies. But kimono is also used for a broader range of Japanese style clothing in recent years.

The Japan Kimono Federation, which is made up of more than 2000 kimono stores, created the commemorative day and chose November 15th to be national kimono day as it also the day of the traditional 7-5-3 celebration and many people wear kimono to the 7-5-3 ceremonies. As a symbolic day of the kimono-wearing movement, the purpose is to appeal the beauty and cultural elements of kimono.

Some cities and towns separately run "kimono day" to encourage people to wear kimono on other days of the year. For example, in Kawagoe city, a tourist town just half an hour from Tokyo, they have a "kimono day" on the 8th, 18th and 28th of each month. Participating stores offer a discount to people wearing kimono on these days.