Dating in Japan: Yukata Date

The yukata date--it is something that is portrayed in Japanese TV and anime. After two and a half years of dating my Japanese boyfriend, I finally got to experience it for myself!! 

Our yukatas! I think they look so cute!

Let me start out by giving you a little backstory; I have been dreaming of experiencing a yukata date since I began dating my boyfriend. (Probably before that honestly, I used to watch my fair share of Japanese TV and I always thought that it was super cute.) When we had decided that we would go to our first summer festival together, I informed him that I would be wearing a yukata and I figured he would follow suit. To my disappointment, he did not! He did not even own a yukata. Don't get me wrong, we still had fun, but I had I hopes for the next year. 

Still super cute, but the photo just doesn’t feel complete! 

The second time we went to a summer festival, I thought I was giving my boyfriend some pretty clear hints that I wanted him to wear a yukata with me. I kept talking about how cute couples wearing yukata together were and I kept sending him pictures. I guess I was not clear enough because, again, he did not wear a yukata.

This year, I decided to be very straight forward. About a month before the summer festival I said, "Why don't you buy a yukata?" and took him to the store. I finally got my wish! We both got ready, put on our yukata, and suffered in the heat together!! Haha. It was really a lot of fun though and I love our pictures together. 

This is a cautionary story for any women who are assuming that their Japanese boyfriends own or automatically wear yukata.  Don't be like me. Plus, it goes to show that in any kind of relationship, being forward with your expectations or wishes is really the best route. No matter how straightforward I thought my hints were, it still wasn’t effective.

Summer festivals are super fun for dates. We went early, and brought a mat to sit on. And, we had to buy a ton of delicious festival food of course! We bought okonomuyaki, frozen mandarin oranges, yakisoba, and a cheese dog. I mean, who can resist the amazing smells that fill the air at the festivals? Not me, that's for sure. I seriously recommend experiencing a fireworks festival date with or without yukata. 

Happy Dating!