Happy Campers Picture of The Week – Kimono or Yukata

This is a picture of a lovely lady at the main entrance of the Hokkaido Shrine in Sapporo Japan. What captured our attention was the beautiful kimono she was wearing.

For people like us, who are not familiar with the Japanese culture and tradition, we found that it is not easy and can be a bit confusing to differentiate between a kimono and a yukata. According to our Japanese friends, a kimono can be identified first by its material, as it is usually made from silk whereas the yukata is usually made of cotton.

The kimono has two obvious collars and the belt or obi are usually in the shape of a pillow. The yukata which are usually favoured by the youngsters have a ribbon shaped obi.