Hakama for a Day

Konnichiwa! Another post about my beloved Kyoto! Since the other post was already too long, I decided to create a separate one about my experience wearing hakama in Kyoto. Since my last trip to Kyoto, I wanted to rent traditional Japanese clothing for a day and walk around the city. You can find such rental places almost everywhere in Kyoto, but my friend recommended this place, near Kiyomizu-dera. They have good prices and they helped me choose the items and also styled my hair! All for about 7000 yen (about 60$). A bit expensive, but for hakama, there are two pieces, the kimono+hakama pants so that is why it was a bit more expensive than just kimono, which is usually about 3000-5000 yen(30-45$). But the most expensive is the furisode style kimono, the one with long sleeves, that young girls wear, 10.0000 yen without hair styling (90$).

First I was thinking about wearing a kimono since it wasn’t hot enough for the lighter yukata. But again, my friend, recommended me hakama, because it would suit me well. So I thought why not give it a try, since it would be something unique, and also easier to walk in compared to the usual kimono. Hakama are pants-like-clothing and are worn by both men and women, and especially in certain martial arts such as kyudo, kendo, iaido and so on. Women’s hakama differ from men’s hakama in design, fabric and other details. Miko or shrine maidens also wear hakama, and it is popular for women to wear hakama at graduation ceremonies.

Hakama are usually worn along with kimono. I chose a simple kimono, in pastel-pink and a hakama in my favorite color (burgundy red). It is usual to wear boots with hakama, and it is more comfortable to walk in boots all day long rather than the traditional Japanese sandals (zori).

My experience wearing hakama for a day in Kyoto was definitely an unforgettable one! It felt like a travel in time, in the old Kyoto. I took so many photos and a lot of people wanted to take photos with me also (I felt like a bit of a celebrity haha), maybe because seeing tourists wearing kimono is quite usual, but you don’t often see them wearing hakama.