Hey guys!
So one of the questions we get a lot is:
Is it okay for foreigners to wear kimono or yukata?
And today we're going to answer that because it's kind of in the news right now.
If you haven't heard, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts
has had an issue centering around one of their paintings:
Claude Monet (La Japonaise)
It's a painting of a white woman wearing a kimono, and
just for fun the museum brought in kimono this summer that
visitors could take pictures of themselves wearing while they're standing in front of the painting.
Some people had a really big issue with that and said it was racist
for white people and non-Japanese people to have fun trying on kimono.
We're going to tackle this issue today.
Let me ask you some questions about when it's okay for foreigners to wear kimono.
When it's okay for foreigners to wear kimono?
Yes.
Okay... there's only one answer:
Whenever.
Okay. Well, you haven't heard my questions yet so maybe you'll change your mind.
Is it okay for foreigners to wear kimono in Japan
to festivals or events where you would normally wear a kimono?
Yeah.
Is it okay for foreigners to wear kimono in America?
Yeah, why not?
Would Japanese people be offended if they saw a foreigner walking down the street
here in Japan who was wearing a kimono incorrectly?
Like, noticeably incorrectly?
Okay... Probably we would just come up and help them wear it correctly.
Or maybe we would read the atmosphere and try not to offend him
so we might not say anything.
Try not to embarrass them?
Yeah, that's a very Japanese thing to do.
They wouldn't even tell you you're wearing it incorrectly.
Because we don't want to embarrass you!
Okay, what if they're wearing it for cosplay?
Cosplay?
Why not?
What if when they're wearing it for cosplay they wear it REALLY incorrectly?
What if they like cut it all up and restyle it
or they have a lot of cleavage showing
or they have a really short skirt so it's like super sexy?
I don't mind if they recreate kimono at all, personally.
And I think many Japanese people wouldn't even care, either.
If they cared [about something], maybe they would be
a little too embarrassed to see their cleavage?
But kimono has nothing to do with it.
What if someone is a fashion designer
and they have no Japanese blood.
What if it's a white person who's a fashion designer,
and they make clothing that was inspired by kimono?
That sounds awesome. I want to get one.
What could foreigners do to offend Japanese people, if they're wearing kimono?
By wearing kimono?
Okay, you cannot offend us just because you wear kimono.
There's a big divide between Japanese people in Japan
and some Asian-Americans / Japanese-Americans.
Some Japanese-Americans make statements speaking for all Japanese people,
when they're really speaking for Asian- Americans
and not for Japanese people in Japan.
The American mindset is focused on things like racism and cultural-appropriation
and that's just not a thing here in Japan that people really think about or worry about.
Yeah, right. You don't just go like, "That's racist."
No, we don't do that.
So when we had issues like this kimono wearing and Avril Lavigne's "Hello Kitty" video
you have Asian-Americans who are upset about it
and they call it racist or cultural appropriation.
But if you look at the Japanese side of the internet,
and you read the Japanese comments or you talk to Japanese people in Japan-
-We're just confused-
-who grew up with Japanese mindsets,
they're just confused about it.
They don't understand why it's considered racist.
They don't consider it racist.
Oftentimes if anyone here is going to get upset about something,
they find it annoying that everything is considered to be racist in America.
Right.
With this kimono issue specifically,
one of our Japanese viewers contacted us and they were a little upset
that the museum stopped allowing foreigners to wear the kimono
because a lot of Japanese people here in Japan
WANT foreigners to wear kimono.
They WANT people to be able to experience and appreciate Japanese culture.
I mean, why wouldn't we?
Right.
Do you mind if I ask you to explain a little bit about exactly why they're upset?
I really don't understand. Why?
White people were wearing it for fun without properly appreciating Japanese culture.
So then when can you guys wear kimono according to them?
It really depends on the person.
So, some people say that foreigners are never allowed to wear kimono at all.
And our cultures should be completely separated,
like no cultural interaction at all.
Oh, that's like sakoku, huh? (national isolation)
There are some people who say it's okay for foreigners to wear kimono
only if you have specific permission from a real-life Japanese person.
So like, you're not allowed to wear a kimono unless I give you permission?
Right.
What?!
Or there are some people who say foreigners are only allowed to wear kimono if
they do it correctly, and they do a lot of research on kimono and understand
the cultural implications and the history and they TRULY appreciate kimono.
Okay... Not even very many Japanese people know much about kimono,
history of kimono, or don't even know how to wear it correctly.
They normally... Young people for example go to a photo studio or something
and have workers help them wear kimono because they don't even know how to wear it.
Right.
But I think what's considered universally bad is
foreigners just wearing kimono because it's fun,
because they like the way kimono look, or they think it's neat.
Why not?!
Anyway, the main point is that you have to separate what Asian-Americans are saying is okay
and what Japanese people are saying is okay.
And I guess it's up to you to decide who's advice you want to follow.
Uh-huh. Of course, of course.
I'm here, I'm living in Japan, surrounded by Japanese people
with a Japanese husband, so I'm going to go with the Japanese opinion,
which is that it's okay for foreigners to wear kimono
under pretty much any circumstances.
We have actually interviewed a kimono shokunin.
We haven't uploaded the video yet.
Oh, the dyer shokunin?
His family has been dyeing kimono for generations,
and I actually asked him this question when I interviewed him.
I asked him what he thought about foreigners wearing kimono,
and he was very happy about it.
He wanted everyone to try a kimono.
Yeah, right.
And there's an event all across Japan throughout the year in different cities
called Kimono Jack.
Anyone (foreigners, too) can go.
Anyone, as long as you wear a kimono.
Everyone dresses up in a kimono and you just go there
and you just hang out and chat with other people in kimono.
Literally the whole point of that is to just have fun wearing kimono.
Our shokunin, he said that many times.
What he wants is for people to just enjoy wearing kimono.
Have fun wearing kimono.
Yeah, that's exactly what he said.
So I've actually worn kimono a few times here in Japan.
I've worn both standard kimono (furisode) correctly,
and I've worn oiran kimono, which is like the prostitute version.
"Do what you want!"
And no one's ever been upset or offended.
If you go out in public wearing a kimono or yukata as a foreigner here,
so many Japanese people are so nice and they'll come up to you
and they'll just want to talk to you
and they'll say like, "Oh, you look really cool!" or "Cute!"
Or they'll like take pictures with you and stuff.
Uh-huh.
It's a nice thing here.
People want to share their culture,
and they like seeing foreigners appreciating their culture and stuff.
I think that's one of the greatest things about experiencing another culture.
And I really hope the museum starts letting people wear kimono again.
I hope this answers your question, guys, and thank you for watching!
We'll see you later!
Bye!