Just in time for festival season, I have purchased my own yukata. I bought it down in the old neighborhood of Yanaka, which is very near to our house. Although the yukata are one size fits all, the salesman allowed me to try it on to see if I liked the look. I'm glad that I have the pictures from this process because I may need them to recreate what he did when I try to put it on myself. In particular, you have to be careful with the way you wrap it. The right side needs to go first and then the left side over that. If you do the reverse you apparently look like a corpse. This is the most often stated problem if you google "foreigner wearing yukata". The other problem is that many foreign women have curvy hips that don't fit properly in the yukata. Not this foreigner, though. Pretty straight up and down, I am.
So after the wrap, you fold over the top section at the waist and tie a thin belt to keep it in place. This establishes the proper floor length but also gives it the appearance of having two pieces. On top of it all will go the bright, thick piece of satin called the obi. I have no idea how to tie that, but that is where the internets come in handy. The actual yukata that I bought is a deeper shade of red, with colorful flowers, and the obi is bright gold on the outside and orange on the inside. I even bought wooden flip flops called getta to wear with it. This weekend I will get to wear the yukata at a birthday party on a boat. Pictures to follow!
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