# Ask the gaijin that just spent $600 on kimono **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 2, 2008, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gaijin-that-just-spent-600-on-kimono/451535 "2008-06-02T21:15:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gaijin-that-just-spent-600-on-kimono/451535/1 "2008-06-02T21:15:51Z")
This’ll probably die like my other threads, but I’m still jazzed about this weekend. I went to Torrance to two kimono stores and spent a total of $600 dollars. On kimono stuff. In a desperate attempt to make this thread live a bit longer, I shan’t spoil anything but the basics: No, I’m not Japanese. Yes, I wear kimono on occasion. No, this wasn’t my first kimono buying trip. Other than that, ask away! prepares to watch the thread die a lonely unloved death ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gaijin-that-just-spent-600-on-kimono/451535/2 "2008-06-02T21:22:56Z")
I love kimonos, too. I also like those wide sash things - are they called obi? Are you able to post a pic? ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gaijin-that-just-spent-600-on-kimono/451535/3 "2008-06-02T21:24:59Z")
Well, I think it sounds beautiful, and I want to see pictures. Have you ever been to Japan? What sparked your interest in kimono? Is that the only Japan-related thing you’re into? Are there special ceremonies or rituals involving kimono? Do you participate in them? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gaijin-that-just-spent-600-on-kimono/451535/4 "2008-06-02T21:34:39Z")
Piccies! We want piccies! 🙂 (For some reason I thought that _gaijin_ referred to foreign _men_. Am I wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gaijin-that-just-spent-600-on-kimono/451535/5 "2008-06-02T21:36:44Z")
Was your interest in Anime sparked by an interest in Japan, or vice-versa? ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gaijin-that-just-spent-600-on-kimono/451535/6 "2008-06-02T22:08:08Z")
[QUOTE=teela brown] I love kimonos, too. I also like those wide sash things - are they called obi? Are you able to post a pic? [/QUOTE] Yeah, the belt / sash is called an obi. I can’t tie any of the formal ones yet, although I’m planning on taking a class, if I ever get up the guts to call. I don’t have any pics of my new stuff yet, but my best pics of me in kimono are [here at my LJ](http://silvercat17.livejournal.com/24744.html) Most of the things I bought were accessories - obi-age (bustle that goes above the obi - the blue scarf in the link was being used as one, although with that obi I don’t really need one) & obi-jime (cord that goes in the middle of the obi), and lots of things that don’t show. > [@](#): > > Have you ever been to Japan? What sparked your interest in kimono? Is that the only Japan-related thing you’re into? Are there special ceremonies or rituals involving kimono? Do you participate in them? I’ve never been to Japan, although I plan on trying to join the JET program after I finally get my BA and go teach English there (and get paid!). My family had a couple of Japanese exchange students when we were growing up, one of which brought yukata & accessories for my sister and me, which I still have. My mother has also always encouraged us to like antiques and be interested in other cultures, so I grew up liking Asian stuff which ended up focusing on mostly Japanese stuff. I also collect ‘geisha’ dolls, although I don’t have very many, mud men, and just general knick-knacky stuff. I also really love the language, although I can’t speak it. I’ve taken one class and studied on my own. Part of it might be my general language-geekiness. I don’t quite remember why I got into kimono. I found various blogs about non-Japanese wearing kimono and thought it was really cool. I have a very Asian figure (no bust, no hips, no butt, slightly short) which makes it easy for me to wear kimono, although certainly not all Asian people have that figure, nor do all people who wear kimono, Japanese or not, have that figure. But it does make it easy for me. There aren’t exactly rituals, although there are a lot of rules. Some people are incredibly strict. These are often also the people who think that only Japanese people should wear kimono and the ones that make people think its impossible to dress yourself or that everyone has to take classes to wear it - although classes certainly help. But there are also people who have fun with it and do non-traditional things. I think the most famous ‘style’ is Kimono-Hime (named after a magazine, I believe) A lot of people wear kimono so they can take Tea Ceremony classes or do Japanese dance. I’m thinking about taking Tea Ceremony classes. > [@](#): > > (For some reason I thought that gaijin referred to foreign men. Am I wrong? As far as I know. I’m no Japanese expert, although I have studied the language. But as far as I know, Japanese doesn’t divide by sex (or number usually) > [@](#): > > Was your interest in Anime sparked by an interest in Japan, or vice-versa? I’m really not sure why everyone thinks I’m a giant anime fan. I’m really a more general geek. I’ve watched several mainstream anime - I was a huge Digimon fan although that’s mostly done. That _was_ my main exposure to the extreme insanity of anime fans (look! we can pair anyone with anyone! We’re totally okay with underage homosexual incest! :eek: ). I also follow Hellsing and Excel Saga, and several manga. But I wouldn’t say I’m a bigger anime fan than I am a scifi fan. I don’t buy toys or collectibles for it, like I do for Thundercats and Silverhawks or used to do for Star Trek. Anyway… um, my sister and I got into anime before it was cool - we wore out the tape for ‘Warriors of the Wind’ (on Beta!), aka the truly horrendous dub of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. So I own several of Miyazaki’s movies. But I think my interest in anime and my interest in Japanese culture are seperate things. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gaijin-that-just-spent-600-on-kimono/451535/7 "2008-06-02T22:08:09Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] (For some reason I thought that _gaijin_ referred to foreign _men_. Am I wrong? [/QUOTE] Yes, it’s just foreigners in general. _gai_ is foreign, _jin_ is person. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gaijin-that-just-spent-600-on-kimono/451535/8 "2008-06-02T22:14:56Z")
Oh and I’ll try to get more pictures soon, but unfortunately for the next couple days I have to go dog-sitting right after work (and spend the night, because apparently pure-bred German Shepherds can’t spend the night alone. :rolleyes: 🙂 ), which won’t give me any chance to take pictures. And if I don’t go to the laundromat on Wednesday, I’m not going to have anything to wear but kimono. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gaijin-that-just-spent-600-on-kimono/451535/9 "2008-06-02T22:17:55Z")
How do I know that a netsuke is the authentic Japanese item and not a Chinese knockoff? ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gaijin-that-just-spent-600-on-kimono/451535/10 "2008-06-02T22:22:06Z")
I can attest that **Silver Tyger Girl** looks very cute in a kimono. We went out for sushi recently and she was most adorable. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gaijin-that-just-spent-600-on-kimono/451535/11 "2008-06-02T22:41:36Z")
[QUOTE=Sattua] How do I know that a netsuke is the authentic Japanese item and not a Chinese knockoff? [/QUOTE] I have no idea. Buy it from a reputable dealer? ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2008, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gaijin-that-just-spent-600-on-kimono/451535/12 "2008-06-03T00:24:39Z")
I meant no offense, I thought I had seen you discussing Anime in a very… intense way in other threads. Ah well… shigata ganai (and now I’m out of Japanese… hehe) How supportive of the kimono thing is your family? ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2008, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gaijin-that-just-spent-600-on-kimono/451535/13 "2008-06-03T00:28:34Z")
[QUOTE=Tristan] I meant no offense, I thought I had seen you discussing Anime in a very… intense way in other threads. Ah well… shigata ganai (and now I’m out of Japanese.. hehe) How supportive of the kimono thing is your family? [/QUOTE] Oh, I’m not offended, just puzzled. I dabble in all sorts of fandoms. My mom thinks it’s really cool. She helped me out on my first kimono buying trip and has bought me lots of stuff off eBay. My sister, I think, think its cool. I have no idea what my dad thinks, although he doesn’t disapprove at least. My extended family? Probably don’t think I’m any weirder than they already thought. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2008, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gaijin-that-just-spent-600-on-kimono/451535/14 "2008-06-03T02:55:00Z")
[QUOTE=Tristan] I meant no offense, I thought I had seen you discussing Anime in a very… intense way in other threads. Ah well… shigata ganai (and now I’m out of Japanese.. hehe) [/QUOTE] [minor nitpick]shikata ga nai[/minor nitpick] What’s the pattern like? You did buy a kimono and not just accessories right? ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2008, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gaijin-that-just-spent-600-on-kimono/451535/15 "2008-06-03T16:42:04Z")
[QUOTE=Autolycus] [minor nitpick]shikata ga nai[/minor nitpick] What’s the pattern like? You did buy a kimono and not just accessories right? [/QUOTE] I bought three kimono, two haori, two pair of zori, two obi, a pre-tied obi, a heko obi, and a buttload of accessories. One of kimono I bought has an arrow pattern, but not the space filling yabane pattern. One is blue striped, and I’m ashamed to say I can’t remember what the third one is. I swear I’ll get pictures as soon as I’ve got a chance. A more accurate thread title would’ve been ‘Ask the American girl who just spent $600 on kimono stuff’ but it just doesn’t have the same kick, you know? ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2008, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gaijin-that-just-spent-600-on-kimono/451535/16 "2008-06-03T21:39:57Z")
Okay, I took a few quick photos over my lunch break and downloaded them, along with the 90+ pics I already had on my camera. Don’t worry, you don’t have to look at all those - a lot of them are pics of my cats. 😃 Okay, honestly, most of them are pics of kimono, but I haven’t finished editting them, but here’s the one’s that show my new stuff. [All my kimono stuff stored away](http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q103/silvercat17/kimono/wafuku-drawers.jpg) Those boxes have my pre-tied obi and my zori and geta. [Here is my new, actually brand new, haven’t even taken the tags off yet, kimono](http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q103/silvercat17/kimono/new-from-kyoei.jpg) Sorry, I didn’t have the space / time to completely unfold it. [All my haori](http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q103/silvercat17/kimono/haori.jpg) minus the one I was wearing. The blue one next behind the empty hanger is one I bought in this trip [Two shots from Midori Sushi](http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q103/silvercat17/kimono/midori2.jpg)[with **Rick** and **Antinor01**](http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q103/silvercat17/kimono/midori1.jpg) [And now! Me in my underwear with my pussy](http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q103/silvercat17/kimono/hoshi-ball-juban.jpg) (Okay, not really. There’s another layer and a half there) I can post more pics if people are interested. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2008, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gaijin-that-just-spent-600-on-kimono/451535/17 "2008-06-03T22:13:02Z")
I love the pattern of your new one. I’ve always wanted to dress up in a kimono for Halloween or something, but I think I might feel vaguely guilty about it (since my family is Korean). Too bad. Personally I feel like the kimono is prettier than the hanbok. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2008, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gaijin-that-just-spent-600-on-kimono/451535/18 "2008-06-03T22:40:43Z")
Kawaii! I like the pattern a lot 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2008, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gaijin-that-just-spent-600-on-kimono/451535/19 "2008-06-03T22:55:43Z")
Thanks for the pics. I really like the pattern on your new kimono. Also, your face really reminds me of one of my cousins. Anyway, I’m wondering what kind of reactions you’ve received from Japanese and Japanese-Americans while wearing kimono. And if you have any stories about cool/weird reactions from other people, I want to hear those, too! ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2008, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gaijin-that-just-spent-600-on-kimono/451535/20 "2008-06-03T23:01:08Z")
[QUOTE=The Weird One] Thanks for the pics. I really like the pattern on your new kimono. Also, your face really reminds me of one of my cousins. Anyway, I’m wondering what kind of reactions you’ve received from Japanese and Japanese-Americans while wearing kimono. And if you have any stories about cool/weird reactions from other people, I want to hear those, too! [/QUOTE] Not to answer for her, but at least when we went for sushi they treated her very well. Even brought out really nice chopsticks for her to use. (I’m not sure what they were, but they were sure as hell higher quality then the cheapie wooden ones!) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gaijin-that-just-spent-600-on-kimono/451535.md?page=2)