# Traditional Japanese working wear

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-japanese-working-wear/485551>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 12, 2009, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-japanese-working-wear/485551 "2009-02-12T16:36:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**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:** [February 12, 2009, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-japanese-working-wear/485551/1 "2009-02-12T16:36:18Z")

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Traditionally, what would a young lady wear to work in a restaurant / bar? I was originally thinking an informal kimono, but I think I may have been wrong. A hanten? A hippari?

And related, what would she wear at home to do things like housework? I’m thinking I have an excuse to rewatch Spirited Away and other Miyazaki movies, for purely research purposes I swear. =^.^=

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**Author:** ![puppygod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@puppygod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puppygod)\
**Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-japanese-working-wear/485551/2 "2009-02-12T16:47:29Z")

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When and where? I mean what era and what kind of restaurant? What social class she belongs to? It might vary a lot.

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**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\
**Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-japanese-working-wear/485551/3 "2009-02-12T17:00:57Z")

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Traditionally, I’m not even sure you’d find women working in bars at all. They didn’t exactly have bars for the most part anyway. They had similar things, but drinking was done a bit differently in the social sense, so…

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**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:** [February 12, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-japanese-working-wear/485551/4 "2009-02-12T17:14:32Z")

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It’s not actually set in Japan. Or this world. But it works out to about modern semi-rural Japan (more or less ish). But she’s rather old-fashioned and formal (and her boyfriend is a samurai), so she’s wears kimono or Japanese clothes everyday.

It’s kinda a mom-and-pop restaurant, with all of three or four employees. She’s in her twenties. Social class? I dunno. I guess whatever miko would be (it’s… complicated).

I’m currently thinking informal kimono (komon with nagoya) when she’s acting as hostess, hanten when she’s being a waitress, and grungier hanten / hippari when she’s cooking. Does that sound about right?

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**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\
**Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-japanese-working-wear/485551/5 "2009-02-12T17:17:02Z")

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If you’re talking about now, then [this](http://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/g-uniform/ti-g6225.html) or [this](http://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/g-uniform/ti-k5965.html) are standard for your average restaurant.

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**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:** [February 12, 2009, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-japanese-working-wear/485551/6 "2009-02-12T17:29:25Z")

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> [@cckerberos](#):
>
> If you’re talking about now, then [this](http://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/g-uniform/ti-g6225.html) or [this](http://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/g-uniform/ti-k5965.html) are standard for your average restaurant.

Thanks! That second link is probably perfect!