Recycled Kimono | Wear them with your imagination

2021.02.24

Prefectures, kyushyu-okinawa, kumamoto, Genre, Experience program, tourist information, Other facilities・famous places

Kimono woven from a single thread, sometimes delicately and sometimes boldly. With a kimono master Asako Kojima who usually enjoys her kimono life relaxingly, I visited two of her favorite recycled kimono shops and I received an introduction to kimono that even beginners can easily try.

When I wear a kimono, my spine feels stretched and everything looks different.

Dresser Asako Kojima (right) and Masako Mortison (left). Although their tastes are different, they always go out together when choosing a kimono. Bright laughter echoes around them from beginning to end.

“When I was a kid, my mother dressed me in the same kimono and haori as hers on New Year’s Day. I enjoyed wearing these special clothes because they made me feel different from usual. Even now, putting my sleeves on my kimono always reminds me of the excitement of those days and takes me to an extraordinary world. ” says Kojima.

Mr. Kojima, who enjoys kimono with free ideas without being bound by the stereotype of “kimono = traditional culture“, went to two recycling kimono stores that he described as “a blissful space”.

Choosing kimono is a once-in-a-lifetime encounter. Enjoy with free sensibility.

Mr. Okada started his business at the age of 52 after working for a kimono wholesaler in Kyoto for over 30 years. He has been in the store for 15 years, and his polite work and abundant knowledge are highly trusted by both men and women, such as kimono and tea ceremony professionals.

She first visited “Recycled Kimono Goraku” in Minamitsuboimachi, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City. The inside of the store where colorful kimonos are lined up by size is breathtaking! The tags attached to each kimono carefully describe each small size.

“It’s not only easy for customers to see, but it’s also proof that I inspected each piece with my own eyes for dirt and fraying in small parts,” says the owner, Mr. Okada. Most of the kimonos in the store are purchased from individuals, and there is a diverse lineup of kimonos that you can choose according to the scene, as well as rare kimonos that you can enjoy as fashionable clothes.“No single kimono is the same. I can give you professional advice if you don’t know which one is for you, so I want you to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime encounter,” says Okada.

A royal blue shawl with a beautiful color. The tag has the words “MADE IN W. GERMANY”. Everyone is curious about the kimono shawls made in the West German era.

Kimono and obi that Asako selected for me for everyday fashion. The outfit looks flashy at first glance, but when you put it on, it fits comfortably because the shape of this kimono is simple.

“I also like ordinary clothes, but since kimonos are not affected by trends, you can wear the same kimono with a completely different atmosphere depending on the obi and accessories. When I wear it, I feel that my spine is stretched and everyday life looks different,” says Kojima. She sometimes enjoys her own kimono life by re-dying indigo with what she finds at a recycling store and making small items to match the kimono by hand.

To wear a kimono beautifully, you need items other than kimono and obi. At “Recycled Kimono Kureraku”, you can get a set of kimono for about 20,000 yen. I want you to feel the new sensation that the culture of kimono brings to your daily life.