I Go to Kimono School

Even though I had been interested in kimono for a long time, the thought did not occur to me to attend kimono school until recently.  I was not even aware that I would be able to attend, as I was not always confident about my Japanese.  At first, I researched schools that may be able to teach in English to make things easier.  I could not find anyone who could issue an authentic certificate of completion, which I thought could be useful in the future.

I came across blog posts of other foreigners who attended kimono schools in Japanese.  I thought their stories were inspirational and at the time I had just wanted to learn how to wear kimono as a hobby and nothing more.  So then, there was the challenge of deciding which school I would attend. 

There are many ways to put on a kimono and obi and every school will teach you how to wear them based on their own methods.  The contents of each school and even their specialties are widely different.  Some schools cover only the basics of kimono dressing.  Others offer instruction on crafts related to kimono such as kumihimo.  Some schools will teach historical dress or how to dress geiko and maiko.  Schedules can vary as well.  Reading through the posts of other foreigners who attended kimono school, I honestly felt overwhelmed by how much curriculum varied.  At the time, I had no intention of becoming a teacher.

One day, a member of an online group mentioned she had just completed an introductory course in kimono dressing.  I asked her about her experiences and her Japanese ability.   That conversation convinced me to check out the school she attended and by sheer luck, there was a branch of this school in the middle of my commute from work. 

After observing a lesson, I signed up that day.  The teachers were very kind and ready to help me. Relieved there were no exams, I was eager to learn and I was actually starting to have fun.  This new hobby helped me through a very hard time in my life.  While I was not perfect at wearing kimono, in myself I did see I had a talent.  That's when I decided to move up into the intermediate course.  I intended to stop after this because I had no intention of becoming a teacher.  The school offered evening courses.  I learned how to put on a kimono and obi from underpinnings to the finished outfit.  The intermediate class also introduced us to other types of kimono.  I enjoyed working with furisode the most.  At the end of the course I felt like I wanted to learn even more.  My teachers encouraged me to take the teacher's course, even though I was a nervous wreck about it.  I knew I would never be able to pass.  Setting my sites on returning to the US, I made a deal with myself that I would only have one shot at completing the course and if I wasn't successful, I could still say I had experience and it would not be necessary for me to get the plaque. 

Studying for the teacher's license wasn't easy.  I gave up my Saturdays from 10AM-3PM under the accelerated program.  I enlisted the help of my Japanese tutor to help me with terminology I wasn't sure of.  I found it humorous that I would end up having to explain the special terms and how to pronounce certain characters.  I also had to get used to the test format, as it was not what I was used to.  While I was not very good with the written practice tests, admittedly, I was okay with the dressing part of the practices where you have to dress yourself in 10 minutes and then you have to dress a model in 10 minutes.

Through a lot of encouragement and practice and my own desire to make my teachers proud, I was able to pass both the written and dressing parts of the exam.  Holding my sign board was so special to me because I didn't know I could achieve it.  I also became one of the first black kimono consultants according to others in the foreign kimono community.  I had been too focused on the fact I had achieved a goal.

At present, I am taking the master's course at my school, mostly as something to do.  I also periodically attend other schools and seminars for dressing courses that my school does not offer.  I have learned how to dress others in period costumes and geiko/maiko kimono. 


* Kumihimo is the art of making braids and cords with threads.
* Geiko is the Kyoto word for geisha, highly accomplished entertainers.
* Maiko are apprentice geisha.
* Furisode are long-sleeved kimonos for unmarried women with elaborate patterns.