Which one is better? Yukata or kimono?

Question

hahaha...that is not the main question i want to ask. that's just for attraction..Ok, the real question is which part in Japan should a high school student like me visit to. Places that are interesting, fun, and have moderate price. I'm thinking of going there around Nov - Dec 2009.

Also, is there any home stay or japanese style home that i can stay in? and will i be able to buy a kimono or if it is too expensive, a yukata?

Answer 1

Well, first things first. If you are in Japan in Nov or Dec you won't be able to buy a yukata, even if you wanted to. Yukata are worn in summer, and are not sold during winter. If you really want one there are some options: look in a thrift store, look online, see if someone (host family) will just give you one. And for option #3 I would not ask outright. I'd say, I'd like to buy a yukata. Do you know where I can buy one? And then they might say, you can't buy one now. . .but you can have one of ours. . .! If you wanted to buy a kimono you'd also have to look at a thrift store or flea market. Buying a new kimono would be like coming to the US and wanting to buy a brand new wedding dress, ha!

Btw, if anyone tells you to buy this stuff in the airport, don't listen. The airport "kimono" are nothing but overpriced silky bathrobes that are made in China.

The other stuff you'll have to research yourself. There are a million cool places to see. I can't even begin to list them all.  

Answer 2

You should not have any problem buying a yukata. Kimono's are very expensive. Actually you could look in a market or second hand shop, where you see kimono and yukata for sale quite cheaply.

Tokyo will always have plenty for young people and you can go to Fuji Lakes which is about 1 1/2 hours by bus and has a big Funfair-Fujikyu Highland. There are also plenty of other interesting things in this area. It is where people go to climb My Fuji.

Kyoto is great with heaps of cultural and historic things to see. You can walk to see a lot of places, and do not need to spend too much . You can eat cheaply from bakeries etc.

If you want outdoor activities in the mountains Shikoku is good for that - beaches, mountains, white water rafting, hiking. You can camp. I am not sure how you would get around to the mountain areas. Probably bus. We drove.

There is so much to see and do in Japan, you will only get to see a small part probably. It depends on what sort of things you like to do most.Are you wanting history, tradition and culture or activities?

Be sure you get a rail pass from your home country to get around. You cannot buy them in Japan, but it will save you a lot of money as you have unlimited travel once you start using it.

Have a look at http://www.fascinating-travel-destinatio... for more information and ideas.

November December will be colder so some areas will have snow.

You may want look here for homestays

http://gojapan.about.com/cs/traveltools/...

http://japanese.about.com/od/homestay/Ho...

Answer 3

i can't remember is yukata for boys i thought or is it just the cheaper less formal more summer kimono for evry1? idk

Answer 4

A yukata and a kimono are two different things. And there are different kinds of each one. You can find cheap one's that are made in China. Real kimonos cost thousands.

I'd choose Tokyo. But prices won't be cheap.

Answer 5

Yukata is mainly for Summer and is more casual. A real Kimono can range from the price of a small car to the price of a house (That is not an exaggeration). You can buy cheap ones though that are made in China for a cheap price. Even in winter you can find these things in tourist places.

You will be able to find them at tourist places all over.

Please keep in mind that when you go to Japan you will experience seasons. Depending on exactly when and where you go it may be snowing and very cold or if you go early November it should be okay.

I love the Kansai area. You can fly direct to this area from many airports now. It is the airport code is KIX.

You can visit Osaka for wonderful food and tons of shopping, a castle, Universal Studios and also the Aquarium is great too. Osaka has a great night life too.

Nara and Kyoto are a short train ride away. Both of these are formal capitals of Japan rich in temples and shrines. In Nara you can also find tame deer that will eat out of your hand.

Himeiji is also close to this area and has what I feel is Japans most beautiful castle.

Kobe is also near Osaka and offers more shopping, nightlife and a nice port area.

It's hard to say what is interesting to you not knowing who you are or what you like. The Kansai area is diverse though so you can find anything.

The prices can be affordable if you shop around and also depending on what you buy and do. If you want to eat Kobe Beef, Wagyu and the Finest Sushi you better have tons of money. If you enjoy trying Udon, Om Rice eating a quick conveni meal you will find eating in Japan is very cheap.

Answer 6

Yukatas are cheap, cotton, come in a variety of colors, and are LIGHT!!

A kimono is too expensive for you. They range from $10,000 up to over $20,000.  So, unless you can easily spend that much, you won't get one. You can rent a kimono, but that's expensive.  In Kyoto, you can "be" a geisha. They'll dress you up like a geisha and walk you around town. I don't know the price though.

A place for a kid to go: Tokyo! or Hakodate.

Answer 7

Yukata is one of kimono. Yukata is thin type kimono wore in Summer.

exchange student system are well developed all over Japan now but if you are active to Japanese modern society, you must go big city like Tokyo, Yokohama and Osaka.

If you love nature and country atmosphere and don't want go out for playing in the night, stay away from such big city. It must annoy you.

High school which has exchange student system shall introduce you home stay place usually. You must pay some compliments for the family of course though.

In winter there is no yukata available anywhere in Japan except Okinawa.