Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeB
Whoever that chap was who claimed that his two Japanese friends were getting angry with a gaijin for wearing a yukata was probably just making stuff up, got completely lost in translation or is hanging out with some serious weirdos. But most likely just making stuff up.
Enjoy getting dressed up for the Summer festivals!
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Because Japan is such a
tiny country that your experience in your area is automatically the national truth, and the experience of anyone else is either false or exceptional?
Wearing Yukata at a summer festival is quite different to the context posed in the original question. At matsuri, lots of people wear costume and it's seen as entering into the spirit of things to join in. Wearing yukata around in public 'just because' is completely different, and will raise eyebrows and stir comments, which might not be complimentary. Those girls might have gotten angry, not so much about the gaijin in yukata aspect of the scenario, but because it was attracting an embarrassing amount of attention.
You can be japanese and it can still seem kind of odd in the wrong context. If you're foreign, there's even less legitimate reasons why you might be wearing it. Wearing yukata abroad outside your home 'just because' is another deal again.
Personally I don't wear yukata or kimono in Japan unless it's a set event and i'm going with others who'll be dressing up. In the UK, as far as i'm concerned it's costume, and i'd best have a decent excuse to be wearing it.