The Yukata and the Bath

Relaxing in your yukata and your bath

In Japanese inns, guests can fully appreciate the distinctive bath culture unique to Japan. The big communal bathhouse, in particular, offers deep, spacious, luxurious bathtubs that cannot be found in ordinary homes. After washing and rinsing your body outside the tub and then soaking in it up to your shoulders, you will vanquish the day's fatigue. Care should be taken not to allow any soap into the tub, which is shared with other guests.

Various kinds of materials are used to make bathtubs. Among them, cypress and podocarpus (a semitropical evergreen) are considered most luxurious. Cypress has a pleasingly strong fragrance and contains an essential oil effective for calming the spirit and diminishing stress. Many in Japan think it is the ultimate form of natural aromatherapy. Excellent as lumber, cypress is often used in building temples and shrines and is considered a sacred tree in Japan. It was used in the construction of Nara Prefecture's Hooryuoji Temple, the oldest existing wooden structure in the world at more than 1,380 years of age. Visitors to Japan should try to experience a cypress bath at least once.

After taking a bath, one puts on a yukata (single-layer cotton kimono), a delightful practice best experienced in a Japanese inn. Initially, yukata were used as nightwear or loungewear but recently they have grown fashionable as colorful summer town clothes among young women. Yukata are also popular for visitors from abroad to take home as useful souvenirs they can wear as summer bathrobes.

Understanding the Yukata.

Two sets of yukata (single-layer cotton kimono) will be in your room, usually folded in the closet. If you are unsure how to put one on, ask the maid. Do not wear one over the other. Often one is for nightwear, the other for casual wear around the inn.

How to wear a yukata


1. First, pull the right migoro (main section) around the body.	2. Place the left migoro over the right one, pulling it snugly but comfortably around you.	3. Wrap the obi (sash) around the waist twice. First, place the middle of the obi against the abdomen, wrap it around the body crossing once at the back, and bring the ends to the front again.	4. Tie the sash in a bow just off-center of the body.	5. Men should tie a single knot and place it off-center at hip level in the back.

Articles from the 2003 AUTUMN issue:

Kateigaho International Edition Issues:

2005 SUMMER - 2005 SPRING - 2005 WINTER

2004 AUTUMN - 2004 SUMMER - 2004 SPRING - 2004 WINTER

2003 AUTUMN - INAUGURAL ISSUE