Traditional Japanese clothing, Furisode

There are many types of kimono, mostly varying according to the tailoring, but the color and the decorations are also important, expressing the wearer's age or marital status.

One of the most beautiful kimono styles is the furisode, made of brightly colored silk, with the design characterized by joyful patterns symbolizing youth and having very long sleeves, symbolizing that the girl wearing it is unmarried.

Furisode is actually the most formal style of kimono for unmarried women, so as a tourist you have little chance to see it worn on the street. There are two big exceptions, though: a Shinto wedding and on the second Monday of January, on the Coming of Age Day (Seijin no Hi), when many groups of girls wearing colorful furisode can be seen near the city offices, temples or shrines...