The Kimono Page 

The traditional form of clothing worn in Japan is generally referred to as kimono. The term, which means simply "Japanese style clothing", is used today to differentiate this style of attire from yofuku, the western-style garments most contemporary Japanese men and women prefer to wear. 

A nicely illustrated overview of the history of Japanese costume has been put together as a hypertext document series at MIT; illustrated examples of numerous styles of design and fabric treatment can be found at Haiku Kimono, a commercial site which illustrates its "gently worn" kimono offerings with richly detailed photographs. 

Eighteen examples of uchikake, profusely embroidered and often quilted robes traditionally worn over other attire, can be found as part of another commercial site offering these garments for purchase. 

One of the few craftsmen still working to design and produce these elaborate articles of traditional clothing is Ichiku Kubota. An exhibition of his work, currently touring various museums in the United States, has been documented on-line by the Canadian Museum of Civilization where the exhibit was on display in late 1995. Its illustrated discussion of the production process involved (and the glorious garments which result) is well worth a visit. 

Kanazawa, a lovely coastal city on Honshu's western edge, is home to a type of textile design called "Kaga Yuzen". This paste resist dyeing process results in kimono of exquisite beauty. The production process and twelve examples are illustrated as part of a section devoted to traditional elements of Japanese culture on the city's "home page". 

 
Marie's Wedding Dress Page provides some discussion of the various types of wedding dress worn by contemporary brides in Japan.
 
 

Traditional Japanese garments had none of the pockets we moderns are used to finding in our clothing.  As a result Japanese often carried a small multi-leveled lacquer box, called an inro, held together by cording and secured to the obi belt by small carved toggles known as netsuke.  A brief history of The Origin and Development of Netsuke taken from "The Netsuke Handbook" by Ueda Reikichi as translated by Raymond Bushell and published by Charles E. Tuttle Company provides lots of detailed information about this popular collectable art object once an important traditional clothing accessory.