着物と浴衣は、どちらも日本の伝統的な衣服ですが、使われる場面や素材、着る感覚はまったく異なります。違いについて知っておけば、日本の文化をより深く理解することができるはずです。
Kimono and yukata are both traditional Japanese garments, but they differ completely in the situations in which they are worn, in their materials, and in how it feels to put them on. Knowing the differences will help you understand Japanese culture on a deeper level.
着物の歴史は古く、平安時代の貴族が着ていた装束が原型になっていると言われています。江戸時代になると、町人の間でもさまざまな柄や色の着物が流行し、現代に伝わる豊かな文化が築き上げられました。明治時代以降、洋服が広まったために、今では特別な日に着るものというイメージが定着しています。
The history of the kimono is a long one, and the garment is said to trace back to the clothing worn by the nobility in the Heian period. By the Edo period, kimono in all sorts of patterns and colors had become popular among ordinary townspeople, and the rich tradition we know today was built up at that time. After the Meiji period, Western clothes spread, and so today the kimono has settled into its image as something worn on special days.
着物は、正式な場で着られることが多い衣服です。結婚式や成人式、お正月、卒業式など、特別な日に着用されます。素材は絹が使われるのが一般的で、一着で何十万円もするものさえ珍しくありません。
The kimono is a garment most often worn on formal occasions. It is the dress of choice for weddings, Coming of Age ceremonies, New Year, graduation, and other special days. Silk is the standard material, and it is not unusual at all for a single garment to cost hundreds of thousands of yen.
着物は一人で着るのが難しいため、着付けを頼む人がほとんどです。長襦袢を着て、帯を結び、小物を整えるまでには一時間以上かかることもあります。最近では、自分で着られるようになりたいと、着付け教室に通う人もいるとのことです。
Because putting on a kimono by yourself is difficult, most people ask a professional to dress them. Putting on the under-robe, tying the obi, and arranging all the small accessories can easily take more than an hour. Recently, more people are even attending kimono-dressing classes so that they can put one on themselves.