Skip to content

The Story of Geisha Tokyo

When I was a little girl, my grandmother loved kimonos.

She used to wear expensive kimonos beautifully and whenever her best kimonos for going out became old, she started using them as everyday wear. When her old kimonos became damaged, she used them as long underwear or even unfastened them completely to make futon covers.

Similarly, as soon as her cotton yukatas became too old to wear outside, she used them as nightgowns, and when they became even older, she usually converted them into baby diapers. It is said that the worn-out fabric is gentler on the baby’s skin. In this way, kimonos have been deeply rooted in the daily lives of not only my grandmother, but all Japanese people as something natural and indispensable.

  • Visiting shrines
  • Shichi-Go-San
  • Coming-of-age ceremony
  • Weddings
  • Funerals

And yet, Japanese people today no longer wear kimonos.
Very few people wear kimonos every day.
At most, they wear kimonos for ceremonies such as coming-of-age ceremonies and weddings.
However, even on such rare occasions.
Even on such occasions, there are many people who choose to wear Western-style clothing.
There are many people who never wear kimono in their lives.

The biggest reason why kimonos are not worn very often in Japan anymore is
is because it is impossible to wear a kimono alone.
If you want to wear a kimono, you have to ask a professional dresser and pay an expensive dressing fee.
It can take more than an hour to dress a person.
Moreover, it is very tight and painful because it is tightened with many strings.
It is no wonder that no one wants to wear kimono.

Therefore, GEISHA TOKYO proposes a process by which anyone can easily put on a full-fledged kimono in a few minutes.

A kimono is a work of art that is made by skilled craftsmen who spend a lot of time and effort spinning threads from silkworm cocoons, weaving, dyeing, painting, embroidering, and other complex processes.

Silk used for kimonos in the olden days was especially precious because the silkworms were much smaller than today’s silk, making the threads thinner and limiting the amount of thread that could be taken from a single cocoon. As a result, expensive kimonos of the past were thin, light, warm, and form-fitting.

In modern Japan, however, this precious vintage silk is being carelessly discarded. One can almost hear the screams of the kimono.
”’I want you to wear it more and more” is the cry of Japanese kimono.

I used to travel all over the world for my job.

One time, a customer in France told me that his little daughter was learning judo, and she was so happy to wear judo clothes as kimonos! When I heard this, I gave him a kimono that my daughter had worn to her Shichi-Go-San ceremonies.

He told me her daughter was delighted with the gift of the kimono and he was very grateful for this “crazy” surprise from Japan.

Apparently when she took the kimono to school to show it to her friends, they all wanted to try it on.

People overseas seem to enjoy kimonos so much, whereas in Japan they have become useless space fillers in the wardrobe, by some people even being considered bothersome!

Back then, the idea was still vague, but I thought that Japan’s art of kimono could have a chance of surviving if brought overseas.

A few years have passed since then, but the time has come to turn my inspiration into reality. I decided to retire from my old employer and start spreading Japan’s disappearing art of kimono to the world in order to keep its culture alive.

Geisha Tokyo Tailors

In Japan today, many skilled kimono artisans do not have jobs that allow them to utilize their advanced skills.
If this situation continues, the wonderful craftsmanship will perish along with the kimono culture.
With your support, we will be able to provide tailors with highly skilled sewing work.
We will also be able to create new kimono values with these easy-to-wear kimonos, spread them around the world, and revitalize the industry.
We would like to contribute to the employment of tailors and kimono craftsmen on an ongoing basis.

Ms. Hara

Currently, head of Hara School for Traditional Japanese Tailoring Awarded by the Emperor with the Order of Sacred Treasure, Silver Rays Awarded by the Minister of Labor with titles such as “Master Craftsman” and “Award for Outstanding Skill” Traditional Japanese tailoring for over 50 years.