Houston's Japan Fest, one of the biggest in the country, is coming up the last weekend of this month! I'll be part of a group dance one day, and I'll be informally assisting at a tea ceremony demo on the other day, serving tea and sweets to people in the audience.
One of the standard kimono types for tea ceremony and other low/mid-formal events is the iromuji 色無地, which is a plain-color kimono. Despite its simplicity, the iromuji actually ranks higher in formality than the busily-patterned komon ("fine pattern") and yukata (cotton summer kimono).
I didn't have any iromuji, so this was the perfect chance to get one!
Looking around on the online mall Rakuten for tall or large sizes to accommodate my height and long arms, I quickly found Kyoetsu-orosiya and their awase (lined) washable synthetic ones, which are on sale for about $55.00 USD before shipping. Given the fact I could wash it at home and it averages four stars in reviews, I went ahead and ordered my favorite color, the deep purple on the bottom left.
The iromuji is perfect! The synthetic fabric (high-grade polyester) is not silk, but I'd say it's close in appearance and is a great budget-friendly choice for a brand-new kimono. I also found the measurements to be accurate. Even cheaper "standard" M/L sizes can be found here and hitoe (unlined) M/L ones can be found here. 4/4
Communication:
Rakuten sent a confirmation email in English, and while Kyoetsu sent an automatic confirmation email of their own it was entirely in Japanese. This was not a problem for me, but could be intimidating if you don't read any Japanese. Generally speaking, there was no personalized communication regarding my order (Ichiroya has probably spoiled me!). 2/4
Shipping:
The shipping was about $28 for EMS, which was the only shipping choice, but nice as it guarantees a tracking number. In just under a week I received the carefully-packaged iromuji, so no complaints here! 4/4
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