How to Put on Hakama for Men and Women

Here are two helpful videos for complete kimono and hakama (pants) outfits. Even if you don't speak Japanese, this rental company visually walks you through the entire process step by step.

Costumers, cosplayers, history buffs, and artists might find these videos useful. There's nothing like seeing a garment in three dimensions to help you understand how it's made. :)

Women's graduation outfit: This outfit is worn by girls graduating high school or college. The mid-length-sleeve furisode (young women's kimono) in this demonstration has a much shorter hem than a normal kimono of this type because it is only meant to be worn under hakama. It would never be worn alone like a regular kimono.

Regular women don't wear hakama in the modern day outside of graduation and certain traditional sports.





Men's formal outfit: The most formal outfit for men includes hakama, along with a jacket called a haori (haori can be worn by men or women in general, as a note) and a distinctive puffball tie that closes the jacket. One note is that if you want to do a men's kimono outfit without hakama (which is ok, of course), you wouldn't tie this particular bow tie knot in the middle of the back but rather one of several different types of knots off-center on the back. This specific one in the video is meant to help support the back of the hakama.