Name: Can Foreigners wear Kimono? ボストン美術館・着物イベントに批判で中止？
Uploaded: 2020-03-23T03:52:18.000Z
Duration: 8 min 39 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Is it okay for foreigners to wear kimono or yukata?

And today we're going to answer that because it's kind of in the news right now.

If you haven't heard, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts

has had an issue centering around one of their paintings:

It's a painting of a white woman wearing a kimono, and

just for fun the museum brought in kimono this summer that

visitors could take pictures of themselves wearing while they're standing in front of the painting.

Some people had a really big issue with that and said it was racist

for white people and non-Japanese people to have fun trying on kimono.

Let me ask you some questions about when it's okay for foreigners to wear kimono.

When it's okay for foreigners to wear kimono?

Okay. Well, you haven't heard my questions yet so maybe you'll change your mind.

Is it okay for foreigners to wear kimono in Japan

to festivals or events where you would normally wear a kimono?

Is it okay for foreigners to wear kimono in America?

Would Japanese people be offended if they saw a foreigner walking down the street

here in Japan who was wearing a kimono incorrectly?

Okay... Probably we would just come up and help them wear it correctly.

Or maybe we would read the atmosphere and try not to offend him

Yeah, that's a very Japanese thing to do.

They wouldn't even tell you you're wearing it incorrectly.

Okay, what if they're wearing it for cosplay?

What if when they're wearing it for cosplay they wear it REALLY incorrectly?

What if they like cut it all up and restyle it

or they have a really short skirt so it's like super sexy?

I don't mind if they recreate kimono at all, personally.

And I think many Japanese people wouldn't even care, either.

If they cared [about something], maybe they would be

a little too embarrassed to see their cleavage?

What if it's a white person who's a fashion designer,

and they make clothing that was inspired by kimono?

What could foreigners do to offend Japanese people, if they're wearing kimono?

Okay, you cannot offend us just because you wear kimono.

There's a big divide between Japanese people in Japan

and some Asian-Americans / Japanese-Americans.

Some Japanese-Americans make statements speaking for all Japanese people,

when they're really speaking for Asian- Americans

The American mindset is focused on things like racism and cultural-appropriation

and that's just not a thing here in Japan that people really think about or worry about.

Yeah, right. You don't just go like, "That's racist."

So when we had issues like this kimono wearing and Avril Lavigne's "Hello Kitty" video

you have Asian-Americans who are upset about it

and they call it racist or cultural appropriation.

But if you look at the Japanese side of the internet,

and you read the Japanese comments or you talk to Japanese people in Japan-

They don't understand why it's considered racist.

Oftentimes if anyone here is going to get upset about something,

they find it annoying that everything is considered to be racist in America.

one of our Japanese viewers contacted us and they were a little upset

that the museum stopped allowing foreigners to wear the kimono

because a lot of Japanese people here in Japan

They WANT people to be able to experience and appreciate Japanese culture.

Do you mind if I ask you to explain a little bit about exactly why they're upset?

White people were wearing it for fun without properly appreciating Japanese culture.

So then when can you guys wear kimono according to them?

So, some people say that foreigners are never allowed to wear kimono at all.

And our cultures should be completely separated,

Oh, that's like sakoku, huh? (national isolation)

There are some people who say it's okay for foreigners to wear kimono

only if you have specific permission from a real-life Japanese person.

So like, you're not allowed to wear a kimono unless I give you permission?

Or there are some people who say foreigners are only allowed to wear kimono if

they do it correctly, and they do a lot of research on kimono and understand

Subtitles ListPlay Video

Can Foreigners wear Kimono? ボストン美術館・着物イベントに批判で中止？

stuff

mindset

appreciate

properly