When I lived in Los Angeles, I noticed that the majority of the "kimono" and "yukata" (especially) in Little Tokyo were fake. And I really did pay $56 for a glorified bath robe.
Don't buy a yukata from a Japan town, from a convention, from ANYONE in the U.S. Don't have it made from a pattern... nothing if you want a real, genuine yukata or kimono.
Perhaps I seem a bit upset as I write this, it is because I remember how dumb I felt being an anime fan and thinking that since I spoke Japanese with the store owner she would sell me a genuine product. I directly asked her if I could wear it to a "matsuri" (Japanese shrine festival) and she told me I could. I believed her. Though I was so proud of my knowledge of the Japanese culture and whatnot, I lost a pretty penny on a fake, and I don't want anyone else to go through what I did, so never buy one of them here. They may be pretty, but do you really want to walk around wearing a fake? I get if you made it yourself, like I am sewing a gold one just for fun for myself, but to buy one and be cheated... feels sucky...
So, the number 1 thing to remember above all else is that a yukata is cotton and cotton ONLY. NEVER polyester and NEVER shiny... Yukata are risky to purchase in the U.S. genuinely, but kimono... now that is one that should virtually never be attempted here without full education and true trust in the seller.
To buy one in Japan, here is some interesting information:
Well, yeah, I was a total idiot for getting cheated like that, but if this post warns one person in the future, then my loss has been validated. :)
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