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Yuzen is a technique for creating designs on kimono. This technique uses rice paste as the resist for dyeing the pattern. After the pattern is first sketched on the silk, the paste is applied over this. Then colors are added to the pattern. Next, the completed pattern is covered with paste and the kimono’s main color is added around the design. After the colors are fixed on the fabric, the paste is removed by putting the cloth under running water. The beautiful patterns are left on the cloth.

Shibori is also a technique for creating designs on kimono. This is a type of resist dyeing in which certain areas on the cloth are kept from dyeing by binding dots, stitching, or clamping and squeezing the cloth between boards. Different from other dyeing techniques, shibori creates a raised and wrinkled surface on the finished work. Shibori may be machine-made or hand-made. The latter demands a high price because it is an elaborate and intricate work.

These are the shoes most often worn with kimono. They range from wood to plastic to leather. Wooden zori are very simple and are often worn with yukata or informal kimono and sometimes they have a separate heel. The leather and pleather zori are almost impossible to tell apart. These are worn with more formal kimono. They come in a variety of colors and the fancier ones often have gold or silver inlay. More often than not they have matching purses.

These are the traditional wooden sandals of Japan. They have many variations that will not be covered here. They are distinguished from wooden zori by tall stands rather than a raised heel.

These are the hair decorations worn by women in kimono. There are several different types of Kanzashi. There are the more modern types, made out of plastic or wood, that resemble fancy chopsticks. Then there are the more traditional types worn by geisha or maiko. These are clips, combs and sticks with flower decorations made out of folded squares of silk. They are made specifically for each season, event and type of kimono.

Mon are the traditional symbols of a family in Japan. They are much like the family crests of Medieval Europe. A mon is usually a stylized motif of flowers, geometric symbols or animals. They are placed on the center back, back sleeves and chest of the kimono. The more mon a kimono has the more formal it is. Mon were outlawed in Japan after WWII. Only pre-WWII kimono and very formal modern kimono have mon.

Obidome are like fancy broaches worn over the knot on the obijime, to hold the cord together. They can be carved from ivory, made from precious metals and stones, molded from glass or ceramic.

The ohashiori is the part folded up under the obi to make the length of the kimono appropriate. It should be appear smooth and straight.

The bottom hem on the inside of the kimono is often dyed a complimentary color, this is the hakkake. In more formal kimono the hakkake sometimes displays designs similar to the outside of the kimono. When walking properly in kimono, the front bottom corner will flip open, revealing the hakkake as a pretty flash of color.