Once a standard of the Japanese wardrobe, the kimono is now often a garment reserved for special occasions, such as weddings and coming-of-age ceremonies, and is mostly worn by women. The modern kimono industry peaked in 1975 with a market size of 1.8 trillion yen (522 billion baht), according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. "There are many hurdles" to buying a kimono, said Takatoshi Yajima, vice chairman of the Japan kimono promotion association, and a kimono manufacturer. Kahori Ochi serves around 500 foreign tourists a year at her kimono rental store in the trendy Harajuku area of Tokyo. "My mother told me the kimono business is risky and volatile," she said, adding that her mother's shop struggled after the bubble economy ended in the early 1990s.

Source: Bangkok Post May 04, 2018 04:30 UTC