June has begun.
By the way, my birthday is also in June — so I've gotten another year older. A nice occasion.

But back to the actual topic:
In Japan, the so-called rainy season, or Tsuyu in Japanese, begins in June.

Compared to Germany or many parts of Europe, Japan is a very humid island country.
During the rainy season, the air becomes particularly heavy and muggy.

This quickly raises the question:
How could people possibly wear kimonos in such a humid climate?

From today's perspective, a delicate silk kimono might seem impractical in such a humid environment.
But in fact, kimonos were surprisingly well adapted to the Japanese climate.

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Did everyone wear silk daily in the past?

In fact, most people did not wear expensive silk kimonos every day.

In summer, lighter materials such as linen or cotton were often worn.
Yukata — which are sometimes compared to "bathrobes" in Europe — were also everyday summer wear.

Even with silk kimonos, there were special summer fabrics like Ro or Sha: light, transparent weaves that allowed air to pass through particularly well.

These fabrics helped to make the hot and humid summers a bit more pleasant.

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Silk and Moisture

Silk is a natural material and readily absorbs moisture.

At the same time, that is precisely where its special beauty lies:
the soft movement of the fabric and its natural sheen.

Just as traditional Japanese houses are designed for air circulation, kimonos were also made to "breathe" with the air and seasons.

On sunny days, kimonos were therefore aired out in the shade — a traditional method called Mushiboshi, to allow moisture to escape.

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Kimono in the rain

There were also solutions for rainy days.

For this, so-called raincoats for kimonos (Ama-Cort or Rain Coat for Kimono) were worn.

Today, many of them have water-repellent coatings.
Of course, such modern materials did not exist in the past.

Nevertheless, an additional layer of fabric already helped to keep rain and dirt away to some extent.

For a long time, Japanese clothing culture was less about completely excluding nature, and more about living with the seasons and the climate.

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Living with the seasons

Kimono culture does not mean completely protecting oneself from nature.

Rather, it's about living with the seasons:
allowing air to flow through the fabric, resting clothes, and carefully caring for them.

Perhaps this is precisely part of the special charm of Japanese clothing culture.

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What I notice in Germany

Since living in Germany, I often feel that kimonos are even easier to store here than in Japan.

Since the humidity is significantly lower, I have not yet had any problems with mold or insect infestation during storage.

However, I didn't bring wool kimonos with me, as wool can naturally be more susceptible to moths.

For silk kimonos, however, I find the climate here very pleasant.

Kimonos are delicate garments, but if you give them air and handle them carefully, they can be worn for many years.

I very much hope that you too can wear kimonos and haoris for a long time and with joy.